About

The San Jose organization was established in 1994, when San Jose became a charter member of Major League Soccer on June 15. San Jose joined Boston, Columbus, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey and Washington, D.C. as the first teams in MLS. Between November, 1994 and June 1995, Tampa Bay, Denver, Kansas City and Dallas were added as clubs and the San Jose team was assigned to the Western Conference. The San Jose Major League Soccer club decided to change its name and look in 1999, it went into the past to do so. Reaching back to a previously successful soccer team in the area, the Clash became the Earthquakes. The previous incarnation of the Earthquakes played in the North American Soccer League from 1974-1984, and then in the Western Soccer Alliance from 1985-88. Those Earthquakes teams called Spartan Stadium home. The name Earthquakes originally came from a newspaper contest in the San Jose Mercury News, in which fans were encouraged to send in suggestions for the name of the soon-to-be formed San Jose franchise.