Entering this week, the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy – two storied franchises in MLS grandeur – find themselves on the outside of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs picture if the campaign ended today. The Cali Clásico carries some added weight when the Galaxy host the Quakes on Sunday at StubHub Center (4 p.m. PT | FS1, FOX Deportes).
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In what could be seen as a do-or-die matchup with the regular season hitting its stretch run, the Quakes have the more optimistic shot at the postseason. San Jose travels to Sandy, Utah, on Wednesday to take on Real Salt Lake, before heading to the west coast to cap off the week. All eyes are on the Quakes’ Chris Wondolowski, who continues to etch his name in the MLS record books.
Wondolowski converted a clutch penalty kick in second-half stoppage time to help San Jose earn a 2-2 draw against the Philadelphia Union. With that goal, Wondolowski has reached double-digit goal scoring for an eighth consecutive season. The Bay Area native sits fourth on the league’s all-time goal scoring list with 131 goals, behind only Jaime Moreno (133), Jeff Cunningham (134) and former Galaxy and Quakes legend Landon Donovan (145).
LA will need an impressive final stretch to work its way into the top six of the West standings. The Galaxy enter the week in ninth place with a 6-12-5 record and 23 points, and every game for head coach Sigi Schmid’s side is unquestionably a must-win situation. LA hits the road to face Columbus Crew SC on Wednesday and then prepares for three home matches in a four-game stretch. The Galaxy, though, have uncharacteristically struggled at StubHub to the tune of a 1-7-4 record.
Only five MLS franchises have won multiple MLS Cups, and this meeting features two of them – LA a five-time champion and San Jose a two-time title winner. For the moment, though, Sunday’s rivalry game will be a crucial 90-minute stretch toward simply building each team’s postseason fate.
