San Jose Earthquakes

The San Jose Earthquakes are one of the more well-traveled franchises in MLS history, having briefly relocated to become the Houston Dynamo before being revived in the Bay Area. Originally taking the field as the San Jose Clash, the Earthquakes carry a name tied to Northern California's earlier NASL soccer era. The club built an early-2000s reputation for clutch, high-pressure playoff soccer. San Jose's fan base has remained fiercely loyal through the franchise's unusual, on-again history.

Established in 1994 as the San Jose Clash, the club was a charter member of MLS's 1996 inaugural season and was renamed San Jose Earthquakes in 2000. San Jose won MLS Cup titles in 2001 and 2003, defeating the LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire respectively, and added Supporters' Shields in 2005 and 2012. The franchise's operations were relocated to Houston after the 2005 season to become the Houston Dynamo, before MLS revived the San Jose Earthquakes as an expansion club in 2008.