When the San Jose Earthquakes host D.C. United on Sunday afternoon, it will be a celebration of the 30th MLS season and a rematch of the league’s inaugural game.
It also will be a fitting tip of the cap to the most decorated coach in MLS history, San Jose’s Bruce Arena, who was on the D.C. sideline in the league opener, when Eric Wynalda scored the first goal in league history in the 88th minute of San Jose’s 1-0 win.
“It’s an incredible weekend for the league,” D.C. coach Troy Lesesne said. “I can remember watching this game when I was 12 years old and trying to find soccer anywhere and everywhere on TV, and there wasn’t a lot of it.”
Twenty-nine years later, two of the charter members of MLS are trying to recapture their past glory.
While D.C. (1-2-3, 6 points) hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2019, San Jose (2-3-1, 7 points) has only one postseason appearance in the last five years.
Both teams got off to promising starts this season as D.C. was unbeaten in its first four matches and San Jose outscored its first two opponents 6-1 in a pair of victories. But both have struggled lately.
In a 2-1 loss at home to the Columbus Crew, Christian Benteke scored his fourth goal, but it was just one of two shots put on goal by D.C.
After losing three straight, San Jose played visiting Seattle to a 1-1 tie last Saturday, a positive result considering how the Sounders dominated possession, taking 26 shots.
“To get a point, at least we’re headed in the right direction,” said the 73-year-old Arena, who guided D.C. United to MLS Cup titles in the league’s first two seasons.
The match will be played on the same date on the calendar as their first meeting in 1996. Several luminaries from the inaugural game will be honored at halftime including former San Jose standouts Wynalda, John Doyle and Eddie Lewis.
Ex-United stars John Harkes, Jeff Agoos and Marco Etcheverry will also join the festivities, along with other players from the historic match.
“It was an exciting time, and the goal was to really elevate the sport in our country, and I think 30 years later we’ve done that. Obviously, there’s a lot more to do,” Arena said.
–Field Level Media
