San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team. The Quakes, as they are often called, compete in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS) , the top soccer league in the United States and Canada . The club plays its home games at PayPal Park in San Jose , California .
The Earthquakes were founded in 1994 as the San Jose Clash. San Jose was one of 10 clubs that were charter members of MLS, which played its first season in 1996. The team changed its name to the Earthquakes after the 1999 season. After the 2005 season, the team suspended operations, and the players and coaching staff moved to Houston , Texas . They became the Houston Dynamo (now called the Houston Dynamo FC ). In 2008, the Earthquakes resumed operations in San Jose as an expansion team.
San Jose won the MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003 as the winner of the league playoffs. The Earthquakes won the MLS Supporters’ Shield in 2005 and 2012 as the club with the best regular season record. Star players have included forward and midfielder Landon Donovan ; striker Chris Wondolowski; left back Wade Barrett; defender and midfielder Ramiro Corrales; and defenders Jeff Agoos and John Doyle. For a discussion of soccer positions, see Soccer (Players and officials) .
