SAN JOSE, Calif. - The greatest rivalry in MLS stayed true to form on August 27, 2005 as the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the LA Galaxy 2-1 behind a go-ahead goal from newly acquired defender Danny Califf.
A sellout crowd of 24,112 fans was on hand to see former San Jose defender and Bay Area native John Doyle inducted as the inaugural member of the Earthquakes Hall of Fame and the highly anticipated return of Landon Donovan, who left San Jose after the 2004 MLS campaign to play for Bayer Leverkusen.
The Quakes struck first in the 23rd minute thanks to the head of newly acquired striker Alejandro Moreno. After first-year midfielder Ricardo Clark was brought down next to the far corner flag, Mark Chung whipped in a free kick service towards a leaping Kevin Hartman. Anticipating an easy grab, the Galaxy goalkeeper was beat to the ball in the air by Moreno, who redirected his header to the back post to give San Jose an early 1-0 lead.
The Quakes one-goal advantage, however, was short lived, as Donovan notched a wonder goal to the top corner in the 37th minute. Herculez Gomez played the role of assist man after setting up a leading ball to Donovan on the left side of the pitch.
The 1-1 draw at halftime was accompanied by a memorable Earthquakes Hall of Fame ceremony that saw Doyle’s jersey presented in the south side of the stadium. Former teammate and fellow Bay Area native Troy Dayak was on hand to present gifts to Doyle to commemorate his four-year stint with San Jose.
After a nail-biting start to the second half, former Galaxy defender Danny Califf scored his first goal for the Quakes in the 75th minute to give the home side a 2-1 lead. After timing his run from the top of the box, Califf connected on a Ronald Cerritos corner kick service at the near post before redirecting his header past an outstretched Hartman.
Califf’s first goal in the black and blue proved to be the difference, as San Jose sealed a thrilling 2-1 win against LA. The victory extended San Jose’s lead in the west to eight points and capped an undefeated 5-0-1 record in the month of August.
