Fans of the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy are well aware of the significance the California Clasico. Whether the teams are duking it out at Avaya Stadium, the StubHub Center or Stanford Stadium, the raucous crowds are evidence enough that soccer fans in California are proud to support their local clubs in the annual derby matches.
But now we have evidence that the rest of the country cares about this rivalry too.
Saturday night’s slugfest in front of nearly 51,000 fans was the first Major League Soccer match broadcast live on Univision since 1999. The calculated risk to throw two of the most storied and historic clubs in the league on the American Spanish language broadcast television network paid off in a major way.
Not only did the match draw a California Clasico-record attendance at Stanford Stadium, but it was watched by a record number of viewers at home as well -
one million people, including 548,000 between the ages of 18 and 49.
For perspective, no regular season or postseason MLS match has ever drawn those ratings on Spanish television. It is the most-watched MLS game this season and is the first MLS regular season match to be watched by one million people since David Beckham’s Galaxy took on D.C. United in 2008.
The sport of soccer continues to grow and develop in the United States and Saturday’s broadcast is proof that MLS will be must-watch television for years to come. And with Avaya Stadium thriving in its second year, Quakes fans can sleep well knowing their team will be part of that future success.
