San Jose Earthquakes Football Club, abbreviated as "San Jose Earthquakes", was established on June 15, 1994, and is a professional soccer club based in San Jose, California, USA.
The team was originally named San Jose Clash and began play in 1996 as one of the league's charter members. The Earthquakes participated in the first match in Major League Soccer history, defeating D.C. United 1-0.
In 2005, due to the failure to establish a soccer-specific stadium in San Jose, the then-owner of the Earthquakes, Anschutz Entertainment Group, announced plans to relocate the team to Houston. This team in Houston was regarded by the league as an expansion team and ultimately became the Houston Dynamo, starting play in 2006. The Earthquakes returned after a two-year hiatus and resumed play in 2008. From 2008 to 2014, the team played its home games at Buck Shaw Stadium on the campus of Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California.