Fans pile into Major League Soccer stadiums by the thousands to support local clubs in their search for supremacy. But it wasn’t that long ago that their clubs, and the league as a whole, were not around.
At the tail end of 1993, MLS was founded as part of the United States’ successful campaign to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The 10 teams, which played primarily in professional and collegiate football stadiums, prepared to kickoff the ’96 season after dividing U.S. National Team players and internationals among the squads.
The San Jose Clash featured numerous household names, including defenders John Doyle and Troy Dayak, midfielders Paul Bravo, Jeff Baicher, Ramiro Corrales and Eddie Lewis, and forwards Eric Wynalda and Missael Espinoza, under the leadership of head coach Laurie Calloway.