He had already led Stanford’s soccer team to two national championships, and he was preparing to lead it to a third, but he’d never played at Stanford Stadium. That honor was reserved for Cardinal football and select other events, like the 1984 Summer Olympics or the 1994 World Cup.
One such event is the “California Clasico,” a matchup between the Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes. The teams play each other twice every regular season, and when it’s San Jose’s turn to host, the Earthquakes travel half an hour to play the Galaxy at Stanford Stadium.
“I was just in awe of the crowd attendance, the passion in the stadium and just the quality of both teams,” Hilliard-Arce said of last year’s match.