That's the case for the San Jose Earthquakes. The team debuting Thursday night at Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2) inherits the records — including the 2001 and '03 MLS Cups — of the previous incarnation, which moved to Houston in 2006 and won two more league titles.
The 'Quakes' return also reinstates one of the league's most colorful rivalries, marked by an epic 2003 playoff encounter in which San Jose trailed Los Angeles 4-0 on aggregate goals but tallied five times to advance in the second leg.
Landon Donovan, one of the pivotal San Jose players in that comeback and on the '01 championship team, now plays for Los Angeles. Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon also has been on both sides, starting his career in San Jose and spending last season in Los Angeles.
The ESPN2 doubleheader includes another matchup with a playoff history as New England visits Chicago (8 p.m. ET). New England eliminated Chicago from the playoffs three consecutive years.
( http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/mls/2008-04-01-notes_N.htm )
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