The San Jose Earthquakes were the launching pad for Landon Donovan’s ascent toward recognition as the greatest USA male soccer player in history. As a teenaged phenom in Southern California, Donovan was signed by German club Bayer Leverkusen, which loaned him to San Jose’s Major League Soccer team in 2001. He boosted the Earthquakes to two of the next three MLS Cup titles and in 2002 was named US Soccer Athlete of the Year after leading the USA to the World Cup quarterfinals. Following his time in San Jose, Donovan excelled internationally and with the LA Galaxy, where he won four more MLS Cups. He retired in 2014 as the National Team’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Landon Donovan was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2025.