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The day San Jose helped Major League Soccer get off the ground

SAN JOSE — One of the most significant moments in American soccer history began with some of the players throwing up after lunch in downtown San Jose.

It had nothing to do with the food they ate.

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Members of the San Jose Clash had frayed nerves ahead of Major League Soccer’s inaugural game played April 6, 1996, at Spartan Stadium. Those involved in the game against D.C. United understood the ramifications.

“Guys had never played in a professional game and were just starting to feel the magnitude,” recalled Eric Wynalda, the U.S. national team star who returned from Germany to help start the new league.