The Earthquakes will play host to an English Premier League team for the second consecutive season when they face West Bromwich Albion on July 12 at Buck Shaw Stadium, the club announced Tuesday.
San Jose played partner club Tottenham Hotspur last summer in front of a record crowd of 10,712 at Buck Shaw in what some fans considered the highlight of the season.
West Brom, led by manager Roy Hodgson, sits in 13th place in the 20-team EPL after getting promoted last year by finishing second in the Championship division. The Baggies are led by Nigerian Peter Odemwingie, who has 15 goals this season.
Northern Ireland international Chris Brunt captains the team that also features Congo native Youssouf Mulumbu and Swedish center back Jonas Olsson.
“West Brom has a rich history dating back to the earliest days of English association football and we are excited to have the opportunity to play them here in Soccer City USA,” Earthquakes President David Kaval said in a statement.
The exhibition is part of a string of four matches in 18 days for the Quakes, who also play host to rival Los Angeles Galaxy on June 25, the New York Red Bulls on July 2 at Stanford Stadium and the Philadelphia Union on July 9.
San Jose (1-4-2 Major League Soccer) is in last place in the nine-team Western Conference. The Earthquakes play at eighth-place Vancouver on Wednesday night before hosting the Columbus Crew on Saturday.
Individual tickets for the West Brom match will go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. at SJEarthquakes.com or by calling (800) 225-2277.
Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865 and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/elliottalmond
