| Club: | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Season: | 1976 |
| Stadium: | Spartan Stadium |
| League: | NASL |
| League Result: | Division: 1st Conference: 2nd Overall: 6th |
| Chrtitle: | Owner |
| Mgrtitle: | Coach |
| Manager: | Momcilo Gavric |
| Average Attendance: | 19,826 [1] |
| League Topscorer: | Ilija Mitic (14) [2] |
| Cup1: | NASL Playoffs |
| Cup1 Result: | Conference Finals |
| Cup2: | National Challenge Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Did not enter |
| American: | true |
| Prevseason: | 1975 |
| Nextseason: | 1977 |
The 1976 San Jose Earthquakes season was their third in the North American Soccer League, and they finished in first place in the Southern Division of the Pacific Conference. In the playoffs, they defeated the Dallas Tornado in the Conference Semifinals, 2-0 at Spartan Stadium. The Minnesota Kicks beat the Earthquakes, 3-1 in the Conference Championship played at Metropolitan Stadium in Minnesota.[3]
The 1976 squad [2]
See main article: 1976 North American Soccer League season.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 1976 | Los Angeles Aztecs | H | 2 - 1 | Child, Liveric |
| April 24, 1976 | Minnesota Kicks | H | 4 - 2 | Liveric, Sorgic, Mitic (2) |
| May 1, 1976 | San Diego Jaws | H | 0 - 1 | |
| May 2, 1976 | Dallas Tornado | A | 1 - 3 | Sorgic |
| May 8, 1976 | St. Louis Stars | A | 3 - 0 | Child, Liveric, Mitic |
| May 9, 1976 | Minnesota Kicks | A | 1 - 4 | Mitic |
| May 16, 1976 | Vancouver Whitecaps | H | 2 - 0 | Sorgic (2) |
| June 4, 1976 | Seattle Sounders | A | 2 - 1 | Mitic, Child |
| June 6, 1976 | San Antonio Thunder | H | 0 - 3 | |
| June 11, 1976 | Washington Diplomats | A | 1 - 2 | Mitic |
| June 13, 1976 | Toronto Metros-Croatia | A | 0 - 0* | |
| June 20, 1976 | Seattle Sounders | H | 2 - 1 | Child, Mitic |
| June 25, 1976 | Portland Timbers | A | 0 - 1 | |
| June 27, 1976 | H | 4 - 0 | Child (2), Liveric (2) | |
| July 3, 1976 | Portland Timbers | H | 3 - 0 | B. Demling, Child (2) |
| July 7, 1976 | Vancouver Whitecaps | A | 1 - 0 | Liveric |
| July 11, 1976 | St. Louis Stars | H | 6 - 1 | Child (2), Mitic (2), Liveric (2) |
| July 17, 1976 | Boston Minutemen | H | 6 - 1 | Child (2), Moore (2), Liveric (2) |
| July 23, 1976 | A | 2 - 3 | Moore, Mitic | |
| July 25, 1976 | Los Angeles Aztecs | A | 1 - 0 | Mitic |
| July 31, 1976 | Miami Toros | H | 3 - 0 | Mitic (2), Child |
| August 7, 1976 | New York Cosmos | H | 2 - 1 | Moore, Rowlands |
| August 11, 1976 | Chicago Sting | A | 1 - 1* | Mitic |
| August 13, 1976 | A | 0 - 2 | ||
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 20, 1976 | Dallas Tornado | H | 2 - 0 | Mitic (2) |
| August 25, 1976 | Minnesota Kicks | A | 1 - 3 | Mitic |
| Southern Division | W | L | GF | GA | PT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | San Jose Earthquakes | 14 | 10 | 47 | 30 | 123 | |
| align=left | Dallas Tornado | 13 | 11 | 44 | 45 | 117 | |
| align=left | Los Angeles Aztecs | 12 | 12 | 43 | 44 | 108 | |
| align=left | San Antonio Thunder | 12 | 12 | 38 | 32 | 107 | |
| align=left | San Diego Jaws | 9 | 15 | 29 | 47 | 82 |