STANFORD — Alan Gordon didn’t want to leave the Bay Area last summer when the Earthquakes traded him to the Los Angeles Galaxy for allocation money.

But his son Reece really didn’t like the trade.

“You have no idea how hard it was to put a Galaxy jersey on my son,” Gordon said before the Quakes defeated Los Angeles 3-1 at Stanford Stadium.

Reece, now 4﻿1/2, would cry on the way to Galaxy games because he wanted to wear Quakes gear.

But Reece and the rest of the Gordon family will be rooting for the Galaxy on Wednesday night when the clubs renew the California Clasico in a U.S. Open Cup game at Avaya Stadium.

In a scheduling quirk, the teams are reassembling in the Bay Area four days after San Jose scored one of its best Major League Soccer victories of the season in front of 50,000 fans.

Now the teams face off in a tournament atmosphere in which the winner advances to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup, an event that includes amateurs to pros.

San Jose coach Dominic Kinnear said he expected changes in the lineup from Saturday night. For starters, the Quakes won’t have leading scorer Chris Wondolowski, who is with the U.S. national team much of July for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Gordon, 33, made the provisional roster for the summer tournament, a testament to his perseverance.

Quakes officials gave up on the 6-foot-3 target forward last summer because of mounting injuries and his age.

“Yes, they did,” Gordon said.

The forward told San Jose general manager John Doyle that he wasn’t done.

“I had more to give,” Gordon said, adding he used the slight as motivation.

After a career year in 2012 with 13 goals and seven assists, Gordon had only four goals and three assists in the final 1﻿1/2 years in San Jose.

He failed to score in 15 Quakes games last year. Then came the turnaround. Gordon had five goals in his first 11 Galaxy games. He has four goals this season.

“All you need is a chance,” the forward said. “And they gave me a chance.”

Gordon, a popular San Jose figure because of the “Bash Brothers” connection with fellow forward Steven Lenhart, entered the game Saturday in the 67th minute.

About 20 minutes later, Gordon got a yellow card for bickering with former teammate Jordan Stewart of San Jose. He is ineligible Saturday against Toronto FC after receiving too many yellow cards.

But he can play against his former team Wednesday. Gordon still roots for the Quakes despite the trade.

“I always root for them when we’re not playing them,” he said. “Sometimes, there are situations with the team, and you’re bitter. That wasn’t me. I will always love the Quakes.”

Gordon talks to Lenhart almost daily. The Galaxy forward helped Lenhart get special treatment in Southern California for his knee injury.

“I want to see him back on the field,” Gordon said of his friend who has not played this season.

After becoming so popular in the Bay Area, Gordon was not immediately welcomed into the Galaxy fold by fans who remembered his goal-scoring celebrations against their team.

“They hated me,” he recently told MLS.com. “They legitimately hated me.”

Gordon has a way of turning it around, and L.A. fans now embrace their big forward.

While the player has gone further than Quakes officials might have predicted, it is difficult to know how much longer he has.

“I’m here this year and hoping for another one,” Gordon said. “I’ll play as long as I can.”