SAN JOSE — Seven years ago, David Bingham joined Cal’s goalkeeping juggernaut as the Golden Bears’ most promising stopper since Stefan Frei.

One problem. Bingham had to wait his turn until Frei, a senior, left for Major League Soccer after the 2008 season.

Now the former teammates meet again Saturday night as Bingham’s Earthquakes face Frei’s Sounders FC in a Western Conference showdown in Seattle. Both are starters, although Frei, 28, is an established pro whereas Bingham, 25, is just starting out.

The Berkeley connection offers an intriguing subplot as San Jose tries to halt a 16-game winless streak that began last season after it defeated Seattle on Aug. 2 in the debut of Levi’s Stadium.

The game highlights Cal’s goalkeeping prowess with four current stoppers playing in MLS, including Josh Saunders (New York City FC) and Eric Kronberg (Montreal Impact).

Another potential pro is incoming freshman Jonathan Klinsmann, the son of U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

“It’s a testament to the program,” Bingham said.

Frei and Bingham played only one season together when the Bears fell to eventual NCAA champion Maryland in the Sweet 16.

“The reason he was at Cal is because he was a good goalkeeper,” said Frei, a De La Salle High-Concord graduate. “You have to be a certain caliber. Hopefully now he can get that big next step.”

Bingham appeared once with Frei on the roster, saying his job was to push the starter. But the freshman from California High-San Ramon wanted more back then.

“David never felt he couldn’t beat anybody,” recalled Cal goalkeeping coach Henry Foulke. “No question he should be the starter and he had to learn some lessons.”

Frei was about to become the first goalkeeper taken in the 2009 MLS draft at 13th overall. Bingham learned patience, which helped after he joined the Quakes in 2011.

This time, though, the wait behind durable Jon Busch took four years. Bingham opened the 2015 season last week with only five MLS appearances. But he got valuable experience last year while on loan in San Antonio and Norway.

In one of his first big offseason moves, new coach Dominic Kinnear anointed Bingham as the successor to an aging Busch, who led San Jose to two playoff appearances in five years. Busch, 38, is a backup in Chicago this year.

Kinnear told the 6-foot-2 Bingham, “This is not a chance. This is your time.”

Bingham’s ascent doesn’t surprise Cal’s Foulke, who also coaches at the Earthquakes’ youth academy.

“David can get to balls others can’t even dream of” handling, he said.

Tim Hanley, the Quakes’ new goalkeeper coach, still is trying to figure out what works best for Bingham. He has developed some of MLS’ finest in Joe Cannon, Tally Hall and Pat Onstad.

Hanley sees similar potential for Bingham, who eventually could get consideration for the U.S. national team. His coaches cannot pinpoint how long it might take, but “in the right place and right situation, and if things start going right, look out,” Foulke said. “He can be a player who can play in Europe and stay there.”

Frei, a Swiss native, also has a big upside. Unlike Bingham, he became an immediate starter with Toronto FC as a rookie. After starting for three years, Frei’s career stalled with a season-ending broken leg in 2012. He suffered a broken nose just before the next season. After that, Toronto coaches lost faith in the 6-3 Frei. They traded him to Seattle before the start of the 2014 season.

With the Sounders, Frei had a career-high nine shutouts last year as he played every minute in 38 games.

“Being part of a team that was winning, that was a big change for me, but that is the standard around here,” said Frei, whose family moved to the East Bay from Switzerland when he was a teen. “I hope I can keep playing in that kind of environment.”

Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/elliottalmond.