Could be worse. Could be raining.

Sitting on a rain soaked seat cushion, just after Kyle Beckerman broke the d(r)eadlock with a goal, I broke out the famous quote from Mel Brook’s Young Frankenstein:

Frank Yallop and John Doyle look forward to the new covered stadium

     Dr. Frederick Frankenstein:  What a filthy job.

Igor: Could be worse.

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: How?

Igor: Could be raining.

[It starts to pour]

I wish I could say we all collapsed in laughter, but our spirits had just been further dampened at the 2011 season opener against Real Salt Lake.  I knew it must be raining really hard when I noted for the first time ever that the pitch being wasn’t being watered down before the game.

The game kicked off with the Earthquakes defending the shallow end.  The action was always going to be slowed by the difficult conditions, and referee Baldomero Toledo, apparently as impervious to the weather conditions as a Frisbee dog, did his best to slow play even further with specific and detailed instructions on the placement of the ball for free kicks.  Recently arrived from England, Dawkins showed good handling in the rain typical of his homeland - Huckerby would've been proud.  Despite the loss, the Quakes performance showed many hopeful signs for the upcoming season, and we were encouraged by the spark shown by the new young additions to the squad.

From the fans' perspective, this season also sees some new additions to the stadium itself – Buck Shaw 2.0:

“[Nerdy Gales] is melting in the dark, All the sweet, green icing flowing down, Someone left the [cup]-cake out in the rain”

In addition to the new on-site menu, there were four gourmet food trucks.  Tikka Bytes chicken naanwich and samosas were fresh and delicious, and Kara’s Kup Kakes St Paddy’s day cup cakes were so tasty they were eaten quickly enough to survive the rain.

“And I don't think that I can take it”

This was the coldest, windiest, wettest game in the three years I’ve been going to games at Buck Shaw.  The fans wore creatively designed plastic bags to keep dry.  Some chose to ignore the conditions completely and just absorb all the water, while others tried to block the water completely with slickers that wouldn't look out of place on Deadliest Catch trawlers. 

“ 'cause it took so long to bake it, and I'll never have that recipe again, Oh, no!”

What the heck was that song about anyway? I've got nothing…

At the end of the game, we were cold and soaking wet, but at least we didn’t have to share our car home with a wet Frisbee dog - or a wet Kyle Beckerman.


A full review of the game can be found at Centerlinesoccer.com here.