Earthquakes vs EPL: Earthquakes win.

There's a neighbor on my block who professes to be a soccer fan, yet openly states he 'won’t cross the street’ to go see an MLS game.  The term Eurosnob has been coined to describe such fans, who can easily maintain such an attitude and pay no attention whatsoever to MLS.  MLS has stiff competition from Europe with numerous satellite and cable TV channels, internet soccer sites and live streaming of games with unlimited access to the beautiful games from around the globe - all of these are accessible from the comfy confines of our living room couches. Obviously there is no comparison in the level of finance, facilities and attendance. MLS coverage is increasing, and crowds are modest at most MLS games compared to other professional sports in the US.  Even big city newspaper sports pages have fewer column inches devoted to soccer - you will have to drill down through the "Other Sports" tab to get to "Soccer", where you will probably read about David Beckham's kids' school reports.

So I can't say I was shocked reading Pete Ratajczak’s March 28 blog on Center Line Soccer about his old friend, who “was at 5-2 vs LA” and been to to Salt Lake City for a World Cup qualifier, and yet hadn’t heard of Wondo.  I will refer said "fan" to Grant Wahl’s article in Sports Illustrated that details how Wondo supplemented his MLS salary last season by coaching youth football.  Wondo believes that his coaching efforts were rewarded with a new perspective on the strategy of the game that led to his most successful season to date – eighteen goals in twenty-eight appearances.   After his off the bench hat-trick game against Chivas USA, as we meandered back to the car park, Wondo was signing autographs for and chatting with the fans, all the while being trailed back to the dressing room by a gaggle of his under-11 soccer protégés.  

As a fan, it's stories like his that make me genuinely admire the sheer determination of the average MLS player to eke out a living at the game he loves.  MLS is never going to be the same as EPL, La Liga or SerieA, but I for one really appreciate the differences.  MLS games mean just as much but I feel much more connected to the Quakes and soccer than I ever did to football in England.   Others have made arguments (I won't here) about  the quality of the game in the US, and whether it is better than Europe or not.  Even if you agree with that statement, there are so many positives to seeing any game live that Eurosnobs should bury their preconceptions and come out to Buck Shaw and enjoy a game.  The things I enjoy most pretty much revolve around a connection to the game:

• Connection with the fans: Where else can you get twenty games of a professional sport for only $240; if my calculator's working properly that’s $12 a game (cheapest A's plans run $38 per game and Raiders $26).  For a bit more outlay you will get you seats (albeit aluminum bleachers presently) right on the halfway line.  I've settled in as firm friends with my season ticket buddies; we've travelled to away games and hung out in the off-season to watch EPL and World Cup games.  We have a diverse vocabulary to comment on the referee's visual acuity - or lack thereof.  
• Connection with the game: Even the largest HD screen and wraparound sound system can't reproduce the sights, sounds and smells of the game.  There’s no amount of camera coverage that displays the entire formation on the field.  I can see the plays build from farther back, and a player's turn of speed originating the runs down the wings that are often missed on TV.  My seats are so close to the pitch that you can smell the grass cutting up after fifteen minutes, and you can hear the players call for the ball or warn 'man on'. 
•  Connection with my team:  At EPL games the fans are completely separated from the players – a tinted window on the car (or team bus), a padlocked gate and a burly policemen on a trusty steed are placed between fans and players outside the ground.  In contrast, the MLS’s leading scorer is readily accessible to fans for autographs and handshakes; one simply leans over the temporary railing as he makes his way from the dressing rooms, across the practice field and into the stadium.  Last season I was able to welcome Kahri to the Quakes after his first outing last year and talk to Ramiro about how his injury was progressing. 
• Connection with the league: Ironically the connection the fans have with the league is fueled by its rivalries.  The California Clasico against the LA Galaxy has always been the highlight of the Earthquakes schedule.  There's a nod to the NASL origins of the Quakes and Seattle Sounders, only in their third season in MLS, with the establishment of the Heritage Cup.  This season with the arrival of Portland and Vancouver there’s a regular triangle of death in the Cascades. IMHO the most captivating games are to be found on the West coast.

Looking back over my 'career' as a fan, I've been to many, many games.  Up until November 9 2003, my most memorable was a visit to Wembley Stadium for an FA Cup final - a long, brutal replay between Spurs and Manchester City.  But, I still think that the most exciting game I attended - even the most exciting game ever played - was the Earthquakes famous Western conference semi-final 5-2 (5-4 aggregate) comeback playoff classic against LA.  Never have I experienced such abject dejection turn to elation with Faria's extra time golden goal to clinch a place in the finals. We experienced a little of the same in away leg of last year's MLS Cup playoff game in New York - a home loss was overcome and almost as exciting.

Sure, I'll keep watching the EPL on TV with a steaming cup of strong coffee, and a slice or two of burnt toast on Saturday morning, but I'm always looking forward to my next Quakes game.

[Your Name Here] Stadium?

Tonight’s drawing for the Mega Millions Lottery is up to $312M.  To put that into context, the current projection for the cost of the new San Jose Earthquakes’ stadium is $40-60M.  So, assuming I win the jackpot, and take the equivalent cash value $198M, even after tax and paying for the new stadium I’d still have $100M left over for that sprawling house, fast car and personal chef (you can see how I roll). 

The Nerd-O-Dome

Okay! I know that’s a really big assumption.  On a scale of certainty (you will die) to impossibility (you will not die) we’re definitely talking the unachievable end of the range.  But I can dream, and if it does happen, I am all ready with basic specs written with my lucky pencil on the back of a Lotto entry slip:

• Covered seats: my rain-wear is still drying out form the Great Deluge, and the shade would also protect our heads from sunburn in day games in July and August.  I would also provide a grant to fund a Silicon Valley entrepreneur to design a solar-generated under-seat heating/cooling system for fans’ added comfort. 
• Half-time pies: pies are a traditional staple in the diet of the northern football fan in the UK; they would have to be imported and would preferably be Holland’s Pies - totally worth the expense. 
• Good Coffee/Great Beer:  Bluebottle coffee, Green and Black’s hot chocolate, Fuller’s beer (specially warmed for any English fans) – all available on Yorder for service directly to your ergonomically designed reclining seat with an unrestricted view. 

Meanwhile, there's a voice in my head saying: "If my numbers come up - I will build it"; and I have an inexplicable urge to pull up some corn.

So, get out there with the numbers of your six favorite Quakes players.  If you win, that stadium could happen sooner, and your name would be in bright lights on the outside – just how cool would that be?

I feel your rain.

Grey skies? Drizzle? Neither. Dave Kaval was spot on in his blog: “that was some wild stuff” raining down on the fans at Saturday night’s Quakes game against RSL - we were witnessing what we now call The Great Deluge of 2011.  Just a little bit ironic that he also mentioned our four-year opening day scoring 'drought'. 

To commemorate TGD2011 the Earthquakes have commissioned a pin, which is hopefully made from a water-resistant, rust-proof high-tech alloy, lest the Sounders bring more rain April 2^nd.  Anyone who can demonstrate they were at TGD2011 will receive the special pin that tells the world how dedicated you are to the Quakes. 

Amway thoughtfully provided a free Wondo T-shirt, conveniently packed in water-proof plastic, but here are three alternative ways you can prove you were at TGD2011:

• A photograph of your fellow fans that appears to have been shot in soft focus, but really it was your lens all steamed up. 
• Examine the lining of your jeans pocket.  If there’s an inverted image of Wondo greeting the Ultras, and the March 19 date in mirror writing, you've proved you were at the game. 
• Has your Frisbee dog suddenly shrunk?  Prove your dog is smaller than last week - that's evidence you were at the game.  

The weather for the road game in Dallas on Saturday will be hot, with highs in the mid 80's. There is, however, a chance of isolated thunderstorms. I'm not worried - the Quakes fans have been well-prepared.

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.

Three things to look forward to on Saturday

Arturo Alvarez: It's a not-so-cruel twist of fate that the first game of the season is against Artie's new team Real Salt Lake, so the ever smiling Texadorean left footer will be back at the Buck.  We will welcome him back, just as we do with all former Earthquakes, but only for about ten minutes.

Gourmet Food Trucks: Hot dogs and Skittles don't do it for me, so my usual pre-game ritual is a turkey bacon guacamole at Quizno's, which is then followed by a kettle corn and lemonade.  This season there will be barbecue, Indian food and cup cakes, all of which will add up on my Livestrong Daily Plate.  Pretty soon we won't need seat cushions for the bleachers - we'll have our own built in padding.

Season ticket buddies:  I am blessed with a cadre of wise guys in the immediate vicinity of my season ticket.  They've all been fans from the Quakes 1.0 at the Spartan Stadium.  Since 2008, we've had a great laugh, and yell at the bench - yes, you too Artie if that foot is still sore.  We especially like to keep the ref honest with our insightful comments on his visual acuity, especially rewarding since we know he can hear us.

I hope to see you there...

An optimistic soccer fan

My life as a fan started in the Riverside stand at Ewood Park, when Blackburn Rovers were playing well enough to get promoted from the English Third Division to the Second. That's farther back than I care to remember.  Now I live in California, where I enjoy games in the temperate San Francisco bay area.  I especially appreciate that I no longer have to wear two pairs of gloves and three pairs of socks to survive the match without frostbite.

The highlight of my week is lacing up my boots, picking up my seat cushion and locking the door behind me as I head out to a live football game. Okay, as a fan I actually wear shoes, but at this point, my hope springs eternal and the possibilities for the game are endless. 

My optimism is tempered during the drive to the game - passing newly vacated office buildings in Silicon Valley I am reminded that life is not as comfortable here as it once was. Times are tough for any sports franchise, but particularly so for the modestly funded Major League Soccer teams whose slim profit margin is dependent on others' disposable income.

At the start of last season, the San Jose Earthquakes team was on the bottom rungs of the shaky ladder that is MLS, and still playing on a field leased from a local university. While soccer is a sport enjoyed by almost all of the rest of the world it remains enigmatic to the average American sports fan.

The number of fans attending the soccer games is modest compared to those attending baseball, basketball and football games. When the Quakes win my optimism about American soccer prevails and the stadium feels half full; if they lose it feels half empty.

The 2011 season will begin on March 19th with the memory of the Quakes’ valiant comeback win over the Red Bulls still in everyone's minds. I hope last year’s success will soon translate to a new stadium and new fans. In the meantime my seat cushion will soften the austerity of the aluminum bleacher seats, and the possibilities for this season are endless.

Demolition Day

An unexpectedly warm day in early March, saw the start of the long process of developing the new Earthquakes stadium.  A couple of hundred season ticket holders played hooky from work and watched with the players, coaches and staff as the first blow was struck in the demolition of the old FMC building. I offered to take my own sledgehammer, but OSHA regulations would not permit me to take a swing.

It's going to be a while yet, so hang on to those Buck Shaw seat cushions...