Kezar Stadium: A new Stomping ground in the Bay Area.

Nerdy Gales discovers semi professional soccer in the San Francisco Bay Area, and one team that has finally found a home at San Francisco’s historic Kezar Stadium.

I’m feeling restless.  It’s an awfully long time since I sat down and watched a San Jose Earthquakes game at Buck Shaw stadium – the May game against the Columbus Crew when Alan Gordon scored another late game equalizer.  Since then, we’ve had a couple of US Open Cup ties at Stanford’s petite Cagan Field to tide fans over until the LA Galaxy and fireworks spectacular across the campus parking lot on June 30th.

The next ‘home’ Earthquakes game is  the June 26th tie against the Seattle Sounders on June 26th.  The venue will be historic Kezar Stadium, the original home of  the 49ers – though for me, as a British teenager, it was my introduction to a far away city called San Francisco when I watched Dirty Harry wield the most powerful handgun in the world against the Scorpio killer in the middle of the pitch.  Reconstructed in 1989, Kezar now has a 10,000 seating capacity and has been home to the city’s cricket, lacrosse and Gaelic football.

Even with the Quakes’ success in the USOC, there’s a three week drought without a full or reserve squad home games.  Fueled by an ‘I-miss-the-smell-of-footy-on-real-grass’ feeling, I was mulling over my options when I came across another reason to venture forth to Kezar for a soccer game, and it’s coming up this weekend.  Back in March,  just before the Quakes season started, I stumbled (quite literally) on the SF Stompers FC playing beach soccer during a bracing walk along Ocean Beach.  As I watched spectacular barefoot bicycle kicks generating arcs of sand, I wondered who these impressive players were – I discovered they are one of three Bay Area teams in the semi-professional  National Premier Soccer League (NPSL):  the SF Stompers FC, the Bay Area Ambassadors, and Real San Jose.

The newest team on the block, the Stompers are brand new to the league this season, and have been playing in claret and orange in their temporary home at Terra Nova High School in Pacifica.  It was always their intention to play in their home city, but circumstances worked against them finding an immediate home in San Francisco.  Already more than half way through their season, with one win, two ties and three losses, their first game at Kezar is scheduled for 3 PM on June 16th against Sacramento Gold – and after a couple of recent heavy defeats, the Stompers are undoubtedly hoping for better luck in their new home.  The only remaining opportunity to see them at Kezar this season will be on July 7 against Sonoma Sol.

Mike Gonos, veteran Ultra and die-hard San Jose Earthquakes fan, has already been watching the Stompers play this season – for him it’s about supporting local clubs at all levels of soccer:  “We are very lucky here: NPSL has three Bay Area clubs, and three more within a couple of hours’ drive.  It’s like living in a miniature version of London – we’ve got so many local rivalries, particularly the Ambassadors, over in Oakland”.   With the switch to Kezar Stadium in place, the SF Stompers FC will have finally moved into their new home.  That’s a feeling that resonates with me as one of the squatters in Buck Shaw – while we are grateful for the hospitality of our gracious hosts, we can’t wait to move into our own place.  As Mike points out: “Kezar has the history, it’s here in the city, and it’s a great location. Being able to hop on the N-Judah and be at the match in a few minutes makes it truly local football…and with Kezar, we have a real chance to forge ties with the local pubs”.

I’ll drink to that.  The mid-afternoon kick-off provides plenty of time for a leisurely lunchtime pint (or two) at The Kezar Pub while watching the final round of Euro 2012 Group A games on TV.  So, if you’re craving live soccer this weekend, consider a drive into Fog City, hop on a Muni bus or ride the N-Judah line to take in a game of this freshly minted soccer team at one of the most historic sporting sites in the Bay Area.

Photo credits: Lyndsay Radnedge of Center Line Soccer.

Match Update:  It was a picture perfect, fog-free afternoon in San Francisco for the ground-breaking game at San Francisco’s Kezar Stadium.  In a closely fought match the SF Stompers earned some redemption over current 2012 NPSL Northwest 1st place Sacramento Gold for a 9-0 defeat in Sacramento earlier in the season. Forward Liam Whelan scored a header early in the second half that proved to be the game winner off a set piece crossed in by Andres (Felipe) Cabrera, and goalkeeper BJ Forte kept the clean sheet, resulting in  a 1-0 victory for the SF Stompers FC .

Photos by Lyndsay Radnedge here.

San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 Real Salt Lake: The view from the bleachers.

There will come a time this season when the performance of the 2012 San Jose Earthquakes will falter, and the fans will begin to wonder if the team’s early season success will translate into a spot in the playoffs. For the time being, I choose to live in the moment, bask in the glow of the team’s 5-1-1 record and wear the satisfied smile of a fan whose team is atop the MLS Western Conference after toppling RSL last Saturday.

My evening kicked off in the Epicenter where I bumped (gently) into Shea Salinas, who was sporting “Please Do Not Touch” across his freshly mended left collar bone. He seemed in good spirits – but then he was clutching a huge bag of chocolate chip cookies. Ellis McLoughlin and Joey Gjertsen graciously ‘scarved’ the necks of five-year-bleacher-veteran season ticket holders, though with game time temperature approaching 80 degrees, said scarf spent most of the evening carefully folded beside my seat cushion. As I assembled in the stands with my fellow fans, we chuckled as we remembered the great deluge that accompanied last year’s home game against RSL – this was most definitely the opposite.

The first hot day of the year turned into a balmy evening, as the sun sank slowly behind the Ultras as the players prepared to kick off. Any advantage to the Quakes in the first half with their backs to the sun were counteracted by the equally dazzling fluorescent orange kit worn by the RSL goal keeper Nick Rimando – think Mango Tangelo tropical Skittles – an unusual tactical move I thought. The game unfolded with the Quakes confidently controlling the ball, pressing on goal only to be denied on several occasions by the excellent deflection skills of Rimando. The straight red card issued to Espindola in the 29th minute reinforced the optimism among the fans, and we were rewarded just before half time with a Khari Stevenson header: 1-0 Quakes.

The good cheer was subdued by a well-crafted goal by Kyle Beckerman, who effortlessly weaved his way through the Quakes defense, placing the ball in the net past Jon Busch in the 53rd minute. As the half progressed without any Quakes success on goal, more than one fan harkened back to the disappointment of last season’s scoreless home tie against a ten-man LA Galaxy with diminutive midfielder Mike Magee in goal. Compared to that game, maybe even because of it, we saw a much more positive coaching response: firstly, forward Steven Lenhart replaced midfielder Sam Cronin in the 61st minute; secondly, after Lenhart was pulled down by the ‘last man’ Jamison Olave, who earned his own red card in the 69th minute, defender Ike Opara was replaced with forward Alan Gordon. Obviously, the Quakes were aiming to capitalize on RSL’s unusual, and increasingly stretched 4-4-0 formation.

It’s not clear if Olave was ambling, moseying or sauntering as he left the field, but his tortuously slow exit contributed to the six minutes of stoppage time that turned out to be crucial in ensuring the Quakes eventual victory. After the final substitution for Baca with Garza in the 82nd minute, Dawkins and Wondo netted headers in the aforementioned stoppage time, with the final tally on the night 3-1 in favor of the Quakes, 100 appearances for Jason Hernandez and 100 MLS victories for Frank Yallop – congratulations both.

Saturday’s performance against erstwhile conference leaders Real Salt Lake was heartening on several levels. It was particularly encouraging to see proof of how deep this year’s roster really is – with the loss of four key players (Bernardez, Chavez, Corrales and Salinas) any other season the squad might have been considered shorthanded. This year, Hernandez, Moreno, Opara, and Dawkins stepped in seamlessly sustaining the possession football we had seen in the Vancouver and New York games; the Quakes played at least as equals to RSL, one of the better teams in the league over the past couple of years. Even though it took a while to nail down the victory, I was also encouraged to see that the goals were scored by three different players: Stephenson, Dawkins and Wondo.

My own ‘man of the match’ was Steven Beitashour, who put in another tireless and creative performance that earned him two assists on the night in addition to his solid defensive work at right back. Honorable mentions also go to Tressor Moreno, who was very calm, confident and poised on the ball, and Justin Morrow who made several incisive and productive runs deep down the left flank. Fans were excited to see the MLS debut of Sam Garza, and while he didn’t have much time to leave his mark on this game, he left RSL’s remaining defenders in his wake. I had seen Garza put in a tireless effort in the reserve league on Easter Sunday, where he earned an assist – with the effective play of defensive replacements Opara and Hernandez, I was once again reminded of the value of the reserve league, where all three had recently played together.

The final relief of the late game winners was still being articulated by the veteran season ticket holders as we lined up down the touchline waiting for our souvenir photograph in the North End goal. There are also many seasoned veterans among the fans, appreciative of the efforts of the front office to recognize our support over five years in the bleachers at Buck Shaw; our squad is just as deep.  There will surely be challenging times ahead this season, sometimes there will be failure and disappointment, but right now the Earthquakes squad is playing well and the roster looks deeper than ever before – deep enough to weather potential storms. With so many hands available to be called on deck, it’s full steam ahead.

Where Are They Now? The Vaguely Unsettling Giant Inflatable Jersey at Buck Shaw Stadium.

As the third home game of the season is on Saturday, April 21 (7:30PM) approaches, once again there will be a gaping hole at the southeast corner of the pitch at Buck Shaw stadium – and I don’t just mean the absence of Shea Salinas and Big Vic Bernardez.   I hadn’t realized how I had gradually become accustomed to the vaguely unsettling giant inflatable Earthquakes jersey that the fans passed on their way into the stadium through the George Best Gate.

The mighty inflatable cut an imposing figure, with bulging shoulders and a glistening 40 foot chest, emblazoned with the team’s former sponsor.  Why did I find it so unsettling?  Maybe I watch too much Mystery! on PBS, but in darker moments, it appeared to be an over-sized dismembered torso from Gulliver’s Travels.  I imagined other body parts distributed around various locales – people walking their dogs would uncover giant inflatable shorts in the Muir Woods, giant inflatable legs would be discovered in storage lockers still wearing their giant inflatable boots, and a giant inflatable head would wash up on the shores of China Beach. I also have an irrational fear of giant inflatable objects – as a kid I watched reruns of the oddball suspense series The Prisoner, with its menacing inflatable balls that suffocated escaping prisoners as they made a break for it across the windswept beach.  These huge balls were not to be trifled with – they were swift, relentless and could asphyxiate in seconds (much more punishing than a three match suspension).  For this reason I often found myself inspecting the restraints on the giant inflatable jersey before I could get settled in the bleachers.

So when the giant inflatable jersey left town when the Amway bubble burst, I found that I still had many unanswered questions:  How big was the shirt? What was the shirt made from?  How many pounds of pressure were needed to inflate its full and bulging biceps?  How long did the shirt take to inflate?  Where was it kept between games?  But above all – I want to know where it is now and if the club has any future plans for it?

Talking over beers with friends and fellow fans, we’ve had fun considering how the giant inflatable shirt might be re-purposed for the city of San Jose.  Most ideas focussed on the bouncy traits of inflatables – castles are standard issue at kids’ parties, and a soccer shirt would lend a certain challenge to little ones to stay on top, but would surely make most parents cringe in fear of hospital bills for broken limbs.  My engineering buddies pointed out the advantage of that much air in such a large volume, and which could be exploited for superlative sound insulation – perhaps  it could be installed between the new stadium and the railroad, so the 1906 Ultras’ gameday chants won’t be drowned out by the noise of the trains.  While the monster shirt might fit Big Vic off the peg, I wondered  if it could be tailored down for  the slighter 150 pound frame of Shea Salinas – a smaller, personalized version to wear in training would protect his fragile clavicle as he gingerly returns to the pitch – something along the lines of this Norwegian bubble soccer.

One intriguing possibility is the Swap of the Table jersey exchange run over at the Top of the Table web site.  The jersey swap is a social experiment among fans, copying the exchange of jerseys by players the end of games with the call for jerseys broadcast on Twitter over a two week transfer window - hopefully the fans’ jerseys are not as sweaty.   CLS’s resident kit nerd Robert Jonas recently traded an Earthquakes training top and a pair of FC Dallas shorts for a Philadelphia Union home jersey and a personalized Peter Crouch Portsmouth FC kit.  At Around the League, the kit-nerdiness of our managing editor has been long recognized – indeed, there was an unsubstantiated rumor circulating that Robert was preparing to trade for the giant inflatable Quakes jersey at Swap of the Table – one can only surmise the reason why, but ATL proposed one possibility:

Rumors of the acquisition were quickly nixed in the Jonas household – insufficient closet space – though a possible yard installation was briefly considered, perhaps serving as an annexe to house his extensive kit collection.

So, in honor of Earth Day this coming Sunday April 22, 2012, show your environmental awareness and consider how you might recycle your own soccer gear – Swap of the Table is an option for jerseys, or donate your gently used  equipment to charities such as Jean-Marc Alexandre’s for kids in Haiti.  If the fans ever discover the secret location of the (presumably) deflated jersey, I invite your imagination to speculate how the vaguely unsettling giant inflatable Amway jersey might be recycled into something of use for the San Jose soccer community.