On Saturday, Ethan, Enyo and I went to the MLS San Jose Earthquakes home opener vs. the Chicago Fire at McAfee Stadium in Oakland. The 20,083 fans filled the stadium nicely – the atmosphere was awesome! And in typical O-town style, there was lots of tailgating before and after the game.
After eating my fill of chicken strips and beer, we sweet-talked a security guard to get into the Chicago Supporter’s Section, where Peter Wilt was camped out alongside his Section 8 brethren. Peter is the former GM of the Chicago Fire and is now invested in the quest to bring Women’s Pro Soccer to Chicago. If you check out the clip above, you’ll see us celebrating in the front row (I’m the blonde in the white shirt jumping up and down with the Chicago crew, Ethan is flipping off the crowd I think, and Enyo is cheering for Barrett and company on the pitch).
Perhaps the security guard wanted revenge for Chicago’s early goal, because shortly thereafter, he came down and swept us away from the semi-hooliganistic affairs. Peter’s badge-flash couldn’t even stop this guy from following the rules. Even more stunning, a $60 bribe didn’t work either. Kudos to the stadium management for their lack of corruption, but c’mon, two cute girls and a guy with $60 to burn and we couldn’t stay?!
Anyway, following our shameful retreat back to Section 116, Row 24, Seats 1-3, we met up with Zach Phillips, better knows as “Soccer Head”, and his lovely wife Rose. Zach told us all about their international efforts to promote Roller Soccer, which is the game of soccer played on inline skates. Zach and Rose are planning the Roller Soccer World Cup at the Bladium in Oakland, August 2008. Click here for the 2007 website which includes stories and photos.
Zach has been a fixture at American soccer events for years – I specifically remember him orchestrating “the wave” at the 2005 NCAA Final Four in North Carolina. For a little about the history of his soccer ball tatoo’ed head, click this photo:
The match ended in a 1-0 victory to the Fire. The Earthquakes were simply unlucky on a number of occasions, and the Fire goalkeeper surely earned his goose egg between the pipes. With the pre-game fireworks, parachuters, 20,000 excited fans, and a number of good chances, it looks like Yallop and his crew have built a viable product (even though they are pro team vagabonds for the time being without an official stadium to call home).
Ethan, a football and baseball fan who was attending his first soccer game ever, summed up the day perfectly, “Soccer is officially my favorite sport to watch live. The action never stops!”
My blog, Soccer Science: The Neurotic Genius of Soccer in the Digital Age, takes a look at the new media technologies that are revolutionizing the way we see the beautiful game. I'm a web geek, former college coach, industry professional and sports fan. 
