San Jose native and author of "The San Jose Earthquakes: A Seismic Soccer Legacy” Gary Singh sat down with SJEarthquakes.com to relive the 2001 MLS All-Star Game at Spartan Stadium. With the mid-season event returning to San Jose 15 years later, Singh discusses how different All-Star week was in 2001, the atmosphere at Spartan Stadium on game day and Landon Donovan’s famous sports bra goal celebration.
SJEarthquakes.com: Being a proud San Jose native, have you ever since a buzz like this in downtown San Jose with the All-Star Game festivities?
Gary Singh: “I’ve never seen a buzz like this downtown. There have been so many moving parts that are coming together in San Jose to put on a once in a generation sporting event. Obviously the Stanley Cup was here a few months ago and Super Bowl 50 was played in Santa Clara, but with those events you didn’t have so many activations specifically set up in San Jose, so it’s been great to see a league set up shop here and work directly from downtown."
SJEQ: Were there any concerts, activations or build up in 2001 compared to what the league is doing today?
GS: “It was very different. At that point of my life, I was just a fan. I started my journalistic career later that season. In 2001, people have to understand that the league was only five years old. No one knew if the league was going to succeed long-term. No one knew that yet. At that point, some could argue the league was just trying to keep the lights on. The Earthquakes hadn’t won any MLS Cups in this new era of soccer in the South Bay. We had a new coach in Frank Yallop, which no one knew much about. Even though the All-Star Game was in the middle of the season, it had a special feeling to it because Landon [Donovan] was here and he was just transforming into this poster boy of American soccer, but in terms of any big build-up to what we see today, there was almost nothing because there was still skepticism around the league.
SJEQ: Attending the 2001 MLS All-Star Game as a fan, what was that day like walking into Spartan Stadium?
GS: "As I mentioned before, the league was very new so walking into the All-Star game that day was an unknown thing. You didn’t really know what to expect. One of the reassuring things that day was having players like Landon [Donovan] playing in the game because it gave you hope that there was a promising generation in this league. As an Earthquakes fan, the team was having a promising season to that point so hosting a big mid-season event like that in our stadium was special and you could feel that around the stadium that day.”
SJEQ: What did it mean for you to see so many Earthquakes players represented in the 2001 All-Star Game?
GS: "It was surreal for us Earthquakes fans because you had the Western Conference team that was half of our players playing in our home stadium. Joe [Cannon] is from the area, Troy [Dayak] is from the area and Dominic [Kinnear] is from the area, so there was local talent that was not only representing the Earthquakes that day, but they were representing the league. It was a great crowd and it fed off of the fact that we were well represented. Some may argue that the game was Landon’s coming out party and [Richard] Mulrooney was one of the best American midfielders at that time. The environment was like being at a stadium rock show. It was incredible to see.”
SJEQ: Would you say that the 2001 MLS All-Star Game was the most memorable All-Star game in league history?
GS: “Well, Landon had a hat-trick in the first half hour so that should give you some perspective on what kind of game it was. It ended 6-6, so there were just so many goals. It’s funny because it was an absolute contrast to the prior big event at Spartan Stadium which was the 1996 Inaugural MLS match between the San Jose Clash and D.C. United, so fans were just happy there were several goals. It was just a great showcase for MLS more than anything else because you saw the talent on full display.”
SJEQ: The Landon Donovan sports bra moment. That celebration might have been the most memorable moment of that day.
GS: “For me personally, I don’t get that dramatic with things like that. The crowd obviously loved it. The thing about that celebration was that it was a huge moment for San Jose soccer. Brandi Chastain is a San Jose native and she was the one with that celebration in the 1999 World Cup Final. Landon was an Earthquakes player at the time, so it was great exposure for us. To have the best American produced player who was on the Earthquakes doing this as an All-Star Game celebration really tied the whole game together.”
SJEQ: Being there and experiencing that first All-Star Game, how would you say that match prepared the city of San Jose for this All-Star week 15 years later?
GS: “Having the MLS All-Star game back in San Jose just shows the resolve of the city when it comes to soccer in this area. Not only have we had some of the biggest American soccer moments right here in this city with the 1996 Inaugural MLS match and the 2001 MLS All-Star Game, we’ve experienced having our team leave. The game coming back here in 2016 is a perfect representation of all the struggle a lot of people have gone through just to keep the sport here in San Jose."
