SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes will add eight-year-old Jason Kofnovec to the squad for the Sept. 30 match against the Portland Timbers, set to kick off at 7:15 p.m. He will serve as the honorary captain for the Quakes in the crucial Western Conference matchup.
Kofnovec enjoys swimming, video games and soccer. Last July, he was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a rare, aggressive blood cancer more commonly associated with adults. He is scheduled to undergo two more years of treatment.
As the honorary captain, Kofnovec will arrive at Avaya Stadium on Friday, Sept. 29 to meet the players, attend practice and eat lunch with his teammates. On Saturday, he will sign a one-day contract with Quakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli.
After putting pen to paper on his new contract, Kofnovec will then attend pregame warm-ups, kick the game’s ceremonial first goal, greet his teammates as they walk out of the player tunnel, stand with captain Chris Wondolowski for the national anthem, participate in the team handshakes and appear in the starting XI photo.
Saturday’s event comes as part of Major League Soccer’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a league-wide initiative to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. The Quakes have joined forces with the Austen Everett Foundation to give young Jason this once in a lifetime experience.
The founder, Austen Everett, was engaged to former Earthquakes forward Matt Luzunaris who played for the team in 2011. Everett was a Division I goalkeeper at Miami when she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2008. She started the Austen Everett Foundation, which works to inspire, empower and improve the lives of kids battling cancer by uniting them with professional and collegiate athletic organizations. Austen passed away in 2012, but her legacy continues with the Austen Everett Foundation for this honorary captain experience.
