Just when you think you have seen it all in sports, something happens to completely defy expectations and shatter the conventional thinking of what is possible.
That is exactly what happened Saturday night when the Quakes rallied to beat Toronto FC 2-1 with only nine men. Yes, nine men. The wonder goal by Designated Player Simon Dawkins created one of the loudest moments ever at Avaya Stadium with fans jumping for joy (it actually set the record for the top seismic moment on the Avaya Stadium seismograph). What followed was a 25-minute penalty kill that had everyone going crazy to urge our boys to hold on. I loved when a Quakes player would clear the ball and the animated crowd would cheer like clearing a puck at the Shark Tank. The determination and spirit of our players in not giving up demonstrated the character of our team and was a great reflection of our community. A special shout out to head coach Dominic Kinnear whose leadership creates the environment where players believe they can achieve greatness in any circumstance.
Such an improbable win deserves recognition and I am hereby commissioning a commemorative pin - “Most Improbable Win Ever” - to celebrate the performance. Anyone who was present at the match is eligible to receive the pin. I would like to throw open the design of the pin to our fanbase and we will be accepting designs through August 1. Please email me at President@sjearthquakes.com with your ideas. This will be the second Quakes commemorative event pin after the “Great Deluge” pin from 2011 opening day.
We are gearing up for the MLS All-Star Game. Events start on Saturday July 23 at San Pedro Square. There are two locations downtown – San Pedro and Plaza de Cesar Chavez – with activities and events all week. I encourage fans and the community to check it out. Flo Rida is performing at Cesar Chavez Park on Monday, July 26. We have Men in Blazers doing a live show at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday. All week, MLS Digital HQ is at San Pedro. Plus we’ll be hosting the Chipotle Homegrown Game against the Mexican U-20 National Team on Wednesday night at Avaya Stadium.
The big show between the MLS All-Stars and Arsenal kicks off at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday July 28. The north London club will make only its third appearance in the United States. We are proud to have our very own Chris Wondolowski and David Bingham on the team with Dominic Kinnear taking up the coaching duties for the MLS All-Stars.
The MLS All-Star game is a great opportunity for our community to showcase itself on the international stage. We look forward to hosting the Gunners and the top brass from MLS. I am confident we will show them an amazing time here in San Jose.
Finally, we are halfway through the 2016 renewal season. We sincerely appreciate the support of our Season Ticket Holders. We are fortunate to have great fans that love the experience at Avaya Stadium. Renewals have outpaced last season and we are thrilled to see most of the folks back with us for another year. If you have not renewed yet, please contact your fan relations specialist before the seat drop on August 6. For the several thousand fans on the wait list, we appreciate your patience and continued interest. We are going to evaluate adding more season tickets as we finalize renewals.
GO QUAKES!
Dave Kaval
