In the interest of trying to be constructive and positive, let me start with the good things about the San Jose Earthquakes. First, despite the bad weather and the fact that the Earthquakes aren't very good (they were last in the MLS's Western Conference heading into the weekend), the team has a solid and passionate (albeit small) fan base. The supporter section behind one of the goals was loud throughout the game and sang well-orchestrated soccer chants for all ninety minutes. In addition to the diehards, the team also had a nice mix of families and young adults in attendance, suggesting that soccer in the Bay Area is popular with a younger crowd and is poised to grow as these fans increase their disposable income levels. Unlike most U.S. sporting events, it was a relatively no-frills atmosphere - the stadium let the fans make the noise and didn't mess up a good game by piping in a ton of music or sound effects.
On this last point, I'm not sure if the absence of music was out of respect for soccer tradition, or because Buck Shaw Stadium is too crappy to have a sound system. While it might be satisfactory for college soccer and is certainly large enough to support a decently-sized MLS crowd, Buck Shaw stadium is, to put it mildly, a dump. Whereas other MLS teams have built beautiful new soccer-specific stadiums in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Seattle (to name a few), the Earthquakes are stuck in an embarrassingly crappy venue that makes it seem as if they are a minor league soccer club. The bathrooms were sparse and poorly-designed, the concessions were primarily provided by mobile food trucks parked in a dirt lot adjacent to the stadium, and the seats were cold, uncomfortable bleachers. Even the pitch (or field, for you ignorant Americans out there) was pretty chewed up, with players losing their footing throughout the game.
A "new" scoreboard to the left of the goal wasn't fooling anyone.
When I focused on the soccer itself, I was pretty impressed. The Earthquakes won 3-0 on three pretty nice goals, and it was clear that the quality of play in the MLS continues to rise with each season. While it was far from World Cup caliber, I enjoyed watching the game and came away pleased with how far the league has come since I last attended live MLS games in Los Angeles back in 2006 and 2007. It was only when I looked up and scanned the surroundings that I remembered how much the MLS, and the Earthquakes in particular, still have to do in order to compete with other U.S. sports and European soccer.
That being said, I would still recommend going to an Earthquakes game. For $30 including ticket fees, I sat in literally the first row of the stadium, right behind the Columbus bench. Even in bad weather, we got to see some pretty good soccer in a fun atmosphere, and I'm sure as the weather gets nicer and the crowds get bigger it'll be even more fun. To top it all off, for the first time in my life I won a section giveaway. Everyone sitting in section 102 was given a tote bag in which to dispose of used oil filters / motor oil, sponsored by the Santa Clara County "Hazardous Waste Recycling and Disposal" department and Cal Recycle (I can't make this stuff up). Next time I have to handle some hazardous waste, I'll think back fondly on my first trip to Buck Shaw Stadium.
$30 can get you a seat directly behind the visitng team's bench.
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