Earthquakes shake up Buck Shaw

By Matthew Cucuzza

The newly-renovated Buck Shaw Stadium was unveiled Saturday night for Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes' inaugural home opener against FC Dallas.

Santa Clara hosted a sell-out crowd of 10,515 for the game, many of whom were clad in Earthquake blue.

There was a strong student presence in the stands as well. One section next to the north goal was almost entirely Santa Clara students.

With the addition of temporary seating, it was the largest athletic crowd ever for an event at Buck Shaw Stadium.

"It was exciting," said junior Nicholas Marchewka, a San Jose resident and longtime Quakes fan. "There was a great atmosphere and a lot of support. The Quakes give Santa Clara a more professional feel."

Upgrades worth $4 million were made to the stadium and Stanton Field for the purpose of housing the Quakes, including the addition of 5,000 seats, a new lighting system, field drainage system, color video board, a television booth and artificial turf.

Players on both sides were immediately greeted by a raucous crowd. Behind the north goal, fans unveiled an Earthquakes flag that stretched across the entire section during the national anthem.

"It's a nice little stadium to play in," said Quakes midfielder Ronnie O'Brien. "It has a very intimate feel."

The big disappointment of the evening was the scoreless ending.

San Jose is now 1-3-1, having scored their only two goals on April 19 against the Colorado Rapids.

"It was a tremendous performance by us," said Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop. "We had them on their heels most of the game. We did everything right but score."

The Quakes' best chance of the night came in the 86th minute, when Kei Kamara unloaded a shot from 20 feet out that zoomed mere inches wide of the post.

Another stellar chance occurred in the 30th minute, when former Santa Clara soccer standout Eric Denton crossed the ball to Kamara, but the striker sent the shot over the net.

Three former Santa Clara Broncos are on the Earthquakes' active roster: Joe Cannon, '97, Denton, '99 and Ryan Cochrane, '04. Cochrane did not play due to injury.

Two other Santa Clara alumni, Jamil Roberts, '07, and Matt Hatzke, '07, are with the Quakes' developmental program.

Cannon, who recorded his second shutout of the season, was happy to see his former home field all dressed up for the Quakes.

"It was incredible," said Cannon. "The fans are right there close to you. The fact that it's a small intimate stadium makes it feel like Europe. This is going to be a tough place to come in and play."

Cannon also praised Quakes' fans for their unrivaled support.

"San Jose has always had great fans," said Cannon. "Let's keep proving it."

Don Gagliardi, president and founder of Soccer Silicon Valley, was thrilled with the outcome of the stadium renovations at Buck Shaw.

"It looks tremendous. I've been to a lot of Santa Clara games, but obviously this field is a lot nicer and there are a lot more people," said Gagliardi. "They've done a lot of great stuff to improve the atmosphere here. It really gives the intimate feel that makes for a great environment."

Soccer Silicon Valley is a grassroots organization focused on finding a permanent home for professional soccer in the Bay Area. In its fourth year of operations, the organization has completed their goal of bringing the Quakes back to San Jose. They are now focused on building a stadium on the old FMC Corporation lot, across from San Jose International Airport.

The Quakes will use Buck Shaw as their primary venue until their new stadium opens, which is tentatively scheduled for 2011.

San Jose will next face the Columbus Crew Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Buck Shaw.

Contact Matthew Cucuzza at (408) 551-1918 or mcucuzza@scu.edu.