I want to formally congratulate Mark Watson on his first win as a head coach this past weekend as the Quakes held off a furious assault by the Colorado Rapids over the last 20 minutes to earn three points. It was great to see us score the first goal – a Stephen Lenhart Golazo – and show some patience in our attack. The last twenty minutes were nerve wracking but Jon Busch made some huge stops and we escaped the Mile High City with a win. The Quakes now sit just two points out of the fifth playoff spot. We need to build on the win this coming weekend in the Nation’s Capital when we take on DC United.
There are only two weeks until the huge California Clasico match at Stanford Stadium against the LA Galaxy on June 29 at 7:30pm. The match will allow the Quakes to get some revenge against our SoCal rivals who knocked us out of the playoffs last year. There are so many exciting reasons to attend the match.
Here is my Top Ten list, David Letterman style:
10) Food trucks – Arrive early to the Epicenter fan zone and sample some of the best Gourmet Food Trucks in the Bay Area like Lalo’s Tacos, Bacon Bacon, Speedy Panini, Gold Rush Eatery, Twisted Chill and Rice Rockit. Grab some food and sit on the grass and listen to Melted State rock some great patriotic tunes.
9) Galaxy – Come see the evil empire invade Stanford Stadium. Former Quake Landon Donovan and Irish international Robbie Keane will be looking to take down the Quakes.
8) Tailgating – Get there early and set up some great tailgating under the eucalyptus trees. Perfect way to celebrate the 4th of July holiday.
7) Tifo – The 1906 Ultras have a great tifo display. Make sure you are ready to take some photos.
6) Wondo – Last year Wondo got the winner in an amazing 4-3 comeback win and gave a touching salute to the Military. The League MVP is poised to cash in again this year against the Galaxy.
5) Fly over – we have a cool flyover planned by the Patriots Flight Team. They are based here in the Bay Area and will be making a pass in the national anthem.
4) Halftime show – We have another great halftime show planned that will honor the armed forces. It will take the flag raising of last year to new heights
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3) Lenhart – Come and see if Steven Lenhart can score for a third year in a row at Stanford. Look out for some more pull-ups on the crossbar.
2) One word – Fireworks. We have the largest fireworks display in California on tap. Great ready for some awesome explosions. Keep an eye out for the smiley face fireworks.
1) California Clasico – Come see one of the great rivalries in MLS. NorCal v. SoCal. Time for us to represent. The next chapter in our derby's history will be written. Don't miss it. GO QUAKES!
It is always exciting to see all of the Quakes fans out in force for the match. If there is only one match you see in person this year, this is the one. There are still some good seats available but they are going fast. Click here to buy online.
Please remember to get there early and avoid the traffic and to take I-280 and not 101 or El Camino if at all possible. We spent a great deal of time with Stanford, Palo Alto, and the other surrounding communities and law enforcement organizations to develop a more sophisticated traffic and parking plan. Details on parking and traffic are located here. We appreciate everyone’s help and cooperation in making the cars flow as smoothly as possible so folks can get in and out.
