San Jose Earthquakes

The San Jose Earthquakes are the Major League Soccer team for San Jose and the greater Northern California region. MLS is quietly gaining support from all ages and backgrounds, especially with TV viewership and a new stadium. The team has been around since 1974 in several incarnations, but their unique name has kept things shaking in the South Bay.
The 2015 season has been successful for the team. I am rather new to the MLS and really do not have any favorites at this time, but they have some good players which is entertaining. My local Sacramento Republic FC is affiliated with the Earthquakes, but I am usually more interested with the Republic. However, after an exciting game, I can really appreciate the higher level of game play and action.
Bringing the family to a professional sporting event has really turned into an expensive activity, but anyone interested in soccer should plan an outing here.

Great seating even on the higher seats. Nice view.
Great grass lounging area.
Big bar that faces the field
Can hang out there if I don’t care for my seats
Club level didn’t have that club level feel and for short people (like me) couldn’t see anything.
Loved the nachos with pork
Skip the pretzel. It was $ 5 + $ 2 for cheese dip
Beer =$ 12
Wine =$ 8
Clean bathrooms

The Earthquakes are going in no direction at all. It’s a shame. A few years ago they built a competitive team and the near future look bright but it took only few months for the team manager to destroy the team. I do enjoy watching the games once in a while but the last year the team reminded me of the Golden State Warriors from the 90’s. I hope the team owner realizes that watching this team has become boring and the fans won’t attend the games unless he starts building a serious team. I hope Dominic Kinnear has the capability to start rebuilding this team after such a disappointing season. Well my experience with the Earthquakes has been disheartening because the lack of decent players has impacted the quality of the games; that’s being said I am not planning to come back to attend any game until the manager improves the roster and becomes serious about competing in the premier league.

I am not a big soccer fan and this is the first and only live game I’ve ever been to. I like other sports and thought I should give Soccer a try too. I am also going to try to see The Sabre Cats because I’ve never seen arena football and the Golden State Warriors because I have never seen a pro basketball game. I’ve also been meaning to try to see a pro football game like 49rs or Raiders. The people who worked there were very nice and accommodating. The weather was wonderful and it was a very pleasant evening. We had corndogs and chicken wings and beer and I brought some chips and hummus in. It’s nice they let you bring in some of your own food. There’s a lot of booths with swag, but food isn’t allowed in that area. The prices for the food was competitive. I’ve seen worse. A lady meet us right inside and asked us if we had been there before. She welcomed us and we signed up for an E-​mailing list. The game itself was pretty entertaining. As I said, I can think of several sports that are way more entertaining, but all sports are fun watching live. This section over to the side never stopped chanting the whole games, except half time. They disappeared during that and then came back without their shirts. I thought, even though it’s a summer game, what do they do when it’s really cold outside? Wow, I think soccer fans may be the craziest ever. I really appreciate the dedicated fandom and their dedication. They even had someone down front conducting them and giving those queues on what to chant and sing. Talk about energy, they never stopped! As for the players, I thought it was pretty funny and cool when they would fly up in the air to kick the ball and flip over someone all crazy and then get up like it’s nothing. They would run back and forth and stay limber on the side lines. I really appreciate the dedication and athleticism of both the players and the fans. I will definitely go again as soon as I have the money. I always try to see a Giants, A’s and a Sharks game every year too.

Lovely passing football.

SO much fun. What a great value for the price of the tickets.
I’ve been a fan of «American Football» for years, but the live game experience there isn’t much fun any longer. Such a sweet surprise to have a BLAST, at a reasonable price at a professional sporting event.
Great views from every seat.
I’d go again in a heartbeat!

I had no idea there were so many soccer fans in the Bay Area! A little weird that the team is playing in a college soccer stadium with pop-​up bleachers for half the fans, but understandable since their fancy new stadium is under construction.
One section of European-​style fans singing songs, chanting, and leading cheers for the rest of us. The concession options are pretty poor since this is not a dedicated stadium, and the porta-​potties are pretty ghetto for a professional sporting event; hopefully both will be fixed in the new stadium.
That being said, a great/​cheap introduction to professional soccer. Wondo is amazing! A fun evening out.

I’m not a soccer fan at all. On my bay area vacation, I was excited to visit the two baseball teams and to a lesser extent, my first MLS game.
My expectations were beyond exceeded. Our seats were fairly inexpensive (close, not far off center, and about $ 30 a ticket) and the environment was second to none. They currently play in a college stadium so I imagine it will only get better when they move into their permanent home next year.
On one end was the typical soccer support section, with perhaps 40 people singing and playing drums. Cool. But then, the opposite section with likely over 100 people took off their jackets and were all wearing the same shirts. They unveiled their banner and went absolutely nuts. The two competing sections were as entertaining as the game.
The soccer was fast-​paced. Soccer is great because there are no time outs and no TV breaks. Plus, it was almost exactly the two hours we had predicted.
Finally, the earthquakes won!
Check out this team or any MLS game. I was pleasantly surprised.

love the quakes. but can we please change the team colors?. black and blue promotes a ‘raider nation/​black hole’ like ambience in the hard core ‘ultra’ fans’ zone and has led to mosh-​pitting and other random bits of violence that 1. turn away would be fans, 2. get away from the whole point of being a fan which is to support our team.
i suggest brown. and green. maybe some yellow thrown in. no fans dressed like robin hood would ever throw a punch. am i right? have yall heard of this ever happening? see. told ya.

Go Quakes! Love being able to take my little one to a soccer game here in the states.

Not much of a soccer fan, but I always have fun watching the Earthquakes!
All the seats are pretty close unlike baseball/​football games. Fun for kids, parking can but somewhat of a hassle.
Food= 3 – 5 different food trucks, korean, mexican, curryupnow.
Beer= yes
prices for seats aren’t that expensive and it’s local!

Earthquakes mollywhooped on the Chivas USA. WONDO!!! Great game, good location despite they are using Santa Clara University’s stadium it was a great time all around. Great fans and lots of team spirit. Would come here for another game but they are moving to a new stadium.

EARTHQUAKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Run! Duck and Cover! Haha this earthquake is not your usual EARTHQUAKE in the bay area! This is futbol yall! So OLAY! Wow the San Jose area /​fans have a great fan base I must say! Soccer in general is not so popular in the U. S but San Jose represents there teams well! I went to an earthquakes game and the place was generally packed! Most seats have great views of the game. You can also walk around and do standing room only at field level! The atmosphere is fun and the food and drink prices are decent!

Super fun event and a great place to people watch. I’d go more often if I was actually a soccer fan.

This review is just for the Earthquakes as entertainment and not the stadium or staff. See Buck Shaw stadium for that. The Earthquakes are so fun to watch. They are so skilled and schooled Chivas when we saw them. The players both on the bench and on the field were professional and played well. While the game we saw was low scoring it was exciting. Low scoring games can change on a dime. Fortunately SJ won. The announcers, the rowdy section, the players, the fans and the team management all do a great job to provide a fun atmosphere. Professional soccer is a sport growing in popularity and a great way to spend an afternoon or evening.
I will be back.

I went to my first MLS game watching the Quakes vs the Colorado Rapids. It was a good time. I would do this again.
The Earthquakes play at Santa Clara Univ. Nice campus with a smallish soccer stadium. The team makes the most of it and the crowd was near capacity. Parking isn’t cheap ($ 10-​$ 15) and neither are tickets to sit on bleacher seats. But you’re close to the action and there’s some pre-​game fan-​friendly tents to keep kids and fans occupied. The games sell beer, which is always a good thing. Programs are free and getting around the stadium isn’t much of a problem. The stadium offers a bit of a view of the hills in the background. The team is good, as evidenced by the banner noting MLS Championships in 2001 and 2003. The game experience is a good one. Fans stomp on the metal bleachers during corner kicks. A rowdy section yells and waves flags at one end of the stadium. The halftime entertainment is low-​budget but effective. The fans are cool. Dedicated to the team and good natured. Some even tailgate before the game. The team is building a new stadium due to open in 2014 and they deserve it. If you like soccer, you should definitely check out a game… The Quakes are good ! It got cold as the evening progressed so be prepared to dress warmly when needed.

I have wanted to go to a Major League Soccer event for a long time. I just moved to San Jose and I was so excited there was a MLS team here. I went to the SJ v. NYC game last Saturday and it was so much fun. I had such a great time.
I know there is a bias against soccer in the US. I’ve heard a number of people say that it’s boring and low-​scoring. Well, the low-​scoring part is true, but I think it’s incredibly exciting. The benefits of soccer is that it’s always moving. The ball is always in motion and play moves from one side of the field to the other very quickly. It’s very thrilling because the pace of the game can change at any moment. It also can be very violent. On Saturday, there were a number of guys knocked to the ground for several seconds after sliding or flipping over the ball. There are a number of penalties, but the ball goes back into play fairly quickly. There were two yellow cards on Saturday, also. The matches are also fairly short. It’s two 45 minute halves with a half-​time of about 20 minutes. I think it’s the most exciting 2 hours you can have.
The game on Saturday was a big one and was at Stanford Stadium. I’m excited to go to a game at the Santa Clara stadium. The Stanford Stadium was really fun and there was a nice fireworks show afterwards.
I can’t wait to go to another game!

I went to the July 2^nd game vs NY Red Bulls at Stanford Stadium. I’ll keep it short, nothing beats going to a live game. From talking with complete strangers to chanting with the half-​naked supporters’ section half a stadium away, it can’t be beat.
Mark my words, MLS gonna be BIG!

At last, I’ve found a Bay Area team to root for.
I couldn’t, in good conscience, root for the Giants, Raiders or 49ers as my allegiances lie with my hometown teams (go Padres & Chargers!) BUT, SD was missing something it sorely needs: an MLS team. Sure, they had the occasional friendly with Mexico vs. another national team, but that’s it.
Before moving up to NorCal, my brother (a huge soccer nut), suggested I check out a Quakes game. So, I decided to buy a ticket at midfield for their home opener. Fast forward to now, I plunked down some dough for a mini-​plan to see them play the L.A. Galaxy, the NY Red Bulls and more. This team has made a fan out of me, and I’ll tell you why.
First up, the ticket prices are very wallet-​friendly. For $ 50, you can sit at midfield with a great view of the action, or you can pay as little as $ 20 and sit in the Supporters section along with the 1906 Ultras, San Jose’s homegrown soccer hooligans. And for the families out there, there’s a kid-​friendly family section as well.
Soccer, as a sport, may not seem like much fun if you’ve only seen it on TV. For those people, I suggest you actually go to a game. The team has a lot of talent on its roster, including Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski. You can definitely get behind it when the crowd starts chanting «let’s go Earthquakes, let’s go!»
Buck Shaw Stadium, as a venue, is alright. Sure, it’s not the soccer mecca that Wembley Stadium is, but it works for the team. Concessions range from your standard bugers, dogs, nachos and beer to food trucks serving up Indian fare and cupcakes, there’s something everyone can dig on. For the health-​conscious, they even have a «farmers’ market» section where you can pick up fruit, veggies and smoothies too.
So, not only are the Quakes, as a team, a lot of fun to watch, the organization is truly fan-​friendly. They run frequent promotions (I got a free t-​shirt at the home opener) and there are a LOT of perks to buying a season ticket or a mini-​plan.
The world’s game is playing in our own backyard… and when you check out a Quakes’ game, it’s easy to see why. GO QUAKES!

The Quakes are on their way to Denver tonight to play in the conference championships. What a great 2010 season!
Season tickets cost $ 240 – 800 (extra for VIP). I have two seats on the halfway line, parking for every game (17), access to playoff tickets, 20% off merchandise, and an end of season party with all the players. Ticket prices are the same for 2011 and there will be19 games after the league expansion.
This simply has to be the best value for your sporting dollar in the Bay Area. Sure the ground is ‘cozy’ but you’ll make friends with your neighbors very quickly.