News from the San Jose Sports Authority
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The San Jose Sports Authority is a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the City of San Jose’s economic development, visibility and civic pride through sports.
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Follow Us on Social Media!
Stay connected by following us on social media. Learn about upcoming Bay Area events, ticket promotions and links, volunteer opportunities, and content focused on Bay Area athletes from past and present!
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A Letter from Executive Director, John Poch
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Playing in a Bubble for Now is the New Normal
The MLS is Back Tournament is a one-off tournament during the 2020 Major League Soccer season to mark the league's return to action after being suspended as a result of COVID-19. Amidst the global pandemic and the challenges society is facing, the MLS has managed to host a tournament with plenty of compelling performances – led by our San Jose Earthquakes – who are leading the way both on and off the field of play.
The MLS did their research and took the time to create a plan to return to competition with a “Play in a Bubble” format that put the health and safety of the players and staff first over any other factors. The result certainly hasn’t been boring by bringing exciting live soccer action back to the fans.
As an avid Earthquakes supporter dating back to their days at Spartan Stadium in 1974, I believe the success of the ‘Quakes can directly be attributed to their leadership in General Manager Jesse Fioranelli, Head Coach M
atías
Almeyda, the amazing Chris Wondolowski and a Front Office always working with their community. The Sports Authority have worked with the ‘Quakes organization over the years with a myriad of events, and we see first-hand the true family culture throughout the organization – from top -to- bottom – and the hard work has paid off evident in their play on the field and their impact on our community.
On the field, the ‘Quakes play a high-pressure intense system of soccer never seen before at the professional level. Coach Almeyda’s unique approach to a “man-to-man” marking system creates a high energy brand of soccer which is thrilling to watch and can only work if the players trust each other. To play this way you need exceptional players and GM Fioranelli has provided an energetic group of youth and veterans that have committed to Almeyda’s teaching. And did I mention veterans? None have been as instrumental as our home-grown superstar in the ageless Chris Wondolowski. The 15-year veteran from Danville is the MLS all-time leader scorer and still displays a work-ethic like no other. A true leader in every sense of the word and continuing to add to his record-setting goal scoring tally.
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In the community, the Quakes have created “The Pledge 74” campaign in response to our community’s food insecurity. The Quakes have been community-focused since ‘74 and are taking a firm stance against hunger in San Jose and the Bay Area. Through a club-wide effort, the Quakes have their sights set on raising $740,000, as well as increasing awareness and volunteerism for this ever-present and growing problem. I have “taken the Pledge” to support this effort, I hope you will join me. To learn more, click on this link -
"The Pledge 74"
. Clearly the Quakes are winners both on and off the field!
While we are all hoping for a for a vaccine and scientific advances to end the “new normal” and a return to our passion of attending our favorite sporting events, for now we all must commit to be safe, stay healthy, observe the guidelines set forth from our public health leaders and enjoy this time to be with your family and close friends … and we can do this while supporting the ‘Quakes “playing in a bubble”
Be Well and Go Quakes!
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Quakes Rumble into Quarterfinals of MLS is Back Tournament
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The San Jose Earthquakes defeated Real Salt Lake
5-2
in the MLS is Back Tournament Round of 16 to advance to the competition’s Quarterfinals. The Quakes will now face the winner of tomorrow’s Round-of-16 match between Columbus Crew SC and Minnesota United FC on Saturday, Aug. 1 at 5 p.m. PT (ESPN2).
The Earthquakes jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Cristian Espinoza’s goal in the 21st minute, but Real Salt Lake responded with a goal of their own soon after the ensuing kickoff. The two teams went into halftime deadlocked at 1-1.
San Jose regained the lead just four minutes into the second half on a Magnus Eriksson penalty kick before Vako doubled the team’s advantage 12 minutes after that. RSL cut the deficit to one, but Chris Wondolowski and Magnus Eriksson each scored late to extend the lead to the eventual final score of 5-2.Wondolowski has now scored in each of the last three matches despite playing a total of just 45 minutes between them.
The Earthquakes's Quarterfinal match will be played on Saturday, August 1st at 5pm as they are set to face the winner of the Columbus vs Minnesota matchup.
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Bay Area Host Committee Meets with FIFA, U.S. Soccer about World Cup
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The FIFA World Cup Bay Area Host Committee met virtually with FIFA and U.S. Soccer this week to discuss regional plans for the Bay Area to potentially serve as one of 10 U.S. host regions for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA in 2018 selected the U.S., Mexico and Canada to jointly host the 2026 World Cup. The countries and FIFA are now negotiating where the competition’s events will be held in each country. The Bay Area is one of 17 finalists in the U.S. competing for hosting rights.
Officials with the San Francisco 49ers and the San Jose Earthquakes and former Secretary of State and Bay Area Host Committee Honorary Chair Condoleeza Rice have emphasized the committee’s plan to use Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara as the regional hub for the World Cup, should the Bay Area be selected among the host communities.
“Levi’s Stadium was built to host the world’s biggest sports and entertainment events and there simply is no event larger than the FIFA World Cup,” 49ers President and Sports Authority Board Member Al Guido said. “This, along with being a global tech and innovation epicenter, makes us as qualified as any city to host this storied event.”
Rice led the host committee’s presentation to FIFA on Tuesday, the first such opportunity for the committee to lay out its vision of hosting the competition directly to FIFA.
In addition to utilizing Levi’s Stadium, Earthquakes Stadium in San Jose would be available during the tournament as a competition and training site, according to the host committee.
Prior to joining the George W. Bush administration in 2000, Rice served as the provost of Stanford University from 1993 to 1997. Stanford Stadium hosted six men’s World Cup matches the last time the Bay Area hosted the competition in 1994 and a semifinal match during the 1999 women’s World Cup.
“The FIFA World Cup is the ultimate unifier in international sport,” Rice said. “I am honored to have the opportunity to champion the Bay Area’s rich cultural offerings, innovative spirit and passion for hosting premier events to the FIFA delegation.”
The FIFA Council is expected to choose the 10 U.S. host regions by next year in addition to the host regions in Canada and Mexico. The 2026 tournament will be the first time three countries have co-hosted the event. The final 17 US cities seeking to become hosts are Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Washington DC.
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Excite Ballpark Announced as Oakland A's Alternative Site
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San Jose, CA – Excite Ballpark, home of the San Jose Giants (Class A Advanced Affiliate of the San Francisco Giants), will be used by the Oakland A’s as the team’s alternative training site for the 2020 season, the organization has announced.
“The San Jose Giants are excited to be playing a small part in bringing back the sport of baseball in 2020,” said Daniel Orum, San Jose Giants President and CEO. “While we will always and continue to be Giant, the current times require creativity and unprecedented collaboration. Excite Ballpark offers a secure, socially-distanced alternative site for the Oakland A’s and we are happy to be making this a reality. The stadium will not be open to the public due to County restrictions, but we will do our best to shine light on this unique experience as the season progresses.”
Players reporting to Excite Ballpark will include those not assigned to the A’s active roster or taxi squad. Media availability will be consistent with MLB guidance to ensure the health and safety of Oakland A’s players.
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CIF Announces Delyaed Start for High School Sports
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The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has decided to postpone the start of the fall sports season for all California High Schools. In collaboration with the 10 Sections, CIF issued a statement explaning, "that education-based athletics for the 2020-2021 school year will begin with a modified season of sport schedule. Our calendar reflects the season for each CIF sport and the last date for Section Championships and Regional/State Championships in those sports where a Regional/State Championship is currently offered. Following this announcement, each CIF Section Office will release their own calendar to reflect regular season starting and ending dates and Section playoffs. It is anticipated that most Section start dates will commence in December 2020 or January 2021."
CIF is continuously monitoring the directives and guidelines released from the Governor’s Office, the California Department of Education, the California Department of Public Health, and local county health departments and agencies as these directives and guidelines are followed by the member schools/school districts with student health and safety at the forefront. As these guidelines change, CIF Sections may allow for athletic activity to potentially resume under the summer period rules of the local Section.
To read the full press release and changes to the CIF bylaws,
click here
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Last Chance to Register for the Great American 5000!
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The Sports Authority has teamed up with the
Sports Backers
(Richmond, VA) to bring the
Great American 5000
to San Jose! The Great American 5000 is a virtual team run from San Francisco to New York – and everywhere in between! Assemble your crew of up to 12 or up to 24 people, run a cumulative 24 hours a day, and start to chip away at the 5,000k (3,107-mile) journey. An online map will track each group’s virtual progress across the country and a leader board will display the standings each day, with groups in open, female, and co-ed categories.
Registration closes on July 31 at 11:59 p.m.
Your team has until September 14 to complete the 5,000k trek – that’s as few as 33.4 miles per day for your team (1.4 for each individual)! Run, walk, hike – it can all count towards your team’s mileage.
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Join the Great American 5000 Today!
*Registration closes on
July 31 at 11:59 p.m.
Entries are non-refundable, non-transferable and cannot be deferred to another year.
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Follow Us on Social Media!
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San Jose Sports Authority | info@sjsa.org | www.sjsa.org
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