Trolls stay away. Please post your favorite Earthquakes related memories here. Here are a few for me in no particular order: + Cheering for Ronald Cerritos any time he scored, entered or exited the field. "Ronald Cerritoes <drum> <drum> <drum>". He is one of my favorite through out the years. + The 2001 season, with the arrival of Frank Yallop and the improvements he made for the team. Manny Lagos, Richard Mulrooney, Ronnie Eukland, Jeff Agoos. And this young kid that just came from Germany. Clearly was immature, but it was great watching him improve and I think Frank Yallop had a great deal to do with that. + The Tampa Bay game where Landon loobed a cross perfectly on to Manny Lagos's head for a critical game winning goal. + Near the end of the 2001 regular season, we took our kids to a jungle jim place. Our son was 6 at the time. I was talking with a friend about the EQuakes game were both attended just the day before and just as we were talking Dwayne DeRosario comes walking around the corner and walks right between us. We introduce ourselves, and he was genuiely suprised to be recongnized. (This was before is famos goal in the 2001 cup). We got to meet his kids and him ours. A wonderful moment. A few weeks later Dwayne scored that wonderful goal to win the 2001 MLS cup. + Spartacus during intermissions. + Joe Cannon jumping into the Casbah sections after games to give away his gloves. + Being at the famous playoff game with LA, commonly refered to as "the meltdown". That was like the lowest-lows and highest high of an entire season during one game. + Troy Dyake's red card. + The two own goals by LA during the first LA-SJ game in 2005, that really felt like the turning point after an uncertian start to the 2005 season. + During the second LA-SJ game (2005) this year our four year-old was still an Landon Donovan fan. But after that game she said to us as were were walking home. "Daddy don't tell Landon this, but I like Mark Chung better." "why?" I asked. "Mark was running and trying really hard during the game, but Landon was just walking most of the time." (Even our 4 year old could see that Landon was mailing it in during the regular season) + The entire Earthquake 2005 regular season. It was like the movie "Major League" where the baseball team owner is trying to do everything she can to make the team lose, so she can move the team, and the team of un-likely champions get there revenge by just winning. (It was almost like that, and I unfortunally truely believe that if we have won the MLS cup would not be moving today.) + The last game at Spartan Stadium. I joined the Casbah at the end and just kept cheering for 20 minutes straight as the clean-up crew cleaned out the stadium. Brian Ching threw his jersey into the stands and was really appreciative. Then the CasBah moved to outside the lock-room. As Brian Mullan was leaving he taped several of us on the shoulder. (Guy, Nap you are great fans.) + Just entering Spartan Stadium at the beginnig of a game, anticipating what this game will bring. we will really miss the Earthquakes this summer. I'll be gone for a while. Please post your favorite Earthquake memories.
Not an exhaustive or definitive list, but a few off the top of my head: * George Best takes on the entire Ft. Lauderdale Strikers team and wins. * 5-4 on aggregate vs. LA. * Ronnie Ekelund's world class free kick and the "Danish Gangsta" (two words that frankly should not go together ) celebration. * D-Ro's world class free kick, worthy of Roberto Carlos at his best, that deservedly won Sierra Mist Goal Of The Season this season. What great memories will Quakes Mk. IV create for us in future?
Lots of good mentions. Trying to add something new, so for me it would be... Taunting Serna... I'd made the mistake of getting 1st row tickets, so my friend and I decided to yell at a few players. For the most part, they ignored us. But not Serna! At one point he got mad at one of his teammates and yelled, "Come on!" at him. From that moment on, everytime he was near us we yelled, "Come on! Come o Serna! Come on Diego! Come on!" I figured players were good at dealing with this sort of stuff - and we weren't even getting crude. But after a few minutes of this, and when he was about 10 yards away waiting for a throw-in, he stared into the crowd after we yelled, then turned around - flipping us off, and prroceeded to play the rest of the game on the far side-line! (I'm sure this had more to due with our D - Wade? - but...)
I don't think a memories thread would be complete without this beautiful image from the last game: I'm not an Earthquake fan but almost all of their home games I've watched on TV were exciting whether they were winning or getting their collective a$$ handed to them in the '90s. Thanks for playing in attacking style.
My Quakes memories: -Eric Wynalda into the side netting. -The tandem of Wynalda, Bravo, and Baicher. -The first ever playoff-series with LA -The emergence of Mauricio Wright as the best defender in MLS (At the time) -The signing of Asian Player of the Year Khohodad Azizi -The signing of rival Galaxy superstar Harut Karapetyan -The appointing of Lothar Osiander as head coach -The "Farm Club San Jose Earthquakes" trading away Mauricio Wright for Dan Calichman and Mike Burns. -The SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES -The "Christmas Tree Formation" and Abdul-Thompson Conteh. -Frank Yallop -The bitching that we didn't get Hermosillo. We got a kid named Donovan instead. -The signing of Jeff Agoos, and naming him captain immediately. -The signing of some A-League guy named Dwayne DeRosario from Rochester. -Donovan not knowing how to bleach his hair, therefor playing with orange hair in a Columbus away game. -The midseason trade for Junior Agogo. I think that was one of the first times any San Jose fan saw this team was serious for condending for the MLS Cup. -The feeling of thrashing Miami at home, and seeing our seemingly always deflated ClashQuakes go to Miami, with our fate in their hands -Troy Dayak heading home. -Dwayne DeRosario past a scrub named Danny Califf, kissing the post beating Hartman. -The signing of Ariel Graziani. -The meltdown vs. Columbus in the playoffs. -April 17th - The first game of the San Jose Ultras -Barrett and Cannon going oversees, and the "sky falling" -"The Game". -Rodrigo Faria's only goal EVER as an Earthquake -Donovan in OT against KC. -Pat Onstad saving a crucial penalty, and making the trip to LA all the better. -Up two-nil, down three-two vs. KC -The Return of Donovan
The '05 game where LA scored 2 own goals within 3 minutes, including Donovan's initial return to SJ to recieve his due welcome. My desktop still has the image of him standing with the banner "NO RESPECT FOR THE TRAITOR/QUITTER" in the background, along with fans leaning over the rails to boo him. I had brought a few friends that game and they all supported the Quakes strongly after that day. My first game in the Casbah. Lost my voice for about a week, but I've never sat (or stood) anywhere else since then.
Oh. I cant forget the LA Riot Squad and fans getting tasered and beat by SJSUPD. Yeah, the game ended nil-nil, but at least someone went home with a honorable citation!
We'll have to go on that since there is no more 'Quakes Page on the MLS site! I remember some really dumb plays, like a giving away a penalty for a hand ball in the box because he tried to trap or get out of the way of a ball and he couldn't do it without looking like a palsy victim. (have to cut the guy a little slack though as his wife died just before the start of the '96 season)