By a stroke of luck from the scheduling gods, the coach who was in charge of the San Jose Earthquakes when they broke ground on Avaya Stadium will coach the first MLS game at the venue, after all.
He just won't be coaching the Earthquakes.
Frank Yallop, who coached San Jose to two MLS Cup titles from 2001-03 and coached them again from 2008-13, is now the head man with the Chicago Fire, and he is excited to be back at his old stomping grounds on such a momentous occasion this Sunday (7 pm ET, FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes).
"I did get a little excited, to be honest," Yallop said during a conference call on Monday. "I thought to be the first to go in there with my new team to try and compete against those guys is great. I'm excited to go back because [of a] 'it's about time' sort of thing. It's a beautiful stadium. I haven't seen it live yet, but I'm really looking forward to seeing it … It'll be an emotional day, in a good sense."
The Fire are searching for their first points of the season after starting 0-2, including a 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps to open their home slate on Saturday. Yallop said goalkeeper Sean Johnson returned to full training on Monday after missing Saturday's game due to an arm injury, as did Designated Player David Accam, yet to make his MLS debut due to a groin strain suffered in preseason.
The manager insisted the club still need time to acclimate as a group, saying they have been "a little disjointed" so far this season, but Yallop also noted that other key players, most notably Mike Magee (still sidelined after season-ending surgery last year) should boost the team upon their return.
Yallop also confirmed Chicago's interest in Levante midfielder Victor Perez but made it clear it is not yet a done deal.
"Right now, it's kind of stuck in paperwork, the loan stuff," Yallop said. "We have interest in him, for sure, and we're trying to bring him in. It's just not quite finalized."
Most of the attention and excitement heading into Saturday's game centers around Yallop's return to San Jose for the opening of the Quakes' new stadium. The manager, who coached San Jose in both Spartan Stadium and Buck Shaw Stadium on local college campuses, acknowledged he will have mixed emotions on Sunday.
"It'll be emotional coming back," Yallop said. "I went back last year, and it wasn't a good occasion, but we weren't ready to play against them at that point. I'm sure this time we'll be more than ready to play, and obviously we'll try to get a result. [I'm] just very happy for the ownership group and the people who work there in San Jose. I'm pleased they got the stadium built and the fans can really enjoy a lovely venue, the way they should watch a soccer game."
Although Yallop will clearly be looking to spoil the Quakes' parade with a win by his current team, his affection for his former club remains, even if coach and club have moved on from their days together.
"[There's] always a special place in my heart when I look at the Earthquakes."
