There’s more to soccer culture than the professional game, which is why we’ve put together guides for each of MLS’ 19 markets. Whether you’re just dropping in on vacation or hitting the road with your fellow supporters, here’s the lowdown on what to do and how to do it.
SOCCER CULTURE
Soccer culture in San Jose is a mix between the old school and the newcomers. With the club playing at antiquated Buck Shaw Stadium, it was a predominantly hardcore audience – the kind of fans whose allegiance to the Earthquakes dates back to their 1974 birth in the NASL, folks who lived and died with the initial MLS Quakes' move to Houston in 2005. Now, as $100-million Avaya Stadium nears its imminent debut, San Jose have sold 11,000 season tickets – more than the entire capacity of Buck Shaw – and in a city with only one other major-league sports team, the Quakes seem poised to welcome in a whole new wave of fans.
WHERE TO PLAY
For organized leagues, there are plenty of options, including the South Bay Adult Soccer League, the Peninsula Soccer League, the Palo Alto Adult Soccer League and the San Francisco Soccer Football League.
Befitting Silicon Valley, players have many technology-based ways to find matches. Meetup.com features groups centered in the South Bay, San Francisco and the East Bay among others.
In case of rain, there are always indoor facilities such as the Silver Creek Sportsplex in San Jose and Off the Wall Soccer in Santa Clara.
The Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex gives players and fans a stunning view from its bayside location in Berkeley. And the area's numerous college campuses – Santa Clara, San Jose State, Stanford, USF and Cal, just to name a few – are also a good place to seek out a game. If all that fails, throw down a couple of markers at either end of a strip of turf in your nearest park. Chances are, you'll be playing soon enough.
LOCAL CUISINE
For those looking to blow out the budget, Baumé in Palo Alto and Manresa in Los Gatos each earned two stars in the latest Michelin guide. San Francisco also features plenty of top-end choices, including Acquerello, Atelier Crenn, Benu, Coi, Gary Danko, La Folie, Michael Mina, Quince and Saison.
If you're looking to live more modestly, have no fear for your taste buds. Habana Cuba brings that island's flavors to the Rose Garden in downtown San Jose, while the Amber India empire covers territory from San Jose's Santana Row to Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Francisco.
There is an endless array of pizza, from the thin crust slung at Delfina (in Palo Alto and San Francisco) and A16, Gialina and Ragazza (all San Francisco) to the more esoteric options at the Cheese Board in Berkeley and finally the deep-dish goodness of Zachary's (locations in Oakland and Berkeley).
If all else fails, zero in on someone with a burrito in their hand and ask them where they got it. 538.com famously named La Taqueria in San Francisco as home of the nation's best burrito, but if you poll 50 Bay Area residents, you'll get almost that many answers as to where the best carne asada bomb can be found.
SOCCER BARS
- The Brittania Arms has three locations in San Jose and Cupertino and has the added cachet of having played host to the new Quakes' post-expansion draft press conference in 2007.
- The Hut in Santa Clara draws Quakes fans post-match.
- Jack's Neighborhood Bar & Lounge is the favored bar for the San Jose chapter of the American Outlaws. The AO San Francisco branch, meanwhile, frequents McTeague's Saloon.
- Honorable mention: Kezar Pub, The Mad Dog in the Fog and Danny Coyle's, all in Cole Valley or the adjoining Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. For those closer to downtown, there's Maggie McGarry's (1353 Grant Ave.) in North Beach.
- On the Peninsula, try The Old Pro in Palo Alto (although it's technically the new Old Pro, having moved to nicer digs years ago) and Steins Beer Garden & Restaurant in Mountain View.
WHERE TO VISIT
In San Jose, check out the Tech Museum of Innovation downtown and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum, which is barely a five-minute drive from Avaya Stadium.
San Francisco could fill a whole trip: touring Alcatraz, walking the Golden Gate Bridge, snacking at the Ferry Building, wandering through Golden Gate Park. If you want to skip the inevitable lines at Lombard Street, try driving down the twists and turns of Vermont Street between 20th and 22nd, which some will argue is even more crooked than its more famous counterpart. See how Clint Eastwood did it in "Magnum Force".
Across the bay, folks hike or drive up Mount Diablo for some of the area's best views. And a walk around Oakland's Lake Merritt always features a surprise or two.
MATCHDAY
The steeply raked seats at brand-new Avaya Stadium make for what the club hopes will be a more intimate fan experience than at most MLS arenas – similar to the closeness fans felt at the cozy Buck Shaw environs. There are field-level suites for those who want to run the risk of having an errant cross knock over their beer. Planes will be coming in for landing at Mineta San Jose International Airport just beyond the open end of the stadium. And in case your team's losing, there's always the largest outdoor bar in North America to drown your sorrows.
MATCHDAY TIPS:
- For those looking to eat on a budget, there is an In-N-Out Burger just across the street from Avaya Stadium, but be forewarned – lines will likely be out the door on game days.
- Look into carpooling. Unlike Buck Shaw Stadium, which featured bus stops and a Caltrain station just across the street, it's harder to get to Avaya Stadium by public transit.
- It's pronounced "wan-dough-LOWW-skee." Don't blame us if you don't practice.
