A fine holiday tradition
Tradition is one of the things that adds character to a soccer club, as any supporter of the San Jose Earthquakes can attest. Many of you will remember the game in June, 2005, which saw Landon Donovan return to Spartan Stadium for the first time as a member of the L.A. Galaxy. (You can find video highlights here.) Among the festivities that day was a special charity fundraiser in which fans were invited to have a go at a custom-made Donovan piñata, seen above, for a dollar a swing. It was a landmark day for San Jose fans, who finally had a chance to voice their considerable displeasure over Donovan’s defection and were rewarded with a dominating 3-0 victory, punctuated with two second-half own goals. It was a defining moment in an epic year as the Quakes became the first team to go undefeated at home over the course of an entire season.
So what does this have to do with the holidays? As it turns out, the biggest prize from the Donovan piñata wasn’t the candy inside — it was the piñata itself, the head of which was picked up by a young member of the Jussen family. Every year since then — well, the photo below says it all.
Happy holidays from everyone here at Center Line Soccer!
A Merry Christmas to all (except LA) and to all a good night!
Classic! I still get a laugh over that Donovan pinata head.
Merry Christmas/Happy New Year to you all!
Merry Xmas, Jay.
Sorry to be a bummer, but the amount of years that have passed since the piñata match without any comparable Quakes memories is eating at me. C’mon John, Frank, and Lew: make our Xmas wishes come true and field a team that will inspire more memories. Or step aside and let someone else do it.
Perhaps we should have the current crop of Quakes watch that match. They would both see what a quality team looks like, and understand the passion and support of the fans a little better.