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Burlingame Dragons FC - Jordan Stewart tackles coach Dana Taylor.

In the latest collaboration between the San Jose Earthquakes and their new PDL affiliate Burlingame Dragons, Quakes defender Jordan Stewart was on hand at Dragons headquarters on Monday evening to tackle head coach Dana Taylor. It was all in the interest of finding out more details of Dragons FC's inaugural season.

The Green and Black of the Burlingame Dragons
The Green and Black of the Burlingame Dragons

When Jordan Stewart kicked off the Q&A, he asked Burlingame Dragons FC head coach to tell the fans a bit about himself. Taylor began with enthusiasm about being the first coach in the history of the Dragons organization, who are "doing everything the way it needs to be done" and looking forward to finishing the inaugural season as PDL franchise of the year.

Burlingame Dragons Q&A with Jordan Stewart and Dana Taylor

Dana Taylor is known for building soccer teams - at Oregon State, where he saw 23 players earn professional contracts in ten years, including Quakes alumni Alan Gordon and Ryan Johnson, and before that at Creighton University, where Brian Mullan and Richard Mulrooney came through the soccer program during his tenure.

As far as approach, Taylor described "light and loose in training", even with a sense of humor, but on the field "it's all business"; he wants to put players on the pitch with "a high soccer IQ". When asked about potential on-field tactical strategies, Taylor stated his preference for the adaptability of a 4-3-3 formation, but whatever the formation "I'm going to put eleven guys out on the pitch - that's what I'm sure of" he quipped.

Check out video of the entire Q&A session here

Taylor hopes to bring back five players from last year's Earthquakes U-23 squad that played their season in Turlock. No specific players were named, but in the upcoming weeks the returnees will be announced first, and newcomers announced second. Taylor would prefer to limit his available roster to around 27 players - a dynamic roster as college players become available throughout the season - and there will be a limit of ten foreign players, and seven players over 23, at which Jordan joked that he "might even get a game".

Burlingame Dragons Q&A with Jordan Stewart and Dana Taylor

Burlingame Dragons FC Director of Operations, Julio Lara, also shared the news that only two months into their #MarchTo3000 season ticket sales, the Dragons were almost a third of the way to their stated goal. The Dragons are well on track to beat the current PDL attendance record of 2300.

Lara also presented the team's schedule - which can now be found on the Dragons FC website. There are six preseason games, all open to the public, with the first ticketed game being an exhibition against Stanford in Burlingame on May 9th. Taylor is pleased with that set up - Stanford will "press us and be a great test for us, and by then the majority of the players will be in [camp]".

The Dragons regular season kicks off with their US Open Cup game on May 13. While it's an intriguing possibility that they could even face the Earthquakes, the current Open Cup format means that wouldn't happen until the tournament final.

The first regular season home game will take place at 4000-seat stadium at Burlingame High School on May 23 against Fresno Fuego. Lara also described plans for the pre-match Dragons' Tail-Gate in the Washington Park area right across from the Burlingame Caltrain.

Burlingame Dragons Q&A with Jordan Stewart and Dana Taylor

There will be two hours of footy festivities and food trucks before each game. Half hour before the game than fans will join the roar and march to the game led by Dragons mascot Torch - and then after the game the fans are only a goal kick away from the restaurants and watering holes of downtown Burlingame.