clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

SNAP SHOTS: Imperio Sismico Celebrate Quakes, Corrales, & SJ Community

Grab a cerveza & join the youngest SJ Supporters Group as they throw a family-friendly & festive tailgate, then continue the party inside Avaya with drums, flags, & multi-lingual singing all game long.

By LOBINA

Before we get to SJvPHI, a note on last week’s Quakes victory over the Galaxy:

Given how SJ's recent signing of Godoy and Pelosi have sparked a month-long win streak home and away, hopefully LA--pointless at Avaya--at least learned a few pointers about how high-quality international signings can translate to high TV ratings.

And hopefully San Jose could keep the "Awesome August" magic moving against the "lowly" Union despite being victimized by key absences created due to MLS giving

FIFA International Dates the scheduling middle finger.

But, as Bleacher Report's National Soccer writer Joe Tansey so eloquently elucidated:

So it goes.

Still plenty of late-playoff pyrotechnics possible with a Quakes win over Seattle on Saturday!

Credit to all the Quakes fans & supporter groups who rock Avaya each & every match.

LOBINA sends a social media minion outside Avaya most home matches in an attempt to connect with the many supporters tailgate & away game groups (SJ Ultras: you're next!), and this week we were able to hook up with Imperio Sismico, the multi-cultural, Spanish-language family-friendly fiesta that rocks the lower-left Supporters Section.

That's right!
So get out to the Gold Lot and join the many families who gather together for fab food, drink, friends, drums, pick-up footie games, & a fantastic flag-waving march into Avaya.


Imperio Sismico organizer Henry Espinoza talked with LOBINA about the group's recent start & subsequent explosion of Spanish-language support of the Quakes.

LOBINA: How & why did Imperio Sismico begin?

IMPERIO SISMICO: We started at Buck Shaw with 5 people.  Friends.  We love soccer and the Quakes, we want to contribute all the songs, chants, & culture from our youth & home countries, and we found many supporters who felt much more comfortable to join in supporting the Quakes in Spanish.  We got up to about 30 Season Ticket Holders and wanted to create a Spanish-speaking Quakes supporters group, both to honor San Jose & the Quakes as well as to welcome all people who want to support our local futbol team.

LOBINA:  You just rang up the Quakes Front Office?

IMPERIO SISMICO: 2014 was a very difficult year to start a new supporters group: Quakes not doing well, still at Buck Shaw, and most fan-favorite Latino players like Chavez, Bacca, & Corrales had gone. But the Faultliners & Casbah supporter groups helped a lot organizing and talking with the F.O.

We started with 5 friends. Now a year later we're selling 100-130 tickets.  A few through Facebook & other social media, but mostly through word of mouth.  People call me up.  We don't really do much through social media. We have some meetings, but because the personal connection is very important, it's not Skype or IM, but in person.

LOBINA: When people want to buy tickets through you, how do they contact you? Phone? Email? Website?

IMPERIO SISMICO: Most of them contact me through text. The referral is done worth of mouth. We get tons of text, calls and instant messages. And some emails. All of the tickets are reserved prior to the game day and distribute at the tailgate.

LOBINA:  How would you characterize the "typical" Imperio member? Male/Female? Family? Age?

IMPERIO SISMICO: Anybody--male or female--that is ready to scream out the stress of work at Avaya. Most of them are adults. Some have kids and bring them, as well.  As far as language-no worries!  People here are from all over: I'm from Costa Rica, but we have people from Mexico, South America, born here in America, there, everywhere.  Our drums we got made especially in Brazil and other countries so we could really get that Latin American sound.


LOBINA: Quakes designating next Wed. makeup Montreal match as "Mexican Heritage Night":  I.S. is Spanish-speaking culture inclusive, so thoughts on Mexican-only focus? Prefer Latino? Pan-America?

IMPERIO SISMICO:  We wanted a Latino night to included all the Latino-countries. They wanted a Mexican night. Either way, Latinos have a party. That's the way we see it. We prefer to be a Latino Culture support group.

We have many things going on that night. Raffles, Mexican food at the tailgate, mariachi or live band, balloons colored green, white and red. Many will dress as Mexican customs and paint their faces as skulls, etc

LOBINA:  For those who want to join the Imperio Sismico tailgate party, what should we bring?  Food/drink?  Soccer balls/goals?  Native/Classroom/Soccerfield Spanish?  Disco Balls?  Drums?  Lots of Drums?

IMPERIO SISMICO:  For anyone that is new to IS, we ask to bring beers and beverages. Imperio Sismico and leadership takes care of the rest!

LOBINA:  Where does Imperio Sismico gather to watch away matches?

IMPERIO SISMICO:  We haven't had the privilege to travel. So there are a few bars that we go, like Chachos in downtown San Jose and pizza places, or sometimes we gather at some of the members house and have a carne asada "BBQ".

Imperio Sismico inside Avaya & ready to rock!

And honoring Salinas-native, long-time Quakes captain Ramiro Corrales' induction to the San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Fame:

Now THIS is a supporters section:

Away viewing party at bar:

VIEW FROM THE OTHER CREW:

There was Bizzare Smack Talk about our home :

Lame. LAME?

After she heals her 80's fever with more cowbell, we welcome Ms. Rachel to join us at LOBINA for a drink, and to enjoy a quality soccer match.

She also criticized Avaya attendence:

Those insightful soccer comments were actually from the same person. 
Perhaps she mixed up the home &

Away Supporters Section:

And here are at least two Philly fans sitting there, gazing at the packed Quakes supporters sections behind the goal:

[To be fair, they were friends of former Quake Sam Cronin, but maintained their Union allegiance]

The other 2 1/2 Philly fanatics where actually in the next section over:

All got their tickets through the Sons of Ben, which is a fab supporters group and subject of a quality, recent documentary.
So they got that going for them.

As well as Conner Casey, for that night.

Random Notes:

Gary Singh at HT:

The Quakes continue their International Orbit:

And just a reminder to American fans AND TELEVISION STATIONS:

In soccer, the host team is listed FIRST:

Hey CSN: In soccer, home team is listed FIRST!!!

San Jose Earthquakes take on Seattle Sounders at Avaya Stadium for a playoff spot 7:30 PT SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015.
Watch on CSN Bay Area or MLS PayWall.

More From Center Line Soccer