The new Stanford Stadium rocked and rolled Saturday for a soccer exhibition like it never rocked and rolled last fall for Stanford football. This was due mostly to Mexican powerhouse Club America and its rabid fans, although Chelsea probably had a little something to do with it, too.
While most of the announced crowd of 47,329 was there to see the famed London club and its star-studded lineup, Club America more than held its own on the field – Chelsea won 2-1 on a goal by John Terry in the 84th minute – and in the stands.
Hundreds of blue-and-yellow clad Aguilas supporters danced, banged their drums, set off periodic firecrackers and out-rollicked the tens of thousands of Chelsea fans.
It was rowdy outside the stadium, too, but fans of both teams were generally well-behaved. There were no major incidents, according to Palo Alto police, and Chelsea officials walked away happy on all fronts.
The Blues, it appears, will be back.
“The ambience was really good, the arrangements were first class and the pitch was in fabulous condition,” said Paul Smith, Chelsea’s business affairs director. “This is the first visit of many to the Bay Area.”
Club America fans probably wouldn’t mind a rematch. Three hours before the match, they were parading past the stadium, singing, waving banners and ringing cow bells – not exactly what you see before Stanford plays Washington State.
The parking lots to the north and west of the stadium were filled. Tailgaters were everywhere. Children kicked soccer balls between rows of cars. Club America fans blew horns while their Chelsea counterparts wore replicas of the club’s famous blue jerseys.
Actually, some Chelsea fans didn’t wear anything above the waist. An hour before kickoff, three men marched toward the gates with “Cech,” “J. Cole” and “Shevchenko” written across their bare upper backs representing Chelsea players Petr Cech, Joe Cole and Andriy Shevchenko.
“We’re here for Chelsea,” said Petaluma’s Rob Brockman, whose son, Daniel, wore a Michael Ballack jersey (the Chelsea star did not play). “I mean, when do you see that caliber of soccer?”
And that, really, was the reason for all this: the reason Stanford had sold 43,000 tickets by Saturday morning; the reason the Brockmans drove in from Petaluma; the reason Willie Slubik and his daughter, Chelsea – she wasn’t named after the team but roots for it – came down from Santa Rosa.
Chelsea is one of the greatest clubs in the world. And Club America, Mexico’s equivalent of the Yankees, isn’t half-bad, either.
That’s also the reason many of the fans in attendance Saturday don’t support Major League Soccer, didn’t go to San Jose Earthquakes games, don’t watch the MLS on TV.
According to numerous fans interviewed before the match, the quality of play in Major League Soccer isn’t quite good enough to demand their attention. It’s getting better, they acknowledged, but it’s not there yet.
“It seems too slow,” said Guillermo Uribe, a Club America fan from Mountain View.
Although Saturday’s match was not announced until May, Chelsea approached Stanford about it last winter – before it had even lined up Club America as an opponent. The Blues were scheduled to play a tournament in Los Angeles and wanted to add another match to their West Coast swing.
“We are aware that California has two halves, and this was a way to introduce ourselves to fans in the Bay Area,” said Smith, the business affairs director.
Stanford was happy to comply, especially when Chelsea agreed to a six-figure facility and operations fee. Cardinal officials figured the match would also provide exposure for their new stadium.
And the 1-year-old facility, with its compact structure, provided a fabulously intimate setting. Even though the stadium played host to graduation ceremonies a few weeks ago, the field was in fantastic shape. No surprise there: the groundskeepers are Club America fans.
