Game on for San Jose Earthquakes’ stadium project… again

The Major League Soccer San Jose Earthquakes’ oft-delayed stadium project reached a key milestone this week after the team recently announced a one-year delay on the project.

The Quakes began pouring the concrete foundation for the new stadium on Friday, representing a symbolic moment for both the team and the project. Take a look at their stadium webcam or check out a construction site video on the team’s blog.

This is a positive step for the team, but this project reminds me of a memorable scene from Wayne’s World.

 

San Jose Earthquakes stadium delayed until 2015

The Major League Soccer San Jose Earthquakes suffered another setback today with their new stadium construction that will push back the opening one year.

The Earthquakes had hoped to move to their new 18,000-seat stadium for the 2014 season. As I’ve written before, the Earthquakes’ snakebitten construction project hit delays in July when workers uncovered large concrete bunkers during demolition. Now the team has cited unexpected complexities in connecting the stadium to San Jose’s sewer system.  This team cannot catch a break.

I expect the Quakes will continue to play in their current home, Buck Shaw Stadium, as they await progress on their stadium. Not great news for a team that continues to slip down the table in the Western Conference. Happy Friday the 13th Earthquakes fans.

MLS San Jose Earthquakes’ stadium delayed

The Major League Soccer team announced a delay to their new stadium that will force them to find a different home for at least the first half of the 2014 MLS season. Used munitions, steel beams, concrete pilings and ten-foot deep concrete vaults at the site caused excavation difficulties for construction crews.  Bummer.

I wrote in June about the Earthquakes’ promising new stadium and the road traveled before breaking ground late last year. It’s another speed bump for the team’s stadium quest, but the good news for Earthquakes fans – the delay appears to be temporary.

That’s a lot of concrete.

MLS DC United takes big step toward new stadium

After a decade-long search, the light at the end of the tunnel may finally be a new stadium for Major League Soccer’s DC United.  According to the Washington Post, team executives, Washington DC mayor Vincent Gray and district officials today approved a preliminary $300 million deal to construct a new 20,000 seat stadium for the team near Nationals Park (home of the Washington Nationals).DC United has played in RFK Stadium since entering the league in 1996. Built in the golden age of multi-purpose stadiums, RFK is ancient by MLS standards. Well aware of RFK’s deficiencies, and with pressure mounting from the MLS who now require teams entering the league to play in modern, soccer-only stadiums, United’s situation was approaching desperate.  Today’s stadium news, however, has given United much greater hope for the team’s future.

Rendering of new proposed MLS DC United stadium.

The renderings of the new stadium portray a state-of-the-art stadium rivaling the league’s best.  As always with these stadium proposals though, politicians will have their say and hoops will need to be jumped through. This is Washington DC after all.

I’ve always gotten a chuckle watching televised United games at RFK where fans pack together at midfield and use the rickety stands to bounce and chant in unison. Now United fans may get the last laugh in a brand new stadium.

San Jose Earthquakes Stadium Journey

The new MLS San Jose Earthquakes stadium opens in 2014

For some teams, building a new stadium is straightforward process. For the Major League Soccer (MLS) San Jose Earthquakes, calling it saga may be putting it mildly.

It took the Quakes  15 years to clear a variety of hurdles including land acquisition issues and even a temporary hiatus imposed by the league itself, but in October 21, 2012 they broke ground on their new stadium adjacent to San Jose International Airport – finally.

The Earthquakes (formerly the San Jose Clash) called Spartan Stadium home from 1996 through 2005. A great little football stadium, Spartan Stadium is tiny for soccer standards and tired by today’s stadium standards. With low attendance plaguing the team, MLS put the team on unpaid leave.

MLB Oakland A’s owner Lew Wolff purchased the team in 2008 with an exclusive option for an MLS team to play in San Jose in large part to the promises made to build a permanent, soccer-only facility. After the Earthquakes returned to the MLS again, this time playing at Buck Shaw Stadium, they found their site near the Airport. But things didn’t go as easily as the Quakes had hoped.

The team held a demolition ceremony at the stadium site on March 3, 2011 to kick off a twelve week demolition on the site in advance of construction. Eight months later, on December 14, 2011, the San Jose planning commission approved the permit for stadium construction, but local residents appealed to halt the stadium.  That’s right, more delays.  It wasn’t until February when the commission heard the appeal and voted unanimously to reject the appeal and finalize the approval of the construction permit. Now, Bay Area soccer fans could stop dreaming and focus on their new digs for 2014.

The team held yet another groundbreaking, but this time with the help of their fans.. The team and their fans set a Guinness World record for the largest participatory groundbreaking with over 6256 people digging madly and avenging years of frustration.

The Quakes launched a live web cam, although by the looks of things the action must be happening off camera.  Their New Stadium blog provides updates on the project progress, and it appears they’re focused on digging up the old foundation. The Quakes new stadium will finally give this team and their fans a sense of security.

Are those tumbleweeds?