October 21, 2012 could easily be seen as the greatest day in the history of the San Jose Earthquakes, even if they were not playing for the supporters shield for being the best team in the league for the 2012 campaign. If all goes well, it has the chance to be epic.
The day will be full. At noon, the Earthquakes will be attempting to set a world record for the largest gathering to participate in a ground breaking ceremony. They have purchased 6,000 shovels to distribute to their fans who have signed up to break the record which currently stands at 4,532 for an event in Japan. The Quakes have over 5,500 signed up and are asking people to bring their own shovels in case they get more people than they have shovels.
At 4:00 p.m., the Quakes will host their heated rival, the LA Galaxy. The game has been sold out for weeks so if you dont have tickets, you can watch on CSN Bay Area. Chris Wondolowski needs two goals to tie Roy Lassiters record of 27, which has stood for 16 years.
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This team, and Wondolowski in particular, have a flair for the dramatic. So much so, a Wondo hat trick to break the record, and clinch the supporters shield on the same day the club sets a record for the largest ground breaking in the history of the world. Its not as crazy as it sounds, especially considering the storybook way the June 30 meeting with the Galaxy went at Stanford Stadium.
One of the ironies is the increased capacity of the stadium may be the source of income the team is going to need to be able to retain the services of the leagues most prolific scorer the last three years.
Amidst all of the clutter of baseball playoffs, NFL regular season and the coming of the NBA season, do yourself a favor and watch the amazing momentum this organization is building as a model franchise with a foundation for prolonged success.