In football stronghold California, World Cup is a seismic event

SAN JOSE, California: Flying high in their best-ever start to a season, the San Jose Earthquakes rule football in these parts of California, but they’re making way for new kings as the US prepare for a World Cup knockout match against Bosnia on Thursday.

The clash in the San Francisco Bay Area marks the third of what could be four games in California for the US team, carrying the hopes of millions giddy at the prospect of their deepest run in the showpiece event for 24 years. For the fans, players and clubs in football stronghold California, hosting World Cup matches offers a chance to show mainstream America that football is no niche sport, but a global phenomenon.

“You see it in the fans, you see it in the stadiums, the crowds, when there’s goals, when there’s big moments that happen, just ‌how big the ‌sport really is across the world,” Earthquakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris told Reuters by the pristine ‌pitch of their modern, 18,000-seat stadium.

“To bring that here and for us to get a taste of that I think is massive. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about ... the passion and the joy that it brings people.”

“It’ll be really special for the country, most importantly for the Bay Area, to really just show, like, ‘hey listen, soccer has been a thing here and it’s still continuing to grow.’”

Latin roots

And that growth has been big.

California boasts by far the most teams of any US state in national leagues, with four Major League Soccer clubs, three National Women’s Soccer League teams and five teams in the United Soccer League, plus multiple academies and university teams.

The San Diego Wave top the NWSL, Orange County lead the USL ‌West and the San Jose Earthquakes are level on points at the top