Focus on
The Casbah

Sunday April 6, 2008

The San Jose Earthquakes returned last Thursday (0-2 loss at L.A. Galaxy) 3 years have passed and a lot of things have changed. The new management is trying hard to provide proof that the new Earthquakes are built as the continuity of the successful team that abandonned the Bay Area in 2005*: Nomination of Frank Yallop as the Head Coach (Yallop drove the Earthquakes to MLS Championship in 2001 and 2003), return of Joe Cannon and Ryan Cochrane as key players, similar jerseys, etc...

However, next Saturday, for the home opener game, the most significant sign that the Earthquakes are back may be found elsewhere.

In the stands, as it used to be between 1996 and 2005, the same black banner saying "The Casbah" will be posted in front of a group of fans standing and chanting to the glory of the Quakes during 90 minutes.

Guy, the emblematic leader of the Casbah between 2001 and 2005, with his voice slightly broken by years of cheering, accepted to answer our questions about the past, present and future of the group.

Guy, when did you join the Casbah? "I moved from Ohio (I also am a fan of the Columbus Crew) to the Bay Area in the summer of 1997. In the winter of 1998, Oakland was hosting the US team matches and I got to meet a lot of the guys who made up the Casbah then. They invited me to come down, tailgate with them for what was then the "San Jose Clash" games. The team was horrible...absolutely dreadfully bad and the guys would still show up game after game. There was not as much talent as expected but I got caught up in the passion. I was cheering with the Casbah, with the exception that when the Crew would come to town, I was in The Casbah with my Columbus Crew jersey and they were such a wonderful group of people to hang with."

Why is the group named The Casbah? "The team was called The San Jose Clash and the name came naturally from The Clash's song: Rock the Casbah. When the team changed names between the 1999 and 2000 seasons to come back to the old NASL name**, the Earthquakes, we had to decide if we were going to change the name of the supporters' group as well and we decided "this is how we started so we will keep the name!""

From those years, what stories remain in the collective memory of the Casbah? "The one that immediately comes to my mind, and I'm sure everybody you ask would tell you, is the playoff game against L.A. in 2003. It was a 2-leg playoff and the 2nd leg is referred to arguably as one of the greatest games in MLS history. San Jose went to L.A. for the first leg, lost the game 2-0, came up here, went down 2 more goals, 4-0 in aggregate, then San Jose came back and scored 5 goals, the last one in overtime! When the score was 4-0 in aggregate, our energy was destroyed...And then, the come back started to happen...The noise in the stadium became incredible and when the Earthquakes scored the go-ahead goal, we were so excited that we forgot to put up the Earthquakes flag we usually put up to celebrate every goal. It was one of the only two times we remember not putting up the flag."

Any other stories? "There are lots of stories!" (Laughs) "I remember stories back at Spartan Stadium where they played before. There was one game when we had a storm before the game. It knocked down one of the scoreboard signs before the game, and they roped off an entire section of the stands..."

"...The one I was thinknig about, that made me laugh, is one of our most famous moments. There was a "Seat cushion night". It was sponsored by the US Army who distributed little square seat cushions for the match***. The calls were going very badly and it was a very frustrating game. San Jose scored and completely spontaneously, the seat cushions started flying. Literally a shower of seat cushions started flying on to the field. Something very similar happened last year in Toronto and it was funny listening to people say "that's the first time we ever see that happen!" The exact same thing happened in San Jose years earlier!"

One of our interresting bad moments was when we had a fireworks night (we used to have fireworks nights at Spartan Stadium) and they wanted to clear out our section 10 minutes before the end of the game because the fireworks were going to go on behind us right after the game. It was a very tight game, we were into it and we wouldn't move. The security came saying "you gotta move out now!"...We didn't move and that's the closest we've come to have a physical fight with the security. By the time the argument was turning really bad, it was the end of the game, so there was no reason to fight anymore!"

"One last story: in 2005, the team had won the Supporters' Shield. The Supporters' Shield is awarded by the supporters groups to the team which wins the regular season. Traditionally, the trophy is given at the begining of the next season, but we already knew that there may not be a next season! We had to fight to be allowed to organize the ceremony at the last playoff game (loss against L.A. Galaxy)" It was the last game before the move was announced and despite the loss, we stayed for more than half an hour after the team left the field, ready to have the security kick us out. We didn't want to leave because the season was over and we felt the team would not be back next season."

Who are your biggest rivals in the league?: "L.A. of course, not only because of the game mentionned earlier. This rivalry has been in place ever since the MLS started. Now, Houston, as the former San Jose team, is gonna be a huge rival. As a leader of the group, I literally got to know some of the players like Dwayne de Rosario and a lot of them are still playing for Houston."

Which players used to have a particularly good relationship with the Casbah? Dwayne was one. Also, one of the best fan-friendly players has been Joe Cannon and it was an absolute joy to see him come back to San Jose. He was called up for a US game once and I happened to be in Columbus for the match. I was setting up banners and I didn't even notice him there and he saw me and came to say hello! He also once bought a keg of beer and tailgated with us before an All-Star game in San Jose. He's really a wonderful guy. It's great to have him back."

How did you manage to stay together as a group during those years without the Earthquakes in San Jose? "We have to credit SSV" (Soccer Sillicon Valley) "Because, in 2005, we fought so hard to keep this team here. Without their help, the fight wouldn't have happened. Even then, they told us "if we loose this fight and the team moves, we've got a backup plan". When they announced the team was moving, we knew there was an interested owner and that the team's colors and history would remain. It happened only 3 years later but it is that hope that kept us together."

What was your reaction when you learnt that the Earthquakes were going to be back? Even before they moved, I already had decided that I would be less involved, because of work and family duties" (Guy is going to be a father for the first time and is expecting twins). I will still come to most of the games but I won't be a leader for the group anymore. But for me, it was the proof that, 1st - moving the team was wrong, 2nd - All they said about how impossible it was to find an interrested owner, to find the founds for a new stadium, etc... was wrong too and that it could have been done earlier.

How many members do you have now? I couldn't tell you. There is no official membership. Everybody is welcome to The Casbah. We've always been very open. We are starting an optional membership this year but we have no intention to become an exclusive club. Anyone who comes to our section and chants and cheers with us is considered as part of The Casbah!

Is there a bar where you get together to watch the team when they play away? "The Brittania Arms in Downtown San Jose. As I live in Oackland, I sometimes go to Ricky's. Ricky, the owner is a great soccer fan. I once went there with my Columbus jersey to watch a Columbus Crew game against Chicago. I was the only person who was there to watch this game until I saw 5 persons coming in wearing Chicago Fire jerseys. I wondered what they were doing there and the way they were looking at me, they were probably wondering the same about me! At this point, we outnumbered all the other sports in the room so they put it on the big screen. I sat down with them and said "you guys are the last people I expected to see here to watch the MLS game!" And it turned out they were C.J. Brown's familly****!"

What are your expectations for this season? "I want to see more people involved. My fear is that there is only one person doing most of the work. It's a lot of work and I want to find more people working in the group. And I also want to see the group expand, see more people share the passion..."

Interview: T.H.

Photos1 & 3 : Guy Gayle - Photo 2: www.thecasbah.org

*After the 2005 season, the team moved to Houston and became the Houston Dynamo.

**NASL was a national professional League between 1968 and 1984. The San Jose Earthquakes participated in the league between 1974 and 1984 (Renamed The Golden Bay Earthquakes in 1983-84)

***On June 12, 2004: Earthquakes 3-1 Metro Stars. The "shower" started after Mullan scored the last goal for San Jose at the 89th minute, relieving the fans after a nerve-wrecking match.

****C.J. Brown is the defender and Captain of the Chicago Fire. Born in Oregon, he played in the Bay Area for San Jose State University and the San Francisco Seals.

The Casbah's official website: www.thecasbah.org

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