The Earthquakes are "going to throw open the gates to Avaya Stadium," turn on their big screen and let fans wanting to watch the '18 FIFA World Cup "do so for free," according to Jody Meacham of the SILICON VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL. The earliest kickoff will be at 3:00am PT on June 16 for France-Australia, and the latest kickoff will be 12:00pm PT. The Earthquakes "expect some early matches" in the mornings may "attract a couple dozen spectators at most." But for Portugal-Spain, with both countries having "significant communities in the Bay Area," team officials think it "might produce a crowd of a couple thousand." For games like Portugal-Spain, the Earthquakes "will have food trucks on hand to keep fans fed, and they will be selling food." Earthquakes COO Jared Shawlee said, "The cost will be, you know, five figures approaching six figures, probably, when we're all said and done. So there's some real expense. But that's OK. That's, that's a number we're very comfortable with." Shawlee added, "It does help turn people into Earthquake supporters that they otherwise might not be, which is really the only business case. It is to bring in more new fans and more eyeballs for the Earthquakes" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/7).
