After decades of no-frills soccer venues, the San Jose Earthquakes and their scrappy fans finally have a permanent home in the new $100 million Avaya Stadium.
Among those thrilled with the 18,000-seat stadium are the Quakes' Latino partisans -- about a third of the team's fan base.
On Saturday, Amado Flores will be among the lucky fans -- attendance will be capped at 10,000 -- to see the first preseason game at the new facility when the Quakes play the L.A. Galaxy.
"You don't even care for the price," said Amado Flores, a native of Mexico and a San Jose soccer fan through the franchise's many incarnations since the 1980s. "You just go to get in and make some noise, and feel like to be in Mexico only for a few minutes."