The San Jose Earthquakes have chipped in to help their community in the past, and this week, they continued that tradition.
When a club employee learned that a youth soccer team in Salinas, Calif. lost an estimated $3,000 in gear when it was stolen out of a coach's truck on Feb. 5, the MLS side jumped into action.
On Friday, the Earthquakes donated replacement equipment, which a team spokesman told MLSsoccer.com included "everything from balls and cones to goals to lights and cords."
Salinas, located a little over an hour's drive to the south of San Jose, is a city known as a locus for farm workers throughout California's Central Valley.
"All these kids are kids to farm workers, so the parents work really late at night," said Josefina Mendez, who has a son who plays for the team. "We try to make the effort to bring them out here and play so that's why the impact of the generators and lights make a big difference because we don't get out here 'till six."
The Earthquakes spokesperson said that the community league doesn't charge players to play and uses only volunteer coaches, so the equipment lost would not have easily been replaced.
San Jose will open the 2019 MLS regular season on March 2 at home against the Montreal Impact.
