By FRANCO PANIZO
The San Jose Earthquakes will open their new soccer-specific stadium in 2014, but not as soon as originally planned.
The Earthquakes announced on Monday that have pushed back the opening of their new home until the second half of the 2014 season due to “unforeseen conditions” at the stadium site. San Jose is now expected to play eight games at Buck Shaw Stadium, one at Stanford Stadium and nine at the new 18,000-seat stadium next year.
“Due to the extraordinary conditions at the stadium site the opening date has been pushed back,” said Earthquakes president Dave Kaval in a statement released by the club. “Our ownership group and organization is committed to building a world-class venue for our fans and to creating the true epicenter of soccer in the Bay Area. We feel that a second-half opening ensures that we accomplish that goal, while giving our team a strong home schedule for the best situation competitively.”
The Earthquakes’ new stadium, which was originally expected to open in the early parts of 2014, is being postponed due several unexpected obstacles popping up during the demolition phase of the project. Some of those obstacles include the discovery of numerous concrete vaults deep in the ground, steel beams and hundreds of concrete pilings.
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