The San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Seattle Sounders last night to inaugurate the brand-new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. If a Ticketmaster screw-up is to be believed, San Jose’s other major league sports franchise might also be playing a game at that venue in the near future.
One of the worst-kept secrets in Sharks Territory is that the team’s February 21st matchup against the Los Angeles Kings, already slated to be broadcast nationally on CBC in Canada and NBC Sports Network in the United States, will take place outdoors at either AT&T Park or Levi’s Stadium. A seemingly accidental Ticketmaster pre-release that was available for a short duration yesterday suggests the latter is more likely:
The link was taken down shortly after going live but not soon enough to prevent alert fans from grabbing screenshots. While it isn’t nearly as picturesque as AT&T Park (few venues in North America are), Levi’s Stadium does make a good deal of sense for the Sharks’ first outdoor game. Not only is it a lot closer to the team’s home rink, and the bulk of their fanbase, it also seats about 27,000 more people for a significant difference in gate revenue. Presumably the Sharks will make an official announcement about the game’s location before the offseason is over.
