"It feels awesome!" said Becky Osorio, who dug a rather deep hole as she exhorted her two sons, Robert and Hector, to keep digging their own for two minutes without letting up. "We can't stop, boys. Keep digging!"
Refereed by officials with the authoritative Guinness World Records, exactly 6,256 people, most of them ordinary Quakes fans, surpassed the previous groundbreaking high mark of 4,532, set in India in 2007. Air cannons shot a cloud of blue and white confetti over the crowd when the record was announced, prompting jubilant Quakes fans to cheer and wave their shovels in victory.
Minus some Major League Soccer officials and dignitaries who showed up, that many fans would be enough to fill about a third of the 18,000 seats at the new stadium, which was designed for soccer and sits at Coleman Avenue and Newhall Street, across from Mineta San Jose International Airport. Team officials said the large turnout Sunday bode well for season-ticket sales and the long-term success and stability of the team, something the franchise has not enjoyed since it was founded in 1974. The new facility is expected to open in 2014.
"I wasn't surprised," Earthquakes President Dave Kaval said. "Since it's been such a saga to get to this point, people wanted to celebrate."
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