Professional soccer comes to Santa Barbara this Saturday as the Chicago Fire play the San Jose Earthquakes in a Major League Soccer preseason game at UCSB’s Harder Stadium.
Kickoff is at 6 p.m. A preliminary game between the Chicago Fire Reserves against the UCSB men’s team will start at 4 p.m.
Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for youth. Tickets can be purchased at the UCSB Athletic Ticket Office and at Aggressive Soccer and Xtreme Soccer in Santa Barbara.
The clubs are conducting training camps at Oxnard College. The Fire are there through Feb. 10 and the Earthquakes arrive on Feb. 7.
San Jose, winner of the MLS Supporters’ Shield as the team with the best record last season, includes former UCSB stars Sam Garza and Peter McGlynn. Garza, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, played most of last season on the Earthquakes’ reserve squad. He was plagued by physical issues. He suffered from breathing problems, a broken rib, a sprained ankle and a broken wrist, which required surgery in the offseason.
“Besides when I tore my ACL (causing him to miss the 2009 college season), I’ve never had a year where I’ve been injured so much,” Garza told MLSsoccer.com. “With me obviously adapting to being a rookie and the speed of play and everything, not playing on a constant basis was pretty tough for me. I think this year I’m a lot more fit. I’m a lot more ready to go, I think.”
McGlynn was taken by San Jose in the league’s supplemental draft three weeks ago.
San Jose features forward Chris Wondolowski, the league’s leading goal scorer the past two seasons.
The Chicago Fire are rebuilding their roster.
Other events worth checking out:
THURSDAY
GIRLS WATER POLO: Santa Barbara at Dos Pueblos, 3:15 p.m. — The CIF Division 1 top-ranked Dons can claim the Channel League title outright. A Dos Pueblos win could give it a share of the title.
GIRLS SOCCER: Dos Pueblos at Santa Barbara; Buena at San Marcos, 5 p.m. — These games will decide who wins the Channel League.
BOYS SOCCER: Santa Barbara at Dos Pueblos, 5 p.m. — The Dons need a win to earn a share of the Channel League title.
BOYS BASKETBALL: Dos Pueblos at Santa Barbara, 7 p.m. — This regular-season finale has league title implications.
MEN’S BASKETBALL: UC Davis at UCSB, 7 p.m. — The injury-riddled Gauchos look to snap a four-game losing streak.
SATURDAY
SOFTBALL: Canyons, Cypress at SBCC, 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. — The Vaqueros host two strong programs; Cypress is three-time defending state champion.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Ventura at SBCC, men at 5 p.m., women at 7 p.m. — The women’s game is a battle for sole possession of first place in the Western State Conference. Doubleheader also is a fundraiser for American Cancer Society.
Pacific at UCSB, 7 p.m. — The Gaucho men host the second-place Tigers in a Big West matchup. Former UCSB great Lucius Davis (1988-92) will be honored as the newest Legend of the Dome.
SUNDAY
FILM — Zero to 100: The Lakey Peterson Story, 7 p.m., Lobero Theater. A biopic on the local surfer girl’s rise from riding the local waves to competing on the Women’s World Tour.
CIF PLAYOFFS — The pairings for boys and girls basketball and girls water polo postseason tournaments are announced.
MONDAY, FEB.11
CIF PLAYOFFS — The pairings for boys and girls soccer postseason tournaments are announcedTUESDAY FEB. 12
COLLEGE BASKETBALL — The Master’s College at Westmont, 5:30, 7:30 p.m. — The league-leading Warrior women’s and men’s teams try to hold on to first place in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
