SJ Earthquakes buy equipment for Salinas soccer team following theft

UPDATE 2/15/19 11:00 p.m. Friday was a new start for Salinas soccer players after the theft of their equipment two weeks ago.

The heavy rain Friday didn’t damped the spirts of the players attending their first practice since the theft of much needed gear like flood lights and a generator.

“All these kids are kids to farm workers, so the parents work really late at night,” said Josefina Mendez, whose son plays with AC Milan, “We try to make the efforct 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.”

Thanks to the generosity of major league soccer team, the San Jose Earthquakes, things can now get back to normal.

The team decided to step in after one of its leaders heard AC Milan’s story.

“[He] expressed his eagerness to make sure that this took as minimal a toll as possible for the children so we wanted to get on it quickly,” said Alex Palomarez, an Earthquakes representative.

They say every dime spent on the Central Coast players is worth it.

“[We want to] invest in the clubs surrounding us so that they can represent the area well,” Palomarez said.

AC Milan says many other businesses and community members came through to help them. They also say they wish the best for those who stole their equipment.

PREVIOUS STORY: A Major League Soccer team is gifting some new equipment to a group of Salinas soccer players after the teams gear was stolen.

The gear was in the back of a pickup truck parked outside an apartment complex on North Sanborn Road and Buckhorn Drive.

The car’s owner said the thief struck sometime between 10pm Sunday Feb. 3 and 8am Monday Feb. 4.

The teams, which are all under the name AC Milan, play in the Salinas Soccer League.

The teams asked the public for help finding their equipment but no luck.

The San Jose Earthquakes have stepped up and will be purchasing new equipment for the team and delivering it to their practice field on Friday, Feb. 15.

KION’s Zach Fuentes will have more at 5 and 6 p.m.