When the San Jose Earthquakes take on the Seattle Sounders at Avaya Stadium on Saturday night (10:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE), they'll boast a special captain at the helm: Cole Baker.
The 11-year-old was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma in 2011, and since then has continued to excel academically and enjoy sports including tennis, baseball, and soccer. The Quakes teamed up with the Austin Everett Foundation to make this historic signing, with Baker joining the team on Friday, Sept. 9.
On Friday, he trained and ate lunch with the Quakes at their facility, and on Saturday will become the team's first one-day signing under interim general manager Chris Leitch. He'll attend pre-game warmups, give the game's honorary first kick. And, as per contractual agreements, will later be available for media comments as he helps as a scooper during the stadium's A&W Celebrity Root Beer Float night.
Saturday’s event comes in part with a league-wide initiative to raise funds and awareness for cancer research, as September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Read more about MLS' efforts to fight the disease at mlssoccer.com/mlsworks.
