Bay FC hosts the Orlando Pride Sunday afternoon at PayPal Park in San Jose, and the club is turning the match into a full-blown celebration of Latin American and Hispanic culture, complete with a Latin jazz set, folklórico dancers at halftime, and a limited-edition tee benefiting a San Francisco community coalition. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m., with a FanFest opening two hours earlier featuring soccer-themed games, giveaways, and food trucks outside the stadium.
Caltrain is nudging fans to leave the car behind and ride the rails to Santa Clara, posting an invitation on social media to join the trip the day after the match, according to Caltrain.
A Cultural Showcase Built Around the Match
The event, officially dubbed the Latino Heritage Match, is designed to honor Latin American and Hispanic cultures with traditions, music, and art drawn from Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, according to Bay FC staff. Singer Ysenia Martinez is scheduled to perform the national anthem at 1:40 p.m. before joining Latin jazz group Mamboléo, alongside performer Citlali, for a set at FanFest. Grupo Folklórico Los Laureles will take the field during halftime for a traditional dance performance.
PayPal Park itself, which opened in 2015 with an 18,000-seat capacity and what Visit San Jose describes as North America's largest outdoor bar, also serves as the home pitch for MLS's San Jose Earthquakes.
Merchandise With a Cause
Fans attending Sunday's match can pick up a limited-edition Latino Heritage tee, available exclusively at PayPal Park on matchday, with 100% of net proceeds going to the San Francisco Latino Task Force. The tee was designed by Vanessa “Agana” Espinoza, a Bay Area muralist and street artist recognized for public works including the 2021 La Doña resilience mural in San Francisco's Mission District, according to The Guardsman.
The Latino Task Force formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and became a permanent coalition. Separately, fans making an eligible in-venue merchandise purchase of $100 or more before tax using a Visa card can receive a co-branded clear tote bag, while supplies last.
A Community Connection
Bay FC has participated in some Carnaval San Francisco events; the festival's soccer arena hosted youth clinics. Hoodline previously covered the event.
On the Field: A Rematch and a Record-Setter
Sunday's match is also a rematch of sorts. Bay FC and Orlando Pride last met on May 29, when Orlando won 1-3 after Barbara Banda opened the scoring four minutes in and Caroline Conti answered three minutes later for Bay FC's lone goal. Since that meeting, Orlando has terminated forward Gabi Nunes's contract, extended deals for Banda and goalkeeper Cara Martin, loaned out forward Simone Jackson, and acquired forward Sanne Lekven.
Bay FC arrives in good form, coming off a 2-0 win over Racing Louisville FC last Sunday. Alex Pfeiffer and Karlie Lema each scored in that match, with Lema's goal matching the club record of seven goals in a season. Goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz also recorded her seventh clean sheet of the season and made her 100th save, becoming the sixth player in the league to reach 100 saves in a single season.
Getting There Beyond Sunday
Looking further ahead, VTA's $12.7 billion Silicon Valley BART Phase II extension includes an above-ground Santa Clara Station and is designed to link BART with Caltrain and VTA light rail at Diridon Station, according to KTVU. For now, Sunday's transit option remains Caltrain to Santa Clara Station.
