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          Toe Poke Daily: Wondolowski goes wild watching San Jose with Quakes ultras

          • Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerSep 26, 2019, 05:15 AM ET

          The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to bring you all the weirdest stories, quirkiest viral content and top trolling that the internet has to offer, all in one place.

          San Jose Earthquakes had to take on high-flying Philadelphia Union without the services of star striker Chris Wondolowski, who missed Wednesday night's Major League Soccer clash through suspension.

          The veteran forward, who happens to be MLS's all-time record goal-scorer, was shown the first red card of his 15-year professional career during the Quakes' previous outing, a 3-1 loss against reigning champions Atlanta United.

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          However, rather than simply stay home and watch the game on ESPN+ (stream the replay in the U.S.), Wondolowski decided to throw his full support behind the his teammates and urged fellow fans to join him and the San Jose Ultras behind the goal at the Avaya Stadium.

          Sure enough, Wondolowski was in the crowd and even helped lead the chanting before kick-off.

          In fact, the people's champion seemed to attract quite a following as one of the 16,652 attendees.

          Clad in black, the striker roared his teammates on from the terraces as the game got under way.

          San Jose nudged themselves ahead in the 35th minute. Jackson Yueill's opening goal sparked so much passion in Wondo that he just had to strip to the waist and twirl his shirt above his head.

          Unfortunately, the lead didn't last as Union scored twice in the space of six second-half minutes to purloin a 2-1 away victory.

          Still, it didn't dampen the atmosphere, with the club saluting their exiled hero after the final whistle.

          Indeed, the result was enough to see Quakes drop into eighth place in the Western Conference, one rung below the playoff line with two games of the regular season left to play.

          City add esports outfit to portfolio

          Manchester City have pulled off yet another major signing by forging a partnership with the FaZe Clan esports team.

          City have formally announced a new alliance with FaZe, who are "the world's unmatched leaders" in the fields of esport, streaming, professional gaming and entertainment.

          The Clan was formed as a YouTube collective some 10 years ago by a group of Call of Duty gamers who decided to join forces and change their gamer-tags together. They now command a global following of approximately 214 million fans.

          City are hoping that the partnership will help to meld their two audiences, of actual football and of the interactive variety, across a variety of initiatives.

          As well as creating content and hosting exclusive events, FaZe and City will also pool their best FIFA players at a shared esports training facility where they can hone their gaming skills together.