SAN JOSE — Matheus Silva couldn’t stop saying “thank you” Saturday evening between hugs and tears.
Twenty-five days after nearly drowning in icy Lake Tahoe the Earthquakes midfielder finally had a chance to thank some of the men who helped rescue him during a July 4 outing that went terribly wrong at Zephyr Cove resort.
Paddleboarders Colby Peterson of Redwood City and brother-in-law Chris Guenther of Livermore and John Burke of Placerville performed the honorary first kick at Avaya Stadium before the reeling Quakes ended a three-game losing streak by defeating the Colorado Rapids 1-0.
The results hardly seemed to matter on a day of emotional celebration for a young man who was a struggling stranger to holiday goers on a sunny holiday morning before sunrise.