For Quakes & COuntry: Guillaume Charron's journey from france

By San Jose Earthquakes

June 15^th, 2018

For Quakes & COuntry: Guillaume Charron's journey from france

Thanks for joining me here today. First things first, let’s talk about your connection to France. What has your journey been like to the U.S.?

“I was born in Paris. I grew up in the Elevens district, so PSG is obviously the big club that I grew up with and going to games on the weekends with my dad. I studied in Paris and then moved to East London for my first job. From there, I became an Arsenal fan and used to be a season ticket holder for the club. On weekends, I would go see them play. Then, in between, I met my wife who’s from Cleveland. We met in New York when I was still living in London, she came to London, and then we decided we wanted to move back to the U.S. She used to work for Stanford Hospital and she wanted to come back to the Bay Area so I got a transfer for work. It’s been about 10 years ago now.

Talk about your love for the Quakes and what drew you to be a fan of the club?

“I think it’s a European culture where you always support your local team. I was already a Paris fan when PSG wasn’t so great. Then, moving to London, I could have chosen a bigger club like Chelsea to support but I was in North London so I chose Arsenal. For me, it’s just about supporting the local team.”

What is the French community like in the Bay Area?

“There really isn’t much of a French community. There’s a network around my work and in the tech industry. There are a lot of French engineers in the Bay Area. It’s more orientated around business. In San Francisco, there’s a neighborhood with a small French community, but other than that, there’s not a lot.”

I hear you’re going to the World Cup this summer! Talk about your journey.

“In 1998, I remember I was 20 and France won the World Cup in France and I was there. Twenty years later, I hope that we have a good chance to win while I’m there. I’m taking a parental leave so I’m aligning it with the World Cup basically. I’m very excited that I’ll be seeing games out there. In five days, we’re going to see two games and I hope to go back if they advance in the tournament. I have a few friends back in France who work for the French League and they’re well connected to see big games like that.”

Patrick Viera and Thierry Henry have been the notable French players who have come through San Jose to play. What has that experience been like for you?

"I don’t think the connection has been that big. We’ve definitely had a couple players come over. Now there’s Romain Alessandrini who used to play for Marseille. He’s starting a trend of younger players now looking at MLS as an option. It’s a strong sign that the league is growing and it’s becoming one of the top leagues in the world."

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