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As every human being on the planet knows, Major League
Soccer is coming to Seattle. Whereas the talk around the
water cooler as I write may still be more about national
defence than San Jose’s defence, many people in Seattle are
beginning to wonder what MLS game day in
Seattle
will look like. So I flew into the future – 3 hours to be
exact – and went to observe my first ever MLS game as the
New York
Red Bulls took on the table topping
Columbus Crew.
I went with several goals in an open mind, and ended up
seeing a goal I never thought I would. I hoped to see what
they did well there that perhaps Seattle Sounders FC should
try and emulate and keep an eye put for anything worth
avoiding. I went to see the tifo the diehard fan base
organized, and most of all observe if the quality of the
play was something from which Sounders FC should quake in
fear. Here’s the story of our day ...
Heaven Sent -
Juan Pablo Angel Scored Twice for the Bulls
Photo:
New York Red
Bulls FC
Game day started with a taxi ride in from Manhattan and a
cab driver who had no idea there was a game on at the
Meadowlands where NFL Giants Stadium is located. That alone
set my mind racing. Cab drivers can be the best advertisers
an entertainment business can have. They have more access to
that subset of people who don’t know the buzz in a city than
anyone outside hotel receptionists. So, wouldn’t be a good
idea to get those fixture lists and calendars to every cab
company HQ in town and every hotel lobby? In a recent
interview, Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer extolled the virtues
of being “obsessed with detail”. Given how well the club has
done everything so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is
exactly the kind of detail they thought of already, but if
not the pedantry starts here.
The Meadowlands Complex can be safely described as not very
near anywhere. New York City’s sporting landmarks appear as
one big building site at the moment. There are two Yankee
Stadiums, one being built right next to the old one, and the
NFL New York Giants are constructing a replacement one once
more adjacent to the old Giants Stadium. But back to our cab
ride. Our cabbie approached what was marked as the entrance,
only to be stopped by a large woman in the type of coat worn
only by people in the parking industry. She demanded $10 or
she wouldn’t let us in. “You can’t come in until you give me
ten dollars,” she assailed our cabby in that way I’ve only
ever heard New Yorkers do. She then sent us on a circuitous
route to approach the stadium from another direction. This
took twenty minutes of unnecessary time and cab fare.
Luckily we’d left early to avoid traffic and could afford
both but it didn’t sound or feel like visiting an
entertainment venue should; especially a form of
entertainment struggling to make itself easily available to
a wandering public conscious in a competitive market.
It seems a particularly American thing to privatize
ancillary businesses to your sporting franchise so that the
contractors can treat your customers poorly. Given the
location of Qwest Field, it’s not a particular problem we’ll
face too much in Seattle, but as a general rule, it would be
nice to know that the club is keeping an eye out for how its
customers are treated by those bidding for rights in and
around the stadium. If the aim is to make every game day
experience the best it can be for every spectator at every
match, then that starts with having those attempting to
profit out of soccer treat the customers well, rather than
as just another revenue stream. No matter who is responsible
such things reflect badly on the club. Clearly, the Red
Bulls weren’t responsible for this but it would be nice if
MLS clubs made a special pint of protecting their customers
and acquired a reputation for such.
Finally we got dropped off at a point acceptable to the car
park staff at Giants Stadium and approached the ground. A
healthy mix of ages, genders and ethnic groups surrounded
the field. Kids were having a kick about, die hard fans in
their scarves swapped stories, men dragged their errant kids
towards the entrance. It felt safe and calm, and briefly
just briefly, like soccer actually belonged in the cavernous
arena lying on the other side of the turnstile. Red Bulls
have built a pleasant safe environment to attend and it
augurs well for their future in that soccer specific stadium
they are building in Harrison, New Jersey.
The Empire Strikes Back
But for now New York Red Bulls and Seattle Sounders FC have
some similarities. Both play at the home of an NFL side.
Both have been the subject of controversy over their name.
Both play in cities where there are other attractions.
Notwithstanding the massive differences between
New York City
and every other place on the planet, it gave me at least a
starting point for comparisons. The NFL markings were bright
and covered the pitch. Huge tarpaulins covered those areas
of the stadium not accessible for a soccer crowd. A dark
blue blanket therefore covered roughly ¾ of the seats giving
the impression of holding a party in a house where the
painters have been working and the furniture is covered.
Credit has to go to the hardy fans who attended. Red Bulls
have not had a great season, going into the game with just
nine wins and eight draws with 35 points from 27 games.
Secondly, with the NFL season underway, competition for fan
and media attention is tough, although as this was the last
regular season home game, that should have helped. (In the
end the Bulls did make the play-offs.) The Empire Supporters
Club in Section 101 behind the goal may have only had 90
people in it but their efforts made an irreplaceable
addition to the atmosphere. I was too far away to be able to
categorically state that all their songs were family
oriented, this is
New Jersey
after all, but their rhythm and beat was well coordinated,
pleasing on the eye and seemed to sprout from the full gamut
of cultural roots, rather than just stuff copied off the EPL
coverage on television. I am happy to give a ‘hats off’ to
them and look forward to their visit to
Seattle next year.
As for
the match itself? Well I’ve taken enough of your time here
for one week but if you want to read on please click
here. If not thanks for reading and I’ll see you all
next week where we’ll take in all the latest Champions
League action unless Diego Maradona decides to manage
Sounders FC instead of Argentina.
For a full list of Steve's soccer articles
here
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