Soccer in America...Who Knew?

Red Bulls fans seek revenge from loss in playoffs last year

I am a huge soccer fan.  Most weekends, you'll find me at a soccer bar watching premier league games with a bunch of Europeans.  So as a huge soccer fan, I feel bad that I haven't been to a MLS game since the first year that it began.  And let me tell you, American Soccer has changed.  And it has changed for the better.

Making the trek out to Jersey from the City is a huge deal.  I mean, you can't get me to Brooklyn, let alone Jersey.  And not going to lie, the public transportation was a bit of a disaster.  There is a huge bottleneck problem as there is like 5 turnstiles to accommodate the huge crowd.  Which was not fun after the game, as you stood in a line for about 40 minutes before getting on the train to go home.  But other than that, I really had a great time at the game.

MLS has gotten so much better.  The players are more skilled and the speed of the game has improved.  Don't get me wrong, it's still not as fast paced as a Euro game, but its more competitive than it used to be.  But the best part?  The supporters!  Fans are very much like the soccer hooligans you always here about.  We sat next to the DC United section and a whole group of people traveled from DC to NYC for the game.   And they were amazing!  Jumping, chanting and beating their drums the whole game...yep that's what I expect from soccer fans.  They got me on my feet and really added to the whole atmosphere. Watching Red Bulls vs United fans try to out-chant each other was almost as fun as watching the actual game.

Another thing that has changed is that stadiums were actually built with soccer in mind.  You no longer are at stadiums built for football, but then used for soccer.  Instead, you get an intimate experience and an arena that has been designed to add to the whole soccer atmosphere.  But, and this is key, DON'T GET THE LARGE BEERS!  Get the small for 9, not the large for 12.  Trust me. We did an experiment where we bought a large beer and a small beer.  We then poured the small beer in to the large beer cup...and lo and behold it basically filled the large cup up to the brim.  So for 3 more dollars you are getting maybe one more sip. 

If you want an event to take your family to, go to a MLS game.  Its really fun and its a great family atmosphere. I know I'll be going back!