Comments on: Toronto Invades Columbus: What It Means For MLS http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/ Exploring football culture around the world. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:27:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Steve http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4262 Steve Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:25:02 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4262 SIGH Really? I'm glad people are so confident in the state of MLS that they take the time to badmouth 2,300 people for driving for 7 hours (across a border I might add) to see a game. As someone who went to Columbus ... did some people act badly? Yes. Were lots of people drunk? Yes. Did people pee on a fence? Yes (good job Crew, you have 3 porta potties the other side of the ground and you expect away fans to just know where they are?) Did anything truly bad or dangerous happen? No. There was no organized violence and anything that happened was on par with NFL/college football games. The fact that the Columbus PD are idiots (see above quote) exacerbated the few problems there were. People need to stop denigrating the best supported team in MLS (not the best supporters, which I will still give to DC). We're good for this league. Deal with it. If you really want to cover fans in this league, you would be better to spend your time asking why Chivas have less than a 1k season ticket holders or the LA Galaxy had a reported (and therefore bumped up) attendance of 20k on Sunday ... WHEN THEY HAVE DAVID BECKHAM IN THEIR SIDE!!! SIGH Really? I’m glad people are so confident in the state of MLS that they take the time to badmouth 2,300 people for driving for 7 hours (across a border I might add) to see a game.

As someone who went to Columbus … did some people act badly? Yes. Were lots of people drunk? Yes. Did people pee on a fence? Yes (good job Crew, you have 3 porta potties the other side of the ground and you expect away fans to just know where they are?)

Did anything truly bad or dangerous happen? No. There was no organized violence and anything that happened was on par with NFL/college football games. The fact that the Columbus PD are idiots (see above quote) exacerbated the few problems there were.

People need to stop denigrating the best supported team in MLS (not the best supporters, which I will still give to DC). We’re good for this league. Deal with it.

If you really want to cover fans in this league, you would be better to spend your time asking why Chivas have less than a 1k season ticket holders or the LA Galaxy had a reported (and therefore bumped up) attendance of 20k on Sunday … WHEN THEY HAVE DAVID BECKHAM IN THEIR SIDE!!!

]]> By: EricJ http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4195 EricJ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:19:26 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4195 Why exactly does it matter that a church was nearby? It DOESN'T is the answer. Peeing in public, well that crude, but without a better system you have to expect it. Moreover, I am sure pee drys :D Why exactly does it matter that a church was nearby? It DOESN’T is the answer. Peeing in public, well that crude, but without a better system you have to expect it. Moreover, I am sure pee drys :D

]]> By: Kevin http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4173 Kevin Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:00:49 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4173 But KT, it's not like they were setting attendance records prior to that... But KT, it’s not like they were setting attendance records prior to that…

]]> By: Richard Whittall http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4172 Richard Whittall Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:32:53 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4172 Amen to that. Toronto are awful. Truly embarrassing to watch. The first five minutes against DC United was the worst performance by a group of eleven humans playing soccer that I've ever witnessed... Amen to that. Toronto are awful. Truly embarrassing to watch. The first five minutes against DC United was the worst performance by a group of eleven humans playing soccer that I’ve ever witnessed…

]]> By: Antono G http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4170 Antono G Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:59:34 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4170 The "in love with themselves" comment was mine. It stems entirely from my experience in the stands. My season tickets are in a fun but not particulalrly loud part of BMO, and trust me, the atmosphere in my part of the stands in columbus - allegedly filled with hardcore TFC-lovers one and all - was weak. Couldn't even give Dichio a full minute on 24. For the most part, it was tourism rather than support. But boy was everyone proud to say that they were part of this massive supporters event. I exclude the regular RPB crew from this description, obviously. They're nothing but class. It was the rest of the crowd that was the problem. Oh, and the team itself is a problem, obviously. The “in love with themselves” comment was mine. It stems entirely from my experience in the stands. My season tickets are in a fun but not particulalrly loud part of BMO, and trust me, the atmosphere in my part of the stands in columbus - allegedly filled with hardcore TFC-lovers one and all - was weak. Couldn’t even give Dichio a full minute on 24.

For the most part, it was tourism rather than support. But boy was everyone proud to say that they were part of this massive supporters event.

I exclude the regular RPB crew from this description, obviously. They’re nothing but class. It was the rest of the crowd that was the problem.

Oh, and the team itself is a problem, obviously.

]]> By: KT http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4169 KT Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:51:41 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4169 Kevin: You do know that Kansas City's temporary ground only seats a shade over 10,000, right? Now that that's out of the way... Chris, Columbus Crew Stadium has been standing for almost nine years now, and has hosted more than a couple of games with a hell of a lot more people attending than attended the Crew's home opener. Port-a-potties? This isn't Woodstock, it's a stadium. You can't tell me US-Mexico (more than once) didn't have a bunch of people urinating on fences facing a church (as far as we know) but that Torontonians just can't hold it in, so if there are more than 2,000 of them in any one area, the facilities just aren't sufficient for them. And as mentioned - if you gotta go, you gotta go. But you don't gotta go on a fence facing a frigging church. You have respect for the game - shown by ardently supporting a team that's not very good. Now have some respect for yourselves and the other people you have to share the orb with. And, again, this is aimed solely at a very small minority of fans of any team. I'm sure that most of the 2,300 or so Toronto fans were well-behaved. Unfortunately, it's the dillholes who spoil things for everybody and then pass it off as just passion for the game or "no worse than what you'll find at Ohio State" or whatnot. It ain't right. There's no rationalization. Kevin:

You do know that Kansas City’s temporary ground only seats a shade over 10,000, right?

Now that that’s out of the way…

Chris, Columbus Crew Stadium has been standing for almost nine years now, and has hosted more than a couple of games with a hell of a lot more people attending than attended the Crew’s home opener. Port-a-potties? This isn’t Woodstock, it’s a stadium. You can’t tell me US-Mexico (more than once) didn’t have a bunch of people urinating on fences facing a church (as far as we know) but that Torontonians just can’t hold it in, so if there are more than 2,000 of them in any one area, the facilities just aren’t sufficient for them.

And as mentioned - if you gotta go, you gotta go. But you don’t gotta go on a fence facing a frigging church.

You have respect for the game - shown by ardently supporting a team that’s not very good. Now have some respect for yourselves and the other people you have to share the orb with.

And, again, this is aimed solely at a very small minority of fans of any team. I’m sure that most of the 2,300 or so Toronto fans were well-behaved. Unfortunately, it’s the dillholes who spoil things for everybody and then pass it off as just passion for the game or “no worse than what you’ll find at Ohio State” or whatnot. It ain’t right. There’s no rationalization.

]]> By: Kevin http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4164 Kevin Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:05:41 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4164 Past week, the KC Wizards had less than 10,000 in the stands...but everyone else had AT LEAST 17,000. And the Galaxy had a full crowd of 27,000 in attendance. I'm hoping the average league attendance hovers around 17,000 for the year. As for Toronto fans, I can understand people getting ticked about their behavior, but 2,300 out-of-towners coming to spend money is still pretty damn good, no? Past week, the KC Wizards had less than 10,000 in the stands…but everyone else had AT LEAST 17,000. And the Galaxy had a full crowd of 27,000 in attendance. I’m hoping the average league attendance hovers around 17,000 for the year.

As for Toronto fans, I can understand people getting ticked about their behavior, but 2,300 out-of-towners coming to spend money is still pretty damn good, no?

]]> By: Chris http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4163 Chris Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:37:03 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4163 To answer Kenn's question, no, it does not hurt the cause of away supporters. You know what 2,300 supporters bring with them? Money and the possibility of more money. By the by, why weren't there enough port-a-potties and why wasn't there sufficient crowd control? Isn't this the home of OSU where 13,000 drunken supporters should be considered a light night out for a home game? If no fights or riots occurred, this has not hurt the cause (should be a right, I mean, the front offices do want the stands to be full, right?) of traveling supporters. To answer Kenn’s question, no, it does not hurt the cause of away supporters. You know what 2,300 supporters bring with them? Money and the possibility of more money. By the by, why weren’t there enough port-a-potties and why wasn’t there sufficient crowd control? Isn’t this the home of OSU where 13,000 drunken supporters should be considered a light night out for a home game? If no fights or riots occurred, this has not hurt the cause (should be a right, I mean, the front offices do want the stands to be full, right?) of traveling supporters.

]]> By: Cohen http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4162 Cohen Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:20:43 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4162 It was a step forward for the league: people care, the team matters, the results matter. It is more than a game! Kudos to the Toronto supporters. Maybe DC, Houston, LA fans will follow suit. Two weeks into the season, I have been impressed with the quality, attendance, and the atmosphere at the stadiums. It was a step forward for the league: people care, the team matters, the results matter. It is more than a game! Kudos to the Toronto supporters. Maybe DC, Houston, LA fans will follow suit.
Two weeks into the season, I have been impressed with the quality, attendance, and the atmosphere at the stadiums.

]]> By: Richard Whittall http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4160 Richard Whittall Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:57:06 +0000 http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2008/04/07/toronto-invades-columbus-what-it-means-for-mls/#comment-4160 Papa Bear -- There's no excusing the behaviour of some of the fans out that day...having lived in Toronto for most of my life, I can tell you this is one of the rudest cities I've ever seen, and I'm fairly well traveled. I just don't understand where this image of Toronto FC fans 'loving themselves' comes from. Maybe if you could offer a few examples other than the one featured in this article. I still can't pinpoint what any of them did to deserve the bile directed at them I read on these MLS blogs. I mean, for God's sake, they're supporting their team, is that not allowed? Papa Bear — There’s no excusing the behaviour of some of the fans out that day…having lived in Toronto for most of my life, I can tell you this is one of the rudest cities I’ve ever seen, and I’m fairly well traveled. I just don’t understand where this image of Toronto FC fans ‘loving themselves’ comes from. Maybe if you could offer a few examples other than the one featured in this article. I still can’t pinpoint what any of them did to deserve the bile directed at them I read on these MLS blogs. I mean, for God’s sake, they’re supporting their team, is that not allowed?

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