Opening Day is special.  It is a day of renewal.  There is a sense of optimism that pervades every team. A sense that anything is possible and everyone is expected to be part of the festivities. It’s an annual holiday for all teams. Not every team gets to host the All Star Game, not every team gets to play in the finals, but every team does get an Opening Day.

I used to be obsessed with opening days in baseball. One year, I think it was 1981, I managed to attend five “openers”. The first was the New York Yankees spring training opener in Fort Lauderdale where I recall following Oscar Gamble’s Rolls Royce through the streets of south Florida afterwards. Then I hit the local hat trick of opening days - Cubs, Sox and Brewers. For the Sox opener, I organized a bus trip of fellow Marquette students. It provided good career training for someone who would be selling group outings for a pro sports team two years later.  And finally I managed to catch a minor league opener.  It may have been the Kenosha Twins – who sold pasties at their concession stands.

Last Saturday I hurried back from a Florida vacation to get to the Chicago Red Stars 2010 home opener with that same sense of excitement, possibility and optimism that accompanies each new season. While I have moved on from my day to day duties overseeing the Red Stars, I retain ties to the Red Stars as a team owner, one of four members of the team’s board, a member of the team’s charitable foundation board, a team consultant, a member of the WPS sponsorship committee, an alternate governor on the League’s Board of Governors and a season ticket holder.

After taking my wife home from the airport and unpacking, I stopped at the Milwaukee Wave office to pick up my game tickets and headed south for the 90 minute trek to Toyota Park.  On the drive down from Milwaukee, I received three messages on my BlackBerry – ok, I probably received a “few” more – but three that are pertinent to this column. One was from Alfredo Gomez that his daughter Miranda asked out of the game, because she was tired from a late night.  It sounded more like Fredo’s excuse to me, but he assured me that it was the Girl Scout overnight event at the Museum of Science and Industry that caused their cancellation!  Then indoor soccer legend Michael King texted me to say he was cancelling his trip from Milwaukee with his family, because something came up. This disappointed me, because I had gotten the ticket and food package for him and was looking forward to introducing him to Red Stars GM Marcia McDermott.

I was beginning to worry about the crowd,  and then I received the third message. It was Marcia’s pregame owners update where she tells Red Stars owners the starting lineup, expected subs, attendance projections and other information about the game. I was excited to see that Formiga would likely get some second half playing time and was encouraged by the projection of 4,000 to 5,000 fans.  I wasn’t surprised that highly touted rookie Casey Nogueira was listed as a sub, but later her father, Milwaukee Wave legend Victor Nogueira, told me that the non-starting status was the reason Michael King cancelled.  Michael knew Casey while he and her father starred for the Wave for many years.

Arriving at Toyota Park about 50 minutes before the game, I paid my $15 and pulled into the east lot near dozens of tailgate parties which were well under way beneath the sunny spring sky. I walked over to Local 134‘s party to find super fan Pott Rodriguez preparing beer bongs for thirsty fans. Though I certainly drank a lot of “what made Milwaukee famous” over the years, I had to admit that I had never ingested it this way.  Various fans got on their knees and chugged as Pott released the liquid.  I tried it and thought I did well not to spill any of the 12 ounce can of Miller Lite.  I was humbled later by my friend Colin Deval of  Match Pricks fame who told me that his first beer bong was an OE 40 oz.

I stopped at another tailgate party and talked to Chicago soccer gadfly Alfonso Mitchell about the incredible Patti Smith book “Just Kids” that I finished reading on the plane that day. It beautifully details the poet rocker’s relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe and the New York City art and music scene of the late 1960s and 70s. The Patti Smith Group was the first alternative music concert I ever attended.  It was in the Milwaukee Auditorium (later the first home of the Milwaukee Wave) on June 6, 1979 and opened my eyes to a new world of music that became the main focus of my life over the next few years.  The book is an engaging and fascinating love story that I highly recommend.

After selling Fonsos on the merits of “Just Kids” it was on to the will call window to pick up my credential and Michael King’s tickets. I figured the tickets were wasted, but at least I could use the $20 in Levy Concessions money.

Standing in the will call line I spoke with several old friends including former US Soccer Secretary General Hank Steinbrecher who was accompanied by his wife Ruth Anne and niece Ingrid.  Also had a chance to catch up with former Wave goalkeeper and Chicago Fire executive Yaro Dachniwsky.  What are the chances that two former Milwaukee Wave goalkeepers would be at a Chicago Red Stars game?!?  Yaro is now representing Chicago Red Stars exclusive healthcare partner Weiss Memorial Hospital in their partnership programs.  After picking up my credential I walked to the north gate past half a dozen sponsor booths and interactive areas including a popular Radio Disney sing along stage. These areas, which were inside the Toyota Park gates last season, played very well outside the stadium entertaining fans who arrived early and didn’t want to go inside right away.

After having one of my four season tickets scanned, I walked into the stadium and saw two of my favorite Red Stars fans – Laura Rissover and her young daughter Jane. At the previous Saturday’s Fire game I had given Jane my 50/50 raffle tickets which she told me didn’t win (I buy 50/50 tickets at almost all Fire and Red Stars games and in a dozen years, have yet to win). I told Jane that she was going to bring luck today, so we went in search of a 50/50 raffle seller. After 10 minutes of searching all we found were two more people — IWSL President Flo Dyson and longtime Chicago soccer supporter Sue Ruby — who were also in search of 50/50 raffle ticket sellers.  I finally found a seller, but had parted with Jane by then, so when the numbers were called in the second half, I was hardly surprised that I didn’t benefit from any of Jane’s good fortune.

Nic Buchel, Jim Kogutkiewicz and Colin Deval in the back row and Robyn Vinje and me in front at the Red Stars game last Saturday.

I had an easier time finding the new Suncast Ball Toss promo tent where I ran into a crew of friends from the Highbury Pub in Milwaukee.  For $10, I purchased six balls to try to throw into targets at halftime on the field.  I kept one and gave the other five away.  Two thrown by my fellow Highbury Pub crew went in and a young boy I gave a ball to in the front row went in as well.  I gave my last ball to the same young boy since he did well with his first attempt.  His second toss went in – and then out of the target.  The Red Stars selected winners from those that went in the target and two of my balls were chosen.  Later, I distributed the prizes of T-shirts, scarves and buttons to the good tossers.

Along with the Highbury crew, I hung out in section 134 with the Red Stars supporters group Local 134.  My friends from the Highbury include Jim Kogutkiewicz and Colin Deval, writers of the Match Pricks blog.  The Match Pricks are also very entertaining soccer commentators on ESPN 540′s “Soccer Saturday Presented by the Milwaukee Wave“.  We invested Michael King’s Levy Dollars – and a few George Washington dollars – in a round of Miller Lites and hot dogs which were user friendly priced at $1 apiece!

Soccer supporters Jason Kekeis and David Racis, aka Capt. Chaos, who shares his drumming skills with the Chicago Storm, Rockford Rampage and Chicago Fire, tried with limited success to get the Local 134 supporters to chant, clap and cheer on the Red Stars, who were equally unsuccessful on the field in the  first half.  Red Stars goalkeeper Jill Loyden saved a hard Tina DiMartino shot in the 4th minute, but the rebound fell to the feet of Saint Louis Athletica’s Lori Chalupny.  Chalupny, a USWNT stalwart took full advantage and finished the chance.

Peter Wilt and Capt. Chaos (David Racis) drumming up support with Chicago Red Stars supporters group Local 134.

The Match Pricks bought more dollar dogs and more beer and we continued to try to liven up the section, but the efforts were to little avail.  Red Stars forward Ella Masar made several dangerous runs including one where she recklessly dove for a cross narrowly missing both the ball and the right goal post.  The Red Stars couldn’t seem to create any full chances until late in the half when Cristiane drilled a blast from the top of the box off the post to Hope Solo’s right leaving the home side with a 1-0 halftime deficit.  During the first half, visitors stopped by our perch in section 134 including Red Stars GM Marcia McDermott who mentioned that Red Stars Superfan Katie Ibarra, who was sitting one section away would be conducting a special halftime interview of Red Stars Coach Emma Hayes.  The star high school goalkeeper handled her interview over the stadium sound system as flawlessly as she protects the Joliet Catholic Academy goal.

At halftime I saw two of my favorite Brazilian Red Stars supporters, Debbie Pacchioni and Camila Bodini.  Camila, who helped greatly with Cristiane’s acclimation to Chicago last season,  recently moved to Italy, so it was wonderful to see her during her two week return to Chicago.  I then went up to the Red Stars suite where I ran into USWNT Head Coach Pia Sundhage.  We discussed the first half and the previous week’s Red Stars loss at Sky Blue and agreed that the potential of the team was far greater than the early returns.

Also in the suite were two fellow Red Stars owners, Arnim Whisler and Jack Cummins, as well as an old friend, Jerome de Bontin, who calls the Chicago area home, but recently served a term as President of AS Monaco.  The man who brought Freddy Adu to the principality of Monaco and I spoke about our mutual friend, longtime Amherst soccer coach and athletic director Peter Gooding who has served the sport longer and more deeply than I could ever hope.

Whether it was Coach Emma Hayes halftime talk or her substitution of Casey Nogueira into the lineup at left mid pushing Kosa Asslani into Ella Masar’s forward spot, the Red Stars had a new energy at the start of the second half.

Milwaukee's Erin Benson saw her first professional outdoor soccer game last Saturday, got a free scarf and became a Chicago Red Stars fan.

I heard a fan shout my name from the stands and saw that it was Milwaukee Wave season ticket holder Mark Benson who was with his wife Kris and their daughter Erin.  I left the pretensions of the suite – and free beer – several minutes into the second half and visited the Bensons who were attending their first professional outdoor soccer game.  Erin was excitedly telling me about all the different positions she plays for her soccer team when Red Stars rookie Casey Nogueira settled a cross inside the penalty area, curled a gorgeous right footed shot around Solo’s outstretched left arm and inside the far post for her first professional goal to tie the game.  We both missed the goal and stared impatiently at the video board for a replay that never came.  As you can see from the video above, it was a great goal to score whether it was her first or not.  As I left, I told Erin I was giving her my Red Stars scarf, because she brought us luck.  Seeing her brilliant smile get even bigger was one of the highlights of the day.

I moved from the Bensons to the Hacks who were sitting in the last row of section 125.  Nicole saved a seat for me next to her mom, Vivian, who I hadn’t seen since her husband Al’s wake two months previously.  We both enjoyed talking about the game and the new look Red Stars.  She was taping and didn’t want to know the score of the the Fire vs. DC United match, which was being played simultaneously, so I teased her with vague versions of the Twitter updates I was receiving.

I left the Hacks late in the match to find the Highbury crew.  On the way Casey Nogueira missed a point blank shot over the goal that would have likely won the match and made her an instant Red Stars hero.  I also went past a concession stand that was out of everything…except hot dogs.  So I rejoined the crew with another round of dollar dogs just in time to see a furious Red Stars extra time scramble for a winning goal that never came.  Even with defender and team captain Kate Markgraf moving well into the box in front of Solo, the Stars didn’t align that night and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Red Stars Super Fan Katie Ibarra poses with Red Stars and England National Team midfielder Katie Chapman

We sat in the northeast stands finishing our final dollar dogs of the night and waited for the, 5,100+ fans to file out of the stadium.  We shouted at Ella Masar as she ran up the stairs for an autograph signing while ignoring our supportive cheers.  We then turned our attention to Red Stars players signing autographs along the sideline wall. I yelled out to 20 year old Swedish phenom Kosa Asllani who looked at me blankly as I took her picture.  I spoke briefly with new Red Stars equipment manager Scott Emmens who was helping coordinate the autographs.  I joked with him that he was no Billy Barmes.  He played along, but had no idea who I was.  I then noticed England international Katie Chapman signing autographs not far from where Katie Ibarra was standing, so I told the star high school goalkeeper to move near the world class midfielder, so I could take a picture of the two Katies.   I’m no Robert Mapplethorpe, but I know a good photo op when I see one (right).

From there, I snuck my Milwaukee brethren into the Toyota Park Stadium Club for some soccer VIP shoulder rubbing.  The entry into the Stadium Club is always delayed for first time visitors by the requisite stop at the Chicago Fire’s two trophy cases.  Note to New York Red Bulls, that’s two cases, not two trophies.

Post game in the club is always fun after a good match.   There are plenty of old friends to talk with including fans like Joe Pakovits and Tim Schulz, internet media members like John Schulz and Enrique Fernandez, and Toyota Park staffer and Red Stars fan David D’Andrea who appreciated the Red Stars scarf I gave his wife for their anniversary.  There is also a mix of soccer royalty (Pia Sundhage and Victor Nogueira), Red Stars staff (Marcia McDermott, Pat McNamara, Greg Zaskowski, Alyse Lahue, Carrie Sear and David Quinn), Red Stars players (Marian Dalmy who addressed the crowd and Karen Carney) and Red Stars coaches Emma Hayes, Denise Reddy and Nathan Kipp.  Arsenal supporter Colin Deval was in Gunner heaven seeing former Gunner Katie Chapman, talking to former Gunner Karen Carney and being recognized and hugged by former Gunner coach Emma Hayes.  My postgame highlight was holding Lucas, the two week old baby of Red Stars Director of Sales Greg Zaskowski.

The Highbury crew’s Nic Buchel, also an Arsenal supporter, received an added bonus by getting to meet his childhood hero Victor Nogueira - though he was surprised by the nonplussed attitude of the world class goalkeeper.  Victor and I discussed the Red Stars coach’s decision not to start his daughter in only her second professional game.  Even though he’s a soccer professional, he’s also a soccer dad.  He supported his daughter’s case by stating that Casey should have started, because she is on the national team.  I asked him how many national team players he thought were on the Red Stars.  After he replied “three or four”, Victor seemed a bit surprised and a little more understanding, when I told him that the Red Stars have 12 to 14 national team players on their roster.  I told him that WPS is the EPL of women’s soccer and in any case, his daughter will likely be starting soon enough.

Even though the Red Stars failed to take a full three points for the second time in as many matches this season, there was a feeling that the Red Stars got the better of the play in both matches.  As we walked out of the stadium, this knowledge fortified the enthusiasm we brought into Opening Day and kept the Opening Day optimism train chugging beyond the first home game.

10. RFK Stadium, DC United: This multi-purpose stadia has survived the Washington Senators, Redskins and Nationals and has been converted into a pretty nice soccer stadium.  The old movable left field baseball grandstand was relocated to the touchline to create very good sightlines for sideline ticket holders.  The metal treads and risers also provide plenty of bounce for the Screaming Eagles and Barra Brava that give it a unique and sometimes frightening experience for first time fans.

While the stadium has too many seats for most DC United matches and lacks many modern amenities, it possesses more history and tradition than most MLS stadia and the field is usually in very good shape for soccer.  The ring of honor of famous Washington athletes that surrounds RFK’s upper deck facade provided me with the inspiration to create Chicago’s Ring of Fire.

RFK Stadium

9. Columbus Crew Stadium:  CCS is the grand daddy of soccercentric stadia.  Built privately by Hunt Sports Group on the cheap for less than $27 million in 1999, its bells and whistles pale in comparison to the newer stadia.  In fact, I recall being in the visitor’s locker room prior to a game at CCS when Toyota Park was in its design phase and Fire players were pleading with me to make sure we would have bigger locker rooms with more shower heads and toilets than CCS’ meager locker rooms offered.

But CCS is more than simply “The First” of a generation of soccer stadia.  Renovated suites, a retrofitted stage and hospitality area, a newly energized supporters’ section and very good sightlines all are important reasons CCS is still among MLS’ best.

Crew Stadium

8. Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Colorado Rapids: This ranking is based on second hand information as I’ve never been to Dick’s.  Most people I speak to about Dick’s and televised and photographic views indicate a stadium similar to BMO Field with a nice roof, grass field and poor location.  I believe the unique roof line is supposed to evoke images of the nearby Rocky Mountains.  Instead it reminds me of the canopy roof of the nearby Denver International Airport.

That does remind me, though, that I heard stories Major League Baseball prevented Coors Field from having one of the coolest stadium design elements ever.  As I understand, the Colorado Rockies wanted their outfield fenceline to mirror the peaks and valleys of the Colorado Rocky Mountains only to have MLB insist on a straight line wall.  And I thought the NFL was the No Fun League.

Dick's Sporting Goods Park

7. BMO Field, Toronto FC: I attended BMO’s Official Grand Opening Game (though there was a previous game) when Toronto FC hosted the Chicago Fire on seat cushion giveaway (and apparently throw on the field) day.  I bought a Montreal Canadiens jersey for the game, because I figured it would upset a few Toronto fans….it did.  BMO’s lakefront location on the former site of the Hockey Hall of Fame is closer to an urban center than any of MLS’ other soccercentric stadia, which, along with its switch to natural grass, is a tremendous advantage and bumps it just ahead of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

BMO Field, Grand Opening Day

6. Pizza Hut Park, FC Dallas: After they heard about Toyota Park’s inclusion of a permanent stage, the Hunt Sports Group redesigned PHP.  Their stage, however, has no seats in front of it nor suites alongside it, leaving the look of a giant, vacant concrete block on one end.  The ex-urban location is a deterrent to the MetroPlex’s many Hispanic fans, the lack of a roof makes for some very warm days and the distance of the locker rooms from the field is a bit of an irritant to the players, but the field view stadium club, the quality playing surface, the stadium merchandise shop and the surrounding soccer complex are all important pluses.

Pizza Hut Park

5. Qwest Field, Seattle Sounders FC: If they averaged 15,000 fans a game, I suppose I wouldn’t be ranking Qwest this high, but the fact is Sounders FC has made an NFL stadium intimate by virtue of the size of its crowds and the design of the stadium.  Like new Soldier Field, Qwest Field feels vertical.  The roof, steep grading of seats, first class amenities and 30,000 fans, many of whom are passionate, work well together to create the best big stadium feel MLS has ever had on a consistent basis.  Opening up the Hawks Nest next season will only add to the vertical and intimate feel of Qwest for Sounders FC matches.

Qwest Field. Photo: The West End on Flickr

4.  Home Depot Center, Los Angeles Galaxy: Rossetti Architects have had the most influence in soccer stadium design in the United States.  Their creations include each of the top five MLS Stadia in my list including their first venture, the self-proclaimed Cathedral of Soccer in the Americas, the HDC.  I have been there for many great soccer games including the Fire’s frustrating 2003 MLS Cup loss and the inaugural WPS Championship Game, but the most memorable event I ever attended at the HDC was the funeral of Los Angeles Galaxy President and General Manager Doug Hamilton.  I served as a pall bearer carrying Doug’s casket on and off the field through the player tunnel while a bagpiper played Danny Boy and Amazing Grace.  It was the most moving experience I’ve ever had in a soccer stadium.

For many, the HDC is the best MLS stadium and legitimate arguments can be made for that – until next April.  Its stadium club, suites and other hospitality areas are extremely nice.  It’s office space, beautiful landscape and connected facilities (indoor velodrome, tennis stadium, track and field stadium and a dozen soccer fields) are all very nice, but the stadium itself falls short of the top three IMH(and biased)O.  My two biggest complaints about the HDC are the poor quality of the playing surface due to over usage and the distance from the seating bowl to the touchline.

Home Depot Center. Photo: Wha'ppen on Flickr.

3. Toyota Park, Chicago Fire: When designing Toyota Park, we worked with Rossetti Architects using the HDC as a baseline.  After we selected Bridgeview as the winning community of our stadium bidding process, Phil Anschutz almost apologetically confided to me, “You know Peter, we’re not going to be able to build you as nice a stadium as we did in Los Angeles.”  The budget restrictions Mr. Anschutz was referring to created limitations that resulted in only one training field, less storage and office space than at the HDC and a stadium club that doesn’t overlook the field.  But using hindsight from HDC, we added several improvements including a center entrance player tunnel, ground level front row, seating much closer to the touchline, steeper rake of seats and a permanent stage that protects the field and provides a nice field view hospitality area.

And perhaps the most important feature is one that is underground: a $1.7 million dollar soccer field with a year round field heating system that keeps the playing surface among the League’s best in spite of the challenging Chicago climate.  At the groundbreaking, when the stadium design was completed, AEG President Tim Leiweke confided to me, “I don’t know how you did it, but this is going to be nicer than Home Depot.”

Toyota Park. Photo: section8chicago on Flickr

2. Rio Tinto Stadium, Real Salt Lake: Rio Tinto is a nicer version of Toyota Park.  Just as the Chicago Fire took learnings from HDC, Real Salt Lake, working again with Rossetti, used the Toyota Park blue print and evolved it using lessons from the Fire’s home.  The stadium club overlooks the field, the general and premium seat amenities are all a bit nicer than Toyota Park and the view of the Wasatch Mountains is gorgeous.  The south end stands are portable allowing for seats for sporting events and a permanent stage for concerts. And I love their use of text messaging for in seat food service, which is available for all fans.

Rio Tinto Stadium

1B. Union Field at Chester, Philadelphia Union: The two new MLS stadia for 2010 will in all likelihood be improvements on anything we’ve seen to date in MLS.  Based on descriptions, artists renderings, photos and costs, I’m giving a strong edge to Red Bull Arena for the new best soccer stadium in the history of MLS.  Like its 2010 stadium twin Red Bull Arena, Union Field is being built on a cleaned up brown field near a river in an industrial suburb near a major urban area.  Union Field’s design has morphed since it was first announced in order to become more budget friendly as the economic collapse changed the business paradigm that it was based upon, but it will likely be nicer than anything built previously in MLS.

Union Field rendering

Red Bull Arena rendering

1A. Red Bull Arena, New York Red Bulls: They’ve been talking about a new stadium for New York’s MLS team since Charlie Stillitano was there.  Several chief executives later, the dream and the “60-90 day” promises are finally coming to reality next spring.  Despite all the criticism Nick Sakiewicz has received from fans over the years, he will be able to rightfully take great pride in his role in developing the two best stadia in MLS history, both opening next spring – that is quite remarkable.  And Red Bull Arena is going to be a thing of beauty.  With its state of the art features and dedication to be a soccercentric stadium it may be a long time before anyone bumps RB Arena off my top spot.

So there you go, my top 10 (or 11 really).

Let me know how you rank your Top 10 (or 11) and why you chose yours differently than mine.  Have a great week.  Go Fire…er…uh….never mind.

As that crowd at New England indicates, MLS teams have traditionally had trouble selling playoff games: the sales model has long depended on group sales that require a lot of advance planning, and the short turnaround for playoffs makes this difficult.

On Saturday night in Chicago, the Fire turned this on its head by selling out Toyota Park with a crowd of 21,528, and the supporters’ sections were as vibrant as I can ever remember them. The team responded, with a 2-0 win sending the Fire to the Eastern Conference final, hosting Real Salt Lake next week at home.

As the Vice-Chair of Section 8 Chicago, the Chicago Fire’s Independent Supporters’ Association, I had the opportunity to observe it all close-up. Please forgive a little self-indulgence as I take you on a trip through the game.

Preparing for the Game

In the tunnel at Toyota Park, players pass the sign below on their way on to the pitch. Underneath the sign is a small chunk of old Soldier Field, where the Chicago Fire began play in 1998, winning the league and cup double in that inaugural season and putting the club on the road to what has become its hallmark: tradition, honor, passion.

That chunk is from Section 8, where different Fire supporters’ groups soon joined together to support the team. The name has stuck, though supporters now gather in sections 117 and 118 of Toyota Park, the Fire’s home since 2006.

I took the photo below as supporters gathered inside the stadium last Tuesday night to prepare a tifo display, the club being generous enough to offer their facilities for our preparation. The Fire let us use the visitor’s locker room to tape together red and white table rolls for a tifo display planned to cover four sections of the stadium. S8C funded the design by supporters’ group URS, at a cost of $500.

As well as assisting us all week — relations are definitely improving — the Fire’s marketing effort this week was outstanding. Promotional events across the city and many, many media calls got a real buzz going around Chicago for the game. I stopped by one event outside the ABC studio in downtown Chicago, as fans gathered for a clip on the nightly news. It takes serious effort to sell-out a playoff game in MLS, especially when you have a small season ticketholder base, and the Fire’s staff put that effort in all week.

The Fire even donated 200 of the scarves below they ordered for promotional purposes and gave them to Section 8 Chicago so we could offer them with a special ticket sale on our website. We ended up capping our own ticket sales of over 1,000 on Saturday morning, meaning we completely packed out the Harlem End.

Fire fans outside the ABC studio downtown.

Gameday: The Tailgate

Tailgating is a Chicago tradition. Yesterday was the perfect autumnal weather for gathering outside before the game, and a large, boisterous crowd got there early. The Section 8 Chicago tailgate, open to everyone, has become a gathering point for hundreds each game, with food cooked by overworked volunteers and a keg of Half Acre’s excellent Over Ale for the beer. Once our beer buses from the city arrive, it gets awfully busy.

We sell merch at the tailgate to raise money. The anti-Revs scarf went down well yesterday.

Some last minute freehand banner painting at Toyota Park.

We also took the time to arrange a surprise for the retiring chairman of Section 8 Chicago, Ben Burton, after three years running the organisation and putting in hours that shame paid MLS staff. With the help of the Fire, we got a jersey signed by the entire team, presented to him by club chairman Andrew Hauptman. A little later, former Fire president Peter Wilt privately presented Ben with a very rare 1998 MLS jersey (Nike did not sell ’98 jerseys). After all that, it was time to get everyone together and into the stadium early to welcome the team for warm-ups.

Section 8 Chicago chairman Ben Burton with Chicago Fire chairman Andrew Hauptman. Photo credit: Marty Groark, official Section 8 Chicago photographer.

Supporters’ Player of the Year Award
After the tailgate, we headed inside the stadium, but I had one thing to do before the game began. This year, Section 8 Chicago organised the first-ever stadium wide vote for the Supporters’ Player of the Year, and we contributed $2,500 to be donated to the winning player’s charity of choice. The vote was very close after a season in which there was no obvious stand-out due to long absences for almost every key player, but the sole remaining Fire original from 1998 CJ Brown won the award for his stout defending. The Fire invited us to present CJ the award before the game, so I donned an unlikely credential and wandered onto the Toyota Park turf for the first time.

Myself, holding up my WB05 supporters' group scarf, along with three fellow Section 8 Chicago board members. And a big cheque. Photo credit: Marty Groark.

2009 Supporters' Player of the Year CJ Brown receiving his award. Photo credit: Marty Groark.

The Game

It was literally standing room only around the concourse of the stadium, as the Fire set a playoff record crowd at Toyota Park. In Section 8, it was loud from warmups to half an hour after the game.

Those table rolls we taped together at the stadium came out pretty damn good. We unfurled that at kick-off to get the crowd going. Unfortunately some idiots poked holes through it so I’m not sure it’s reusuable, but it looked pretty damn good.

We also hung up all of the banners that have been made in recent weeks, including a couple for the induction of Chris Armas into the Ring of Fire two weeks ago.

And, as tends to happen at Fire games, it turned out some supporters had brought some pyro of their own. There were problems with security again, with some ticket mix-ups and the flares causing friction: over-zealous aggression from security never helps, not that supporters are always blameless either. But overall, it was quite something to behold.

Banners for CJ Brown, Mike Banner (get it?), Chris Armas and Chris Rolfe. Photo credit: Marty Groark.

Section 8 before the game. Photo credit: Marty Groark.

A lot of table rolls taped together. Photo credit: Drew Santo.

We are red and we are white: the tifo display viewed from the east side. Photo credit: Marty Groark.

Section 8 in the tenth minute. Photo credit: Marty Groark.

Looks like it's warm in there. Photo credit: Drew Santo.

After the Fire's second goal, section 8 somehow got louder. Photo credit: Marty Groark.

Postgame

I’ll let the team speak for themselves on what they felt about the atmosphere.

“The fans were absolutely tremendous tonight. I was telling somebody earlier that they were out there already chanting when I was warming up. It gave me goosebumps just warming up because they were just fantastic. Hopefully we have that same atmosphere next weekend, we’re really excited to have that game here. It’s not going to be an easy game, Salt Lake had a great win against Columbus, it’s going be a battle but it’s just nice to have it all on our home field.” — Goalkeeper John Busch.

“I can’t remember seeing a crowd like that here. They were energetic from the start all the way through the end of the game, and all the players really fed off the energy they brought tonight.” — Midfielder John Thorrington.

“It was a special night. We had a full house. I think the guys understood what was at task, understood the moment from the get-go. We deservedly got the win. The crowd had a huge effect on us. Our guys fed off that for the whole 90 minutes and so hopefully next week we can pack the house like we did tonight.”" — Fire head coach Denis Hamlett.

“It’s great. It’s so awesome when the atmosphere [is like that]. The fans were great, they inspired the guys to fight for each other.” — Brian McBride.

CJ Brown heads to Section 8 after the game, doing his famous victory dance. Photo credit: Marty Groark.

Fire original CJ Brown after the game. Photo credit: Marty Groark.

The Chicago Fire, from the team to the front office to the supporters last night lived up to the hallmark of tradition, honor and passion. Now it’s time to stand and deliver in the rest of the playoffs, and take home the MLS Cup.

Tomorrow is the Chicago Fire’s birthday, and to mark the occasion the team and Section 8 Chicago, the Independent Supporters’ Association, are co-hosting a birthday party at Toyota Park.  Major League Soccer’s first venture into expansion (along with its dead fraternal twin Miami) turns 12 on the 138th anniversary of the great conflagration that made the city, the Great Chicago Fire.

As some of you have heard, the powers that be at Philip Knight’s Portland based world empire Nike had (unbeknown to me.  . .and the Fire’s owner, AEG’s Phil Anschutz) already named the team the Chicago Rhythm when I was hired as the team’s first employee in June of 1997.  Nike had named and designed logos for its other sponsored MLS teams: San Jose Clash, Tampa Bay Mutiny, Dallas Burn, New York/New Jersey MetroStars and the lone surviving name, Los Angeles Galaxy.

We were quite surprised when we began our name search to find that the good folks at Swoop Central had not only named us, but had also created our logo and colors.  One of my biggest regrets from my Fire years is that I misplaced the only tangible proof I’ve seen of their vision — a 2″ embroidered patch with the words “Chicago” and “Rhythm” circling a neon yellow coiled, tongue spitting cobra on an optic blue field.

To the joy and relief of many, we avoided a lifetime of misspelled team references, bad Catholic birth control method jokes and just plain poor branding when at my urging Phil Anschutz intervened at the highest levels to Nike and told his counterpart Phil Knight that it was his team and he was going to name it whatever he wanted, but it sure as sheep sh*t wasn’t going to be “Rhythm”.  OK, he probably didn’t say “sheep sh*t”, but he wasn’t happy.

“Chicago MLS”, as we were known prior to October 8, 1997, was headquartered in a series of suites in the Equitable Building on prestigious Michigan Avenue, downtown Chicago.  We started with a single suite for the original three employees — Allison Holmstrom (now Gregory), who was my executive assistant and absolutely the most valuable employee during the team’s first year, Denis Hamlett (then scout and community relations representative, now Head Coach) and me.   Every time we added three more staff, we added a suite until we reached critical mass soon after the team name announcement and relocated to the much loved loft space in River North.  The exposed brick and timber offices provided a great working atmosphere and were conveniently located between the Chicago’s greatest Italian joint, Club Lago, and Chicago’s best Irish pub, The Brehon.

While we hammered away with Nike on the name issue, we were prevented from holding any sort of public name contest, so instead we bought a list of names (who knew such a thing existed) and brainstormed internally.  The list included the usual Chicago suspects, many of which popped up again during the WPS’ Chicago Red Stars public name the team contest last year:  Blues, Wind, Mob. . . .and Fire.

I don’t recall there being significant internal debate, as most of us preferred Fire.  The three concerns we had were potential connections to the failed World Football League team of the same name, connection to a disaster, and conflicts with the city’s Fire Department.  We actually held an advance meeting (where we swore them to silence) with Chicago Fire Department officials to make certain they would be supportive of the team and name.

While short-staffed from July through September of 1997, we outsourced much of the PR and marketing functions to Aaron Cushman, Cardenas-Fernandez and the MLS office.  It was Cushman that came up with the idea to send out misleading invitations to the team’s launch event at Navy Pier.  The invitations, which were sent to media, potential sponsors, soccer and community leaders, featured a pen drawing of the Blues Brothers and led many people to assume we were going to be called the Chicago Blues.

My memories of the announcement day are fading, but I recall my nervousness while walking down Illinois Street from our offices to Navy Pier with our staff who I barely knew at this point.  Up until that day, I was on a VERY short leash held by the powers that be in Colorado — Phil Anschutz and his right hand man on his sports and real estate projects, Bob Sanderman.  They had a bad experience with their first general manager with the Colorado Rapids and had expressed concern with my young age (37) prior to my hiring.  Their daily phone calls and close attention to our operation was both helpful and a little nerve wracking for me through the first few months: though that was about to change beginning on October 8, 1997.

I remember (probably more from the video that I’ve seen dozens of times) making the announcement “Ladies and gentleman, CHICAGO FIRE!” followed by a large banner dropping to reveal the logo and showers of pyrotechnics framing the Fire’s now recognizable maltese cross.  Loud applause and cheering faded and we went inside Navy Pier’s historic Grand Ballroom for a celebration that lasted the rest of the day.

We didn’t make a night of it, though, as it had been a very long week already preparing for the announcement and we knew the real work began the next day when season tickets went on sale.  We had full page ads placed in the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times as well as heavy rotation on network and cable television.  We all came in early the next day hoping the phones would ring.  At 10:00 am central time on October 9th, our prayers were answered and the phones lit up like Foster Brooks on New Year’s Eve.  Everyone, including Denis, learned how to take a ticket order.

We quickly surpassed our sister team’s (the Colorado Rapids) season ticket numbers, which was our internal measuring stick, and eventually climbed to the top of MLS.  While nowhere near the Seattle or Toronto numbers, back in 1998, our 6,000+ season ticket base was turning heads.  Every sale we made took more pressure off of me and gave me more confidence to lead the team. On April 4, 1998, a crowd of 36,444 watched the Fire’s inaugural home game at Soldier Field.

I’ll always remember October 8, 1997 as the birth of my favorite soccer club, but I’ll also remember it as a day that I became comfortable with my abilities to lead a major league team.

Happy Birthday Chicago Fire, and here’s to many more!

Peter Wilt writes every Wednesday for Pitch Invasion. Follow him on Twitter @RedStarsCEO.

The seven hard working former Chicago Fire executives pictured above averaged about seven years each with the organization. The institutional knowledge and relationships they took with them when they left was significant.

A key for successful chief executives is to surround themselves with talented, hard working people with good character. Any success I’ve had is attributed to hiring experts at the department head level who can do their jobs better than I can. Early in my career, I performed just about every position in an organization, which helped me understand the challenges, opportunities and necessary resources for most positions in a sports team’s front office.

Due to a shallow pool of experienced soccer executives in the U.S. in the 20th century, it used to be difficult finding qualified front office candidates with a soccer background.  To supplement talented soccer experienced executives, I would hire those with impressive sports sales background from second tier or minor league sports where creativity and proactive salesmanship were critical to success.

When the Chicago Fire was originally staffed, we hired from minor league baseball, indoor soccer, MLS, USL, soccer retail, CFA (a Latin soccer and music promotion company), the Auditorium Theater and the White Sox (no minor league jokes please!).  We also emphasized knowledge of the local market to minimize the learning curve of the market.  Almost all of the department heads were previously known to me or recommended to me by people I trust.

As soccer has grown in participation and support, the pool of talented executives with soccer backgrounds has grown.  I now prefer hiring from this pool rather than non-soccer execs as those with a connection to soccer are more likely to stay in the sport and not use it as a stepping stone back into a sport in their comfort zone.  When we assembled the Chicago Red Stars staff last year, we drew almost exclusively from a pool of soccer experienced executives while keeping true to our goal of hiring talented, hard working people with good character.  That being said, I had no soccer background, short of supporting the early ’80s Chicago Sting, when I was hired by the indoor Milwaukee Wave from the minor league hockey Milwaukee Admirals in 1987 and I have stayed in soccer ever since.

I tend to hire people I have worked with personally or are recommended by people I know and respect. For those seeking positions in professional sports, this validates the axiom that “who you know” is important, but “what you know” and how you go about your job is also important or you won’t get the recommendation or the job.

Retaining a good staff is just as important as assembling the staff in the first place

Just like any job, there is a learning curve in sports administration and sales.  The first three years of any job generally have increasing awareness, knowledge and relationship building, whether it’s an entry level position in ticket sales or the President of the team.  The learning curve plateau’s a bit after the second year, but you never stop learning or building a network of contacts.  That experience and the relationships become more valuable and more difficult to replace over time, adding to the importance of retaining talented staff.

There are several ways to ensure retention of good staff:

• Fair compensation. Few executives in sports make as much money as they would make performing comparable roles in the “real world” due to supply and demand for jobs in sports, so you are able to underpay relative to the real world, but good employees who are responsible for revenue can justify increased pay. Teams who reward those employees will earn their loyalty and keep them on board if the other parts are done right.
• Annual reviews with career goal consultation. Plan career growth with staff members by discussing honestly their opportunities for growth both inside and outside the organization.  In my eight years with the Fire, I never fired an employee.  There were several who left the organization with mutual agreement when we agreed after open communication that they had gone as far as they could in the organization and would be best off working elsewhere.
• Promotion from within (start with promotion of qualified interns and volunteers). You already know first hand their abilities, style and adaptability to the organizational culture.  At the time I left the Fire in 2005, I had ten direct reports.  The ten averaged more than six years apiece at the eight year old team.  Five of the ten were original members of the Fire’s inaugural season staff in 1998.  Six of the department heads had received at least one promotion within the organization and four of those six actually had two promotions.  Not only does internal promotion help build a team culture in the front office, it also sends a good message to the rest of the organization that good work will be rewarded.
• Establish regular communication. Regular communication methods includes an open door policy in my office – not only to welcome staff in to talk things over, but also to prevent staff from feeling that there are secrets being discussed (I must admit that due to the close quarters in the Red Stars “world headquarters” doublewide trailer, I’m forced to close the door to the office I share with our GM during certain meetings out of courtesy to the rest of the staff, so they aren’t distracted by my meetings).  I manage by “walking around” (if you’ve gotten this far in the column, I encourage you to click on the previous link and read it).  As the Fire President and GM, when I had ten direct reports I relied greatly on email (100-200 incoming and outgoing/day) as well as phone communication (I believe in the efficiency of more calls of shorter length), weekly reports from department heads (not too detailed, include past and future week tasks and questions), weekly staff meetings (department reports and questions) and weekly department head meetings (issue discussions) to keep on top of all organizational issues.  While often difficult to maintain that level of communication, it was imperative to fostering loyalty and effective operations.
• Respect all staff. For example, at staff meetings don’t just ask department heads for reports and ideas (ask account executives, interns and the receptionist for their feedback, too).  At the Fire we encouraged Maria Gabino, our receptionist, who was one of half a dozen bi-lingual staff members and lives in the Hispanic community, to sell tickets to her friends, neighbors and businesses around her.  She was successful and eventually built her clientele to a base of selling $100,000 in sales per year.  This earned her additional commission that afforded her the ability to stay on as the “face” of the Fire for people walking through the door for the next decade.  Stability in that position may not seem important, but in addition to the ticket sales she promotes, her network of relationships and positive demeanor reflects well on the Fire to this day.
• Create a culture of transparency, trust, empowerment and sense of ownership with honest and open communication.  Let staff members know how their role fits into the bigger picture, praise them in public and when necessary, critique them in private.  Give staff responsibility for their departments and provide the necessary resources to succeed.  Allow department heads to create their own department budget and hold them accountable to it.
• 

  Current Fire Head Coach Denis Hamlett and Peter Wilt getting away from it all on Lake Michigan

  Have fun. On a daily basis we tried not to take ourselves too seriously.  Professional sports requires many hours of work in what can become a high pressure environment, so it’s important to keep things loose.  Chicago Fire staff meetings usually included staff trivia contests, stories about brushes with greatness and once even an Elvis karaoke performance to settle a wager.  Once a month the Fire staff would have a fun activity.  They included an annual sport fishing trip on Lake Michigan for half a dozen staff members, a mini-golf tournament in the empty office space across the hall from our offices in the One Mag Mile Building, a bus tour of Chicago’s gangland past, retreat to a suburban park district for a day of athletic events, outings to other Chicago sports teams, road trips to all of the Fire’s away championship games and many, many postwork happy hours.  After all home games we tried to keep the staff together to unwind and share stories of the day either at the stadium or a nearby pub.

All of the above points are examples of creating a culture that promotes mutual respect and encourages support for common goals that lead to success.  They certainly aren’t the only ways and my management style isn’t for everyone, but over the years it has worked well for me.

Next week, I’ll take a look at the unique challenge of assembling and retaining a good team on the field in MLS.

Peter Wilt writes weekly for Pitch Invasion

"It looks like Istanbul, Turkey behind the goal there." - visiting Houston Dynamo announcer, Chicago Fire vs. Houston Dynamo, Chicago, 05.06.09

The television announcers for the visiting team, the Houston Dynamo, could not hide their excitement at the unexpected diversion in the stands during a midseason MLS match:

Suddenly, all eyes were on Section 8. The television camera stares, and those inside Section 8 see their own image on the jumbotron at the other end of the stadium. The Dynamo goalkeeper, Pat Onstad, glances nervously back as the flares pop.

"Oh man. That is incredible."

One man is visible in Section 8 above the fray, the smoke wafting around him, giving him an almost spectral presence: the Capo, leading the chants, bouncing electrically on the stand just above the mayhem.

"Those are supposed to be no-nos."

Meanwhile, inside Section 8, a seven year old is enthralled, as his father explained afterwards.

My 7 year old has been bugging me to sit in section 8. I was a regular way back in the day, but with little kids, I’ve been sitting in more sedate areas and enjoying the show you put on every game.

Last night I decided to give it a shot. We stood 3-4 rows from the top so that he could see a little bit. He fucking loved it. All of it. He was desperate to learn each song and chant. His voice is nearly gone today.

Anyway, he was having a great time and then . . . . . the flares. That put him over the top. Coolest thing ever. The only down side was that he was disappointed to learn that there wouldn’t be more flares a few minutes later.

"That is a thing of beauty. Are you kidding me?"

One wonders what Piotr Nowak thought. In town for the day, the former Fire captain (now coach of the Philadelphia Union) would have remembered the burst of European ultras culture Fire supporters brought to MLS in the club’s inaugural, double-winning year, 1998. On this night, a large two pole banner bearing Nowak’s image shone in Section 8, backlit beautifully by the flares.

"You're not going to see that at an NBA game."

The flares faded into the night, security pulled supporters out, the stadium manager marched around in fury, MLS marketing and sales execs salivated, and Fire supporters had lived up to their name.

Photo and video credits: Nick Hawkins; modibo1;  novione; Saeyddthe

It was May 2007, and Toronto FC welcomed over 200 Chicago Fire fans who had made the 700+ mile journey north-east.

It was a hot day in the sun, but the atmosphere crackled as the Fire fans burst into song. The huddled ranks of Toronto fans responded, and when the Canadians scored their first goal of any kind, the stadium exploded. Seat cushions handed out as a pre-game freebie went flying through the air.

Toronto won the game, but apart from an awkward few minutes in the parking lot afterwards, the atmosphere between the fans seemed to promise a respectful rivalry in the making. Fans of both teams drank together after the game. All said it had been a hell of a lot of fun, home and away.

Later in the season, the Toronto fans came down to Chicago in similar numbers, and it seemed Toyota Park was just a little louder than usual that day. A buzz filled the stadium not present when Columbus brings a dozen fans or New England twenty. Any fan worldwide knows the benefit of a healthy rivalry in the stadium, and it’s not foreign to sport in America either, as a college football fan will tell you.

This budding rivalry in MLS could have doubled in intensity this season to something special. Section 8 Chicago, the Chicago Fire Independent Supporters’ Association, requested 500 tickets at BMO Field for the sole game in Toronto this season. Given Toronto are taking 2,000 to Columbus for the opener, they’d surely have matched that 500 themselves in Chicago.

But it won’t happen. In fact, Chicago will take only around 100 to Toronto, and Toronto should be restricted to the same number in Chicago. An opportunity to build atmospheric games and rivalries that MLS badly needs will be lost.

Why? Because of the short-sighted nature of one front office and a notable lack of interest in the issue of away support emanating from MLS headquarters. Section 8 Chicago have more-or-less been told they’re lucky to be getting even 100 tickets this season for Toronto, even though the request has been standing for some time.

And despite being pressed tirelessly by the Chairman of S8C, Ben Burton, MLS headquarters seems to see the issue as far less pressing than arranging David Beckham’s next shoe-shine (MLS headquarters did not respond to a request from me on the issue made several weeks ago).

The paradox is MLS will use supporters’ groupings such as Section 8 and Toronto FC’s Red Patch Boys and U-Sector to market the league. They’ll post photos on their websites of the dynamic support, they’ll speak of the passion shown by the hundreds of TFC or Chicago fans heading to Columbus, they’ll pose for photos with the Sons of Ben when they announce Philadelphia’s expansion. They’ll say it’s what marks soccer out from other professional sports here.

And then they’ll do little to promote this by supporting those who wish to travel in numbers, in terms of organisation and security, surely a growing issue.

Ben Burton, S8C Chairman, told Pitch Invasion of his frustration and concerns it could eventually lead to safety problems if away support is not properly organised as the league grows:

I’ve been in discussion with the front offices of different teams and the league about this issue for over a year because my organization has been concerned with the lack of direction coming out of the league offices for quite some time. While there has been some movement on the part of MLS over the past year, we’re really concerned that it will take a serious security issue before MLS really decides to speed up their glacial pace.

With the league growing into more cities and smaller stadiums, the percentage of away support is going to grow. By stifling it, we’ll run into much bigger problems later. MLS is adding Philadelphia, a city close to three or four other MLS cities. How is that going to work if away support is limited to 100, even 200 people? It’s silly. Supporters and fans will find their way into stadiums through other means and end up sitting in places that cause problems, problems I’m working to avoid.

That said, I haven’t even be able to get the interest of supporters’ groups around the league to unite for the cause.

The league needs to listen to supporters and institute some kind of policy about away support. Equally, other supporters’ groups also need to pressure their own front offices and MLS for reciprocal away support accommodation. It’s an issue that cries out for collective supporter action.

What should be done?

Leaving it up to individual teams to decide entirely on their allocations makes little sense. Of course Columbus will offer up their whole south end to whoever wants to take it, but those teams closer to filling their stadiums regularly are much more likely to restrict away support as far as they can get away with, as we’re seeing with Toronto.

In other countries, such as England, a certain proportion of the stadium is guaranteed for away support in all competitions: in the Premier League and Football League, it’s 3,000 or 10% of the stadium, whichever is lower. It’s true that there would be little point reserving large numbers of seats for Kansas City fans in Los Angeles, for example — the distances and culture are different from Europe — but a sensible solution to deal with organised groups should be properly explored.

As it stands, if established supporters’ groups with a track record of away support are not given 1% of the stadium even when they’ve requested five times that and taken over twice that the previous season, something is awry.

The broader concern is that this speaks to MLS continual ambiguous relationship to the culture of supporters’ groups. Broadcasters turn the mics and cameras on them, yet their very presence is being restricted where it could do most for the atmosphere at MLS games.

Update: 48 hours on from this post’s publication, there has been massive interest on the general issue of figuring out a way forward on the away support issue, and I’d particularly like to thank those Toronto fans who have expressed their dismay at their front office’s decision. Building on this kind of collaboration in the coming weeks will be critical, and behind the scenes, supporters’ groups are working on figuring out a proposal for MLS. We will have a post with more details on this soon.

The one difficult issue that has caused conflict so far regards the possibility — and I should stress that as far as I know, nothing has been decided — that Chicago might limit Toronto’s allocation as far as Toronto limits Chicago. But I would say again the situation is fluid and let’s work on finding a solution that would mean it wouldn’t even need to be considered and indeed (with a league-wide mandate) would make it impossible in the future. It should certainly be an absolute last resort.

Thanks to everyone who has offered comments and thoughts on how to proceed, please check back in the next day or two for a further and more detailed discussion on the way forward.

Photo credit: Goldstone97 on Flickr, via the Pitch Invasion photo pool.

Yet this Sunday, the league actually has a finale that might wean perhaps 0.5% of American sports fans away from the National Football League for a couple of hours: an unlikely victory streak by the Los Angeles Galaxy, despite the absence of a certan injured Englishman, sees them in with a shot at squeezing into the final playoff spot. And of course, the team they’re facing — my Chicago Fire — are themselves the team currently atop of that battle for the remaining open playoff spots. I would love to outline all the various permutations to you, but given the deciding factors involve head-to-head records, the size of David Beckham’s marketing contract, and several NASL-style shootouts (those last two things are jokes, kids), it’s all a mystery to me. Plus, the Washington Post already did it.

So this Sunday, I will head, as always, to Toyota Park to watch the Fire take on the Galaxy at 2pm. Our own designated player, the magical Mexican Temo Blanco, has notably surpassed expectations so far, though I would say the toll of an extremely long season and growing defensive attention has slowed him up a touch lately. But the Fire still have the talented Chris Rolfe, whose blog is giving Bobby Boswell’s a good run for its money, as well as the zombie impersonating Paolo Wanchope up front. The Beckham (Our David may return for the finale) versus Blanco hype is already brewing. Suddenly, new MLS fans are crawling out of the woodwork all over the place.

Excitement. MLS. Hype. Sell-out. High stakes. Words not always seen on the same line. Alright, some are not so excited at the prospect of a Colorado or LA sneaking into the overly generous post-season bonanza. We’ll admit it’s a bit of a joke that the playoffs feature teams below average by default. Still, we as supporters can only enjoy the system as it is as best we can. And we’ll be sure to report back on this historic day: presuming the Fire win, that is. After all, there’s bound to be one very disappointed Englishman at Toyota Park by 4pm Sunday, one way or another.