In March I attended my first match abroad and it was completely different to the matchday experience I’m used to in England. I was visiting my girlfriend Kristin, who lives in the United States, and we went to see the Colorado Rapids, her local MLS team. They were hosting Minnesota United at their home, Dick’s Sporting Goods Stadium.
There was an English connection as Adrian Heath is the Minnesota coach. The former midfielder played for seven different English clubs throughout his career, most notably at Everton, where he won two league titles and an FA Cup. In fact, it was Heath’s goal that scored the winning goal in the 1984 semi-final against Southampton to secure Everton’s first FA Cup final appearance in eighteen years. United is the third American team Heath has managed after taking charge of Austin Aztex and Orlando City.
There is a preconceived notion among many fans in England that Americans have no real idea about our national sport. Opinions like “They call it soccer” and “They have their own sports that interest them more” are valid. American football, baseball, ice hockey and basketball dominate the nation’s interest. There are often crowds of more than 80,000 at college football (gridiron) games, and the Superbowl and World Series draw huge television audiences.
My visit to the United States coincided with March Madness, a college basketball tournament where it seems like everyone (basketball fan or not) joins together and fills out a prediction chart to guess who will win the competition. Kristin and I visited a sports bar where, hopefully, they were showing the Arsenal vs Sporting Lisbon match. The place was huge and must have had about twenty television screens. All but one were showing different college basketball games, and only one in the corner was showing the Arsenal game!
There are some videos online of American football fans singing various chants at games that English fans find embarrassing. The chants are very supportive of their teams and do not show any anger or hatred towards the opposing team or the match officials. The chants here in England tend to be more of the latter, especially when things start to go wrong for your team.
The stadium was half full when I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods Stadium, with a small gathering of Rapids fans behind a goal leading the chants. They had a small band playing instruments to help create an atmosphere and a fan in front leading the chants.
If they wanted to make the entire stadium sing, it didn’t work. The most boisterous moment of the evening came when everyone sang The Star Spangled Banner, a tradition before every sporting event. The national anthem is only sung here before major cup finals and international matches, so it was strange to hear it before a regular league match.
Having been used to chants and shouts of abuse with colorful language (to put it mildly!) here in England, it was surreal not to hear this throughout the game. In fact, the only controversial chant during the ninety minutes was an anti-Mexican insult that Rapids fans behind the goal chanted at the Vikings goalie. Moments after the chant began, an announcement came over the tannoy requesting that the chant be stopped because it was against the club’s morals. This would never happen in England. If he did, those involved would laugh at him and probably sing it much louder in defiance.
Overall, my experience in the United States was one of a fairly flat atmosphere. This may be because the two ends behind the goal were open and the sound could have moved away. The stadiums here have all roofs and the sound is contained within them, making the atmosphere much louder.
The entire experience of the day was very familiar. There were separate areas for Rapids season ticket holders with picnic tables to sit and watch the game. These ran the length of the concourse and were located before the entrance to the seating areas. On the tables were children’s sweets, something you would normally see for sale at the cinema or theater in England.
Soft drinks were extremely expensive. I bought two cans of beer, a hot dog and a plate of nachos and it cost me almost £40. It would cost me just over £10 in most areas for a pie and a pint here in England. You can also drink alcohol sitting in your seat, something that is unheard of in the higher divisions here.
In terms of the quality of football, I would say that most National League teams could have given the Rapids or United a run for their money. My girlfriend thought it was funny when she made negative comments about the players when all the people around us were shouting words of encouragement. This negativity is something that is part of the game here in England. Many fans think that, having paid their money, they have the right to express their negative opinions. I heard nothing but words of support from fans and that certainly came as a surprise.
One last thing that has been an integral part of the matchday experience for me since my first match in 1993 is the matchday programme. My dad bought me a program outside Highbury for my first game thirty years ago and when he handed it to me he told me that he had to buy one for every game he attended. I promised him that he would do it and now, after 543 games, I have kept my word.
At the turnstile at Dick’s Sporting Goods Stadium, fans were given a team sheet on an A5 card. It didn’t cost anything, which was a welcome change to an expensive program you get for most matches in England. Both teams were listed on one side and the back was blank with a yellow background. I couldn’t figure out why this space wasn’t being used, but I soon figured it out after startup.
When a player fell to the ground, many of the fans would wave the yellow side of the team sheet and I realized it was to indicate if they thought it was a foul. This is something I haven’t seen in England and I definitely don’t think it will catch on. Normally you would hear some people shouting at the referee questioning his vision and decision making with some bad words and insults. included just in case.
Experiencing soccer (or soccer in America) games in both countries is completely different. The atmosphere here is much more boisterous and can get moody at any time. Hatred towards opposing fans, match officials and the other team is openly expressed here, but the atmosphere is much more hygienic in the United States. So if you have a young family and don’t want them to hear bad language, take them to a game in America (but avoid the snacks!). If you want them to experience real passion, take them to a match in England!
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