Props to the Fans in Columbus [R]

Discussion in 'USA Men: Fans & Travel' started by Gmore, Sep 3, 2005.

  1. BBBulldog

    BBBulldog Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 25, 2004
    Dinamo Zagreb
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    that's custome everywhere else in the world, to pack as much intimidation before the match as possible

    I'd feel sorry for bottle if it hit his head. :)
     
  2. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    i actually thought that there WAS a big difference between this game and both the hartford and salt lake city games in terms of how the rest of the stadium joined in to the singing and chants. the clapping chant ending in U--S--A--, and the USA song, were the two best, and sitting at midfield on the west side, i thought there were a number of people (myself included) who were joining in SA and that the numbers increased as the game went on and others around us picked up on more and more of them.

    it undoubtedly helped that there was 3 sections of Sam's Army and that the stadium was smaller than Hartford and SLC, two factors that combined to make SA louder and more audible and thus easier to join in. and obviously there was just a lot more energy for this game. i'd put the percentages in the 70-30 range, and i think that the Mexico fans actually worked to a certain degree to get the US fans going. in terms of chants, i particularly enjoyed the "ole" chant that we stole from the Mexico fans toward the end of the game with each pass we made. it was nice to see that one turned on them, as they desperately chased the ball down two goals.

    re the other sections, props to 126 which was right at midfield on the west side. most of this section stood the entire game, as did much of 128. there were 4-5 people in 127, about 8-10 rows up, who were standing even though no one else was. the usher came and told them to sit down. they pointed at 126 and 128, and said they were standing. when the usher left, i was worried he was coming back with security to haul them off, but they ended up being allowed to stand.

    as for all the SA chants, the USA song remains my absolute favorite. USA, USA, USA--------. it's simple and a nice catchy tune, and it will be frickin' awesome when it's being sung by almost everyone in a large stadium (everyone remember the koreans singing at their games in 2002 - that has to be the goal). we've got a ways to go, but this was beyond anything that i've ever seen. i thought it was a solid job by US fans throughout the entire stadium, and i've still got chills just thinking about it.
     
  3. Craig P

    Craig P BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 26, 1999
    Eastern MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    At least part of the upper south end was sold in the public sale (and largely to Mexican fans :rolleyes: ).

    If I had to, I'd guess Mexico's allocation was in the upper deck on the side, there was a large block of green there that seemed out of place there.
     
  4. Barbieri

    Barbieri Member+

    Jul 8, 2004
    Decatur, GA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My first USMNT game, first time with SA and have to say, everyone must go... best sporting experience ever.

    We wandered over to the far right gate because of the mob in the middle... and we just stood on line for a hour, then relized how lucky we were when we saw the line behind us.

    The Mexico (Asst?) Keeper Coach running into the stands to get the ball was surreal. Ddin't he have another one? Why go into SA like that?

    I enjoyed the "Same Old Mexico / Always Cheaters" chant alot.

    After the second goal, I thought to myself, "I'm going to have a heart attack!" And was completely happy with the idea of it.

    And about C-Bus, probably the cleanest city I have ever seen. :) Very nice town, weather was awesome, no humidity.
     
  5. Craig P

    Craig P BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 26, 1999
    Eastern MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Probably upwards of 90%, anyway. I was in a group of ~8, there were a couple of U.S. fans directly in front of us, another batch of ~5 a couple rows farther ahead.
     
  6. Palermo10

    Palermo10 Member

    Apr 7, 2005
    San Diego
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Yes I pointed that out to my friends while we were watching it on TV... about 4 minutes in I was saying wait a minute... wow, what an atmosphere!

    I don't even remember the noise level on the goals, I wish I had taped it, because my reactions to the goals.. well... :D
     
  7. eljewe

    eljewe New Member

    Jun 1, 2005
    wisrapidswis
    Got home, still with shivers from the best game ever to be at. I thought I lost my voice after the first goal, but when dmb scored I managed to find it again. When we first got in to the stadium, it looked 60-40. However, by the time we were all standing up watching the game it looked 75-25. They had no respect for the moment of silence which pissed me off, but I'm not sure they knew what was going on. After halftime, the section next to us 106???, tried to stay sitting down. Kudos to the 5 or 6 US fans in the front that refused to sit. The crowd was the most electric I have ever been a part of, and I have been to a lot of great american football games. No comparison!!!
     
  8. salange

    salange Member

    Sep 15, 2000
    Atlanta
    I started writing up my experiences this weekend and it ran long. Forgive me in advance. Here goes:

    Friday- I left Atlanta at 9. We drove eight hours plus an hour for lunch in Lexington, and arrived at the German Village Inn around 6. We drove in to their parking lot and the first thing we see is one of the Big Ass Flags hanging from the second story of the hotel. Sweet. I caught a Columbus Clippers (minor league baseball) game, then came back to the GVI to pick up the friend I drove up with and MikeyMike from this board.

    We proceeded to O'Shaugnessey's, the bar that threw US Supporter's parties both Friday and Saturday and apparently donated the food and staff for the free tailgate grilling at the stadium. (I don't know the whole story there, but it was quality tailgate food and someone deserves some credit.) The place was pretty much packed, with loud US chants pretty much continuously for the four hours I was there. It was great fun drinking with so many US Supporters including a bunch of regular posters from Big Soccer. We also met a small group of brave folks wearing Mexico jerseys. They were friendly and sometime between last call and when the staff ushered us out the door, the Mexican named Felix agreed that they would buy the first round for me and Mike if the US won, while we would owe he and his friend Julio the first round if Mexico won.

    Saturday Pregame- We woke up around 10, somewhat hung over, but made it out to Fado's in Easton for some European WCQ action. The bar wasn't really ideally suited for watching sports, but the good and atmosphere were good and we never saw a sign of the threatened $20 cover. From there we went back to the GVI (I had forgotten the tickets) and then onto the tailgate. I thought the "dueling chanters" others have mentioned was one of the outstanding experiences of the weekend. The two groups were equal in size, good natured, and as one side's chant would lose a little steam the other side would jump in with a new chant and drown them out, only to have the first group bounce back with a new one, and so on for 5-10 minutes per "round." Very cool.

    In the Stadium- Security told me the gates would open at 5:45, so at about 5:30 I moved towards the entrance hoping to be one of the first in the door. Unfortunately, a couple thousand Mexicans and maybe a hundred Americans had the same idea before me. The crowd packed in tight, passing the time with some chanting, but it was 6:00 before the gates opened and we could all head inside. I scanned my ticket and then raced around the concourse to get to the other end of the stadium and try to secure a spot at the front of the supporter's section. I was one of the first people there so I settled into the first row just to the right of the center of the goal.

    You've all heard and seen most of what went on during the game, so I'll just try to hit a few highlights. First, a few disappointments. First, when I arrived, the BAF was on the ground instead of on the first row of the benches as it has been at other games I've been to. Ideally, it would seem we should not put the flag on the ground. I'm not a radical flag-code guy- I think the things we do are obviously meant in a sincere, patriotic way so I don't mind some liberties being taken- but I don't see a reason to leave the flag on the ground when it isn't necessary. Furthermore, when people packed in around gametime, it was almost inevitable that the flag would end up being walked on which is a real shame. That in turn made it difficult to raise and lower at appropriate times.

    Second, someone really muffed the anthems. I am not exaggerating when I say I heard the Star Spangled Banner louder and clearer when I was in the Azteca earlier this year. A local marching band 110 yards away from the supporters and apparently unmiked is just not sufficient.

    Third, some weenie actually showed up at gametime and tried to come kick me out of my spot. A bunch of people told him "its general admission!" He started cursing and blathering about how "I've been doing this for a long time" and "I'm a Crew ticket holder." I decided he was just going to be antagonistic and it was better to ignore him. He continued to argue with other people for a few minutes and eventually left. Good riddance.

    Fourth... ok, there is no fourth. It was a glorious night to be wearing red in the north end of Columbus Crew Stadium and the three minor complaints above didn't come close to changing that. After the first goal the baseball cap on my head got knocked off. While deliriously jumping for joy, I watched like three people to my left try to catch it before it fumbled off their fingertips and onto the field. Then the flag went up and I was busy celebrating. Fortunately it was still there on the ground when things calmed down a bit and I could look for it. A helpful staffer got it for me and handed it back. Next thing you know, Landon is in alone on goal, earns a corner, Demarcus buries it and the massive group hug slash mosh pit is on again. This time I clapped a hand on my head as I bounced up and down, just to be safe.

    I really appreciated the love from the players after the game. Keller and Hejduk stood out to me, but all or nearly all of the guys on the team came over and jumped up and down waving flags and pointing and gesturing their appreciation to us. Someone (I think Friedel but my memory is fuzzy) fired his shin guards into the crowd. Keller got one of the Recurden Corea scarves from a fan and put it on. It was awesome.

    Postgame- Finally, we capped things off at O'Shaugnessy's. It was about the same as the previous night, only slightly more packed to the gills (maybe 400 people to Friday's 300?) I got to shake Marcelo Balboa's hand, and one of the other threads has a picture of him getting ready to drink a car bomb with some supporters. Excellent.

    It looked grim for getting our free drinks, but Felix and Julio eventually showed up and true to their word bought a round for us. We returned the favor and said goodbye with promises to meet in Germany and root for an all-Concacaf final. Truly a couple of classy Mexican fans. We wrapped the night up with my first ever visit to White Castle (I found it sucked as bad as Krystal, which is pretty much what everyone had told me but I had to find out for myself) where we ran into the erstwhile jmeissen0 who told me that Justin Mapp is a better player than Landon Donovan. He later ammended it to "Mapp will be better than Donovan in six months." I wish my life included more drunken 3am restaurant runs that ended with arguements about Justin Mapp.

    Summary- So that was pretty much it. We woke this morning, dropped MikeyMike off at the airport, and drove all the way home to Atlanta. Its hard to compare this to the experience I had in Mexico City, but shy of that game this was certainly the best soccer experience I've ever had. I got to see one of the great results in US soccer history in a stadium packed with a vocal, energetic crowd made up of perhaps 80% Americans. I spent most of the rest of the weekend in bars packed with rowdy American supporters wearing their colors, flags, and scarves.

    Oh, and Rishi slapped the living ******** out of me. It was a hell of a weekend.
     
  9. eljewe

    eljewe New Member

    Jun 1, 2005
    wisrapidswis
    Oh yeah, forgot to add! We were on the same flight out of columbus with keller and burhalter. They were both very nice and burhalter was sitting right next to us, and talked with us for a while during the flight. They were both very appreciative of the fans at the game.
     
  10. Palermo10

    Palermo10 Member

    Apr 7, 2005
    San Diego
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Why does that seem odd to me?
     
  11. salange

    salange Member

    Sep 15, 2000
    Atlanta
    Lol, somehow I typed Friedel when I meant McBride. It should be easy to keep them separate- McBride is the one who went from the Midwest to England but didn't go native!
     
  12. BenC1357

    BenC1357 Member

    Feb 23, 2001
    KC
    Had a great time. Nice to meet a few more people from around the country and BigSoccer. Irish Car Bombs for everyone! What a weekend. Take care everyone.
     
  13. Spoon

    Spoon Member

    Feb 25, 1999
    Overland Park Ks
    Club:
    Kansas City Wizards
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    All right I need to knowsomething. Who the hell was the guy painted blue and in banana suit? Funniest thing I have ever seen.
     
  14. Mockba

    Mockba Member

    Minnesota United
    United States
    Jul 1, 2005
    San Diego
    Club:
    NSC Minnesota Stars
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Amen! I know that I was pulling my car into the area and saw the Mexico group parading across. I actually swooped in front of them (well, not that close) in order to get through to where the rest of the Minnesota First Volunteers were setting up camp. I hopped out of my car, grabbed my camera, and ended up right in between the two groups. It was colossal mayhem, and a great welcome to my first USMNT match!

    Thanks to everyone who helped put things together, especially those who scored our banner a prime location. ;) The atmosphere was so much better than I'd imagined, and I'd imagined quite a bit!

    Was also great to meet people from the boards, especially the crazy KC Brigade. (And even Ben, who let me down! Never let Ben order your drink, people! :D )
     
  15. TheImposter

    TheImposter Member

    Jun 15, 2002
    Centerville, OH
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That would be us! :D I have to tell you, one of the coolest things about the experience for me was that we were in our own regular, personal piece of real estate. I've sat in those seats when there were 5K people in the place, when we won the US Open Cup, when we porked two penalties in the playoffs last year. I wish every game could be like Saturday night.
     
  16. monster

    monster Member

    Oct 19, 1999
    Hanover, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I was one of the people someone yelled at for stepping on the flag. I didn't know it was there so they should have been a little less animated. I don't expect flags to be lying on the ground.

    Someone did this to us too, yapping about his torn ACL and ********. After Beasley's goal, he seemed more determined at keeping people out of his space than celebrating. FU dude, I'm jumping up front to show DMB some love.

    Amen, brother. Amen.
     
  17. Bill Archer

    Bill Archer BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 19, 2002
    Washington, NC
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We were in the front row of our section and there was an American flag hung on the railing in front of us (not ours - we brought a couple but there was no place left to put them). Some girl wearing an older USA jersey showed up just before the kickoff abd starts hanging an "Energie Cottbus" flag covering up the US flag!

    I leaned over and told her that there was no way in the known universe I was going to let her hang that there. She looked very put out, and said...






    Wait for it..........










    "Well where am I supposed to put it?"

    My wife, who knows me all too well, grabbed my sleeve and said "Don't you dare"

    Chick wandered off someplace.
     
  18. GoDC

    GoDC Member

    Nov 23, 1999
    Hamilton, VA
    Not much to add. Great job Columbus. My kids had a blast in the North End. 8 year old is not a huge fan of going to the games but he got going in the second half. Was jumping up and down on the benches after the golas and spent the last 15 minutes with his shirt off waving it over his head. :D
     
  19. goaliemanpat

    goaliemanpat Member

    May 14, 2005
    Holly, MI
    This weekend was my first time at an MNT game and I must say no other sporting event Ive been to can even come half as close to the amount of fun I had. I came down by myself but everyone was really nice and eager to talk with others they didnt know. Most the Mexican fans I came across were really nice. When I parked my car and was getting out a ball barely missed my head and hit my car. A couple of mexican children who my guess were around 8-9 were kicking a ball around and one kick got away. There father scolded them and then came over and repeatedly apologized and even offered me a beer. Seems like everyone just wanted to come in and have fun supporting there side. I was yelled at more by American fans than mexicans but that was because they were locals and I was wearing my Univ of Michigan hat ;)
    I was sitting in row 16 of the section right behind the goal in SA. Im usually not very vocal at sporting events but once SA filled up and started chanting I started to join in and learn the chants. By kickoff I knew them all and was loudly singing. I want to give props to the guy (not sure who he was) who was two rows ahead of me. He had a white Onyewu jersey on I beleive and he did a great job of getting and keeping the chants going.
    The only problems I had with the game were like as others stated the national anthem was really not thought out right and I really didnt like the disrespect that was shown during the moment of silence.
    I had a blast at this game though and cant wait to go to another. Hope to see you all in Germany!!!

    My Photos from the game
     
  20. Golazo

    Golazo Member+

    Apr 15, 1999
    Decatur, GA USA

    This should be tattooed onto the scrotum of every Fed official down to the mailroom guy, as well as whoever runs soccer marketing at Nike.
     
  21. fidlerre

    fidlerre Moderator
    Staff Member

    Oct 10, 2000
    Central Ohio
    That was mine. :D Thankfully I have a few left here at home...
     
  22. kylesoccer

    kylesoccer New Member

    Mar 24, 2004
    boston
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    probably have had 15 caps as a fan but this was unbelievable. everyone we met from NC(Matt and john) to te atlanta boys and even the mexican fans were there to have a good time to support the team. never dreamed of front row but that's where we were, the section left of sams army in 138. no atmosphere can match what we saw on saturday from the parking lot to the game to o'shanessy's, unbelievable day. can wait to see th replay on FSC tonight at 5pm
     
  23. alliu23

    alliu23 I'm a Yank til I Die

    Jul 28, 2004
    Williamsport, PA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This was my 2nd Nat game (first was the whooping at RFK on Panama 6-0) by my first time in Sams Army... I don't know how to describe it other than absolutly amazing, so much passion was packed into that stadium it was unreal, definitely not the last time I'm planning on doing this..

    thanks everyone who helped get this together, especially the locals that organized the great tailgate and such.. GREAT WORK!
     
  24. Bigdog

    Bigdog New Member

    Oct 10, 2000
    Gone Fishin'
    That would be THE Metroflip!
     
  25. salange

    salange Member

    Sep 15, 2000
    Atlanta
    Yeah. If only Sam's Army had some organization, some sergants to stand on the front row and take care of the flag, organize cheers, etc... but that's a neverending discussion for another thread.

    Definitely the same dude. We must have been next to each other. (I was the tall guy with the blue baseball cap, standing next to the guy with the red blazer and cowboy hat.) I was just glad the weenie left my immediate area. If only Sam's Army had some organization, some sergants to enforce the general admission rule, organize cheers, etc... but that's a neverending discussion for another thread.
     

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