After everything that is happening, it was so much fun to forget - and get lost in a game. That was fun!
I will contribute to this discussion with words from my personal life and my love for this soccer team (and this BS community). Brummie, Kyle, porchlight, and Chuck, you guys might not know me. I am Chelsey. I have not been a regular on these boards for some years because Crew have not been a priority (blame it on whatever you want - grad school, law school, post-doc grad work, college curriculum building, my husband, kids, life, etc.). My weekends have been full of work and family and not much else (add into the mix that I have spent my 32 years in Northeast Ohio and giving up entire Saturdays for a soccer team is not always an easy ask). In short I tend to be a rather unselfish person which can hinder my own personal hobbies and loves. So, to provide some additional background, last year life things were lining up where I could finally see “the light.” My husband and I had those dream interviews for better positions/institutions in higher education at 9 a.m. on Monday 10.16.17 (my first interview with UA and Tim’s second with Tri-C). I went to bed that night with such hope (think kids on Christmas Eve). When I woke up the next morning, out of habit I looked at my phone to see what was going on with the outside world. A tweet to change my mood and actions (for months) awaited my glance. Garyn had sent Wahl’s tweet out, and I had a difficult time processing it. What a ********ing cyclone my life became those next few weeks; Jekyll and Hyde, ups-and-downs, both accepting the positions, Crew playoffs, here. Just what did I do when I read that text on the tweet? I logged into Bigsoccer. I had this urgent need to commiserate with the people who would be taking this hit as hard as I was. And you guys were here. Thank you. Now this post is not meant to tell you what to do or sway you into positive action. Everyone has their own feelings and decisions to make, I understand. You guys know I picked up season tickets when I have not had my “own” season ticket since before I met my husband (ten years). All I want to do is say I am sorry. I am sorry these assholes with no ********ing sense or hearts have ruined your enjoyment. These guys who have been scheming to screw us for too many years are the cause of this pain. I do not believe in otherworldly things, but I do hope that they get what is coming to them (in the most horrible, brutal way). Assholes ruin the good things for others, and I am sorry they have ruined this piece of you. For the first week after the news broke, whenever my husband asked how I was doing with the news, I would tell him that “I was fine; I had broken that umbilical cord years ago.” He knew the truth even when I could not face it. He had to sit me down and remind me of who I was and what Crew meant to me. The cord was not broken, and it has only gotten stronger with this offseason. I do not know why. I am not naïve, and I understand how businesses work. I have no idea how this mess will play out. But I will be damned if I do not get one last chance (a season of chances) to support Crew. I have travelled all over this country (and to Canada) for this team. I saw both Cup wins (US Open and MLS Cup) in person (think of the Venn Diagram for that). If this year is my last hurrah, then ******** it and ******** those assholes, I will enjoy it. I will make a season of memories with my kids, my husband, my dad, my brothers, and all the great people I have met due to my affiliation with Crew. If at the end of it we get ********ed, then that is how it was going to be. At least I will be able to enjoy those last days with my family, cheering on the team that has been with me throughout my teens, twenties, and now thirties. I am glad to still be able to come post on here (as an introverted nerd that I am) and partake in the talk. Years before kids and my husband, I used to have my MLS opening day/week routine. I would keep MLS on all day/week no matter which teams were playing. Yesterday I watched Crew. Going forward I will be watching Crew and no other MLS team. If Crew leave, then my MLS watching days will be done. What a sad but honest thought. I will have to find something else to share with my kids, which admittedly ********ing sucks, but as my husband tells me from time-to-time, “Chels, the world is not full of puppies and rainbows.” ******** Garber. ******** Precourt. ******** MLS for this bullshit. I still love puppies and rainbows.
I’m supporting Columbus, f*%@ AP, DG and MLS. If we lose this team I’ll be pissed at that time but until then I’m doing my part and got season tickets instead of attending a few games. We should sell out every game and ******** the spreadsheet and their gimmick PowerPoint excuse for leaving Columbus. We need to get a stadium and worse case get a expansion team like the Browns only hopefully we get smarter owners.
I like our GK I would take no other MLS keeper over Steffen. I really hope we keep him until a huge club in Europe makes a offer we can’t turn down. I like our backline our CB depth is iffy right now but I think we will be better with Abubakar starting. Mensah has improved but he is still overpaid but he does fit our system well. I hope he stops making crucial mistakes and actually learned from his failures. I think we could use another outside back because a injury there would also be bad. Jimenez and Maloney are acceptable back up options for now. Midfield looks promising and upgraded everywhere except replacing Meram. We have young talent that need playing time to devolp but we are not as good without Meram so I still disagree with that move but understand it comes with the whole relocation possibility. Striker Zardes fits the system better so I think worse case he puts up numbers equal to Ola. However I think Zardes is a better player and it was a great trade but we should have got more money. We really need to get another striker and want this kid from Ecuador
Thank you for articulating the feelings and emotions I have been through since October far better than I ever could!
WTH, @American Brummie ? You got me on ignore? Huh. Wonder what I did. If not, and you can see this, PM me.
Damn that was well said. I still haven't decided how to approach this season. Life for me is finally settling down enough to where I could take my son to matches on a somewhat regular basis. I am in pain knowing that the dreams of that might end at this season's end. How to deal with that is still undecided. Will it hurt more or less having that one season with plenty of memories? I guess I'll go with the saying, it is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all. I am treating this season like the season the club (not the owner) deserves. I'm going out with a bang because we've been through too much for too long. Columbus Crew has been in my life longer than not and those memories deserve this. See you at some matches Chelsey! And to so many others from here who still post and who don't, see you there too. Let's have a beer together and maybe shed a tear or two. Maybe I do know how to approach the season after all.
If we hadn't seen such a propensity to give the ball away needlessly all of last season, I would have dismissed yesterday as an opening day glitch. But I'm worried that we're going to have a long, long season full of giveaways. Toronto should have had at least two goals yesterday, and could have had more. That team won't let you off the hook consistently the way they did yesterday. Great start to the season, but that part unquestionably has to get better.
Hear, hear. "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven". I'm going to savor this season. If it is the last, so be it. We had "our season". I want more, of course. And I'll never support the league if they go through with this. But until then..... There's only one thing left to do....
This is happening to me ALL the time. I'm really sorry. I don't have you on ignore - or ANY Crew poster, for that matter.
I tried to PM you awhile back about something and BS said I couldn’t. Do you have PM’ing turned off????
No! It's the weirdest thing - I get people who PM me all the time. I checked and PMing is turned on. I have asked 2-3 of the mods and they dunno either. Only one explanation - Aimer.
Ha! Huh. I figured you turned it off b/c of some stuff b/t PO’ed and you on the politics board awhile back.
Right on. Thank you. I appreciate this place and the fans here. Oh I know what that thing is, my friend. See you Saturday! When will we see each other again at Crew Stadium? Please send me a text. You know I was reminiscing about some of the craziest and funniest stories I have had surrounding my love of Crew. One of my favorite stories is the one that got me thrown (escorted) out of Crew Stadium. Those dirty F!re fans stole your banner, and to say I was pissed off would be an understatement. I still do not know what led me to take that F!re scarf right off that female F!re fan. Boy did that get me tossed. What in the hell was I thinking? Remember how Garyn took those cigars right off of the one F!re fan? The resulting photos are treasures. Also - what a fateful day to have been sitting next to one another at the Walsh U library. Stories/photos to share with us non-travelling bums? I did as well. My pal, Timon, said you are fond of political theory and philosophy.
To some extent though it's really an MLS problem, don't you rhink? The bad midfield giveaway is the hallmark of not quite tip shelf soccer. Seems to me its rampant in this league. Everybody trying to do more than they're really capable of.
True. I bought my season tickets, but we've decided we're not buying any Crew merch until we know they're staying. If you want to stick it to Frat Tony, show up for games, bring friends, buy a little concessions (support the volunteers trying to make a buck for their orgs), but no Crew merch. That way he has to keep paying security for games, along with the rent. Don't believe any attendance numbers you hear, everybody fakes those, and Frat Tony just fakes them low instead of high. Support local sponsors (and tell them so), but not national sponsors (and tell them, too).
I'm sure there's a few percentage points of truth in that, but overall, I don't think so. You're probably right that MLS teams are more prone to it than they are in other leagues around the world, but I would still submit that Columbus is more guilty of it than other teams in MLS.
Yep. Reminded me when Mrs KG and I went to see Gladbach vs Wolfsburg a few years back. She was "wow, they don't do all the stupid stuff like passes to nowhere and missed traps". Mind you, she didn't get to see the Koln-Kaiserslautern game the next week as she wanted a nap--that was much more like a typical MLS game (but they were both relegation candidates). [Nor, of course, did she see the howler ter Stegen let in around that time when he passed it right to a forward.]
I do enjoy political discussion, and pretty much everywhere one goes the conversation isn’t balanced or civil. That’s one thing I like about these boards (mostly). Most of the time I merely lurk the political boards, as those there—Timon as an example—are far more knowledgeable than I. I appreciate learning from him and others. Since some folk on here are getting a little sentimental, I will as well. After MatchNight went away, I came to BS and lurked for *years*. Didn’t join til 2014. I’ve only ever met two of you/us IRL. I feel like I know some of you as well as one can from these boards—your knowledge base, some background, general personality, etc. I don’t get some of the inside jokes, and I’ll admit a little envy of your longstanding friendships and stories. After a down day, I look forward to reading what got posted on this board. (Lately it takes a LONG time to get through this one thread!!). One of the many things that upsets me about this possible move is what will happen to this forum. A lot of people have already left. I would really miss the comradery, information, humor, p!ssing matches, etc. I love you guys! Now, I better suck it up before Archer calls me a Nancy!
Times like these require loads of heart, passion, and dedication. My husband and I have this saying we tell our kids (and each other): “Team Family never gives up.” We repeat it during the tough times. Sometimes we say it as a reminder that life is not easy, but grit and perseverance are skills to hone and lean on during those times. I do not plan on giving up on this team and community. The #SaveTheCrew movement may not be a perfect, well-oiled movement, but good lord I am damn proud of my fellow supporters (and the supporters throughout this league and world). My mind continues to go back to the mid-2000s. Let me be clear: You could not find more than 15/20 people in the supporters’ section. Trying to get fans to stand and chant for our team was akin to telling them to come to 137 for a root canal. I have little doubt that if Garber would have tried to pull this heist during those days, then Crew would have been long gone in two blinks of an eye. Thankfully he did not find Anthony Austin Precourt until the supporters’ groups unified and social media (gasp!) arrived. This Saturday (and perhaps the entire season) is going to be part wake, part homecoming, part celebration, and a whole stadium cheering on our Crew. We will come for communion, and I truly feel for those fans who miss out on the experience. Now please excuse me while I brace for the impacting waves of emotions as game day approaches.