Rowdies Suncoast Invitational 2016

Duke Kickass · Feb 18, 2016

Last night I attended the 2nd game of the night at Al Lang: the Montreal Impact "hosting" NYCFC. I was surprised (pleasantly) by how many attended and the passion some brought to the event. After the game, I wondered if any of the players would take time to mingle with the fans. Again, not disappointed - my son had a chance to take pictures and/or get autographs with renowned players such as Pirlo, Villa, and Lampard. Other fans - from children to adults - had opportunities to see many of the players up close, and even exchange high fives with them. I wonder if these players were as accessible to fans when they played for their respective mega clubs in Europe; hell, I wonder how accessible they are when they return to New York and start the regular season.

Baseball Spring Training has long offered opportunities like this to fans: come down to Florida in the Spring and catch a whole different vibe when it comes to meeting and watching your favorite players. The megawatt power of the Stars dims a little. They seem a little more approachable. I hope that this model continues to grow a trend for soccer as well.

After last night's game, I am definitely going to try to make one or more of these games over the next couple of weeks. If you are fan of any of these teams or their players, I encourage you to give it a try as well.

DanGerman · Feb 18, 2016

Duke Kickass said: ↑

Last night I attended the 2nd game of the night at Al Lang: the Montreal Impact "hosting" NYCFC. I was surprised (pleasantly) by how many attended and the passion some brought to the event. After the game, I wondered if any of the players would take time to mingle with the fans. Again, not disappointed - my son had a chance to take pictures and/or get autographs with renowned players such as Pirlo, Villa, and Lampard. Other fans - from children to adults - had opportunities to see many of the players up close, and even exchange high fives with them. I wonder if these players were as accessible to fans when they played for their respective mega clubs in Europe; hell, I wonder how accessible they are when they return to New York and start the regular season.

Baseball Spring Training has long offered opportunities like this to fans: come down to Florida in the Spring and catch a whole different vibe when it comes to meeting and watching your favorite players. The megawatt power of the Stars dims a little. They seem a little more approachable. I hope that this model continues to grow a trend for soccer as well.

After last night's game, I am definitely going to try to make one or more of these games over the next couple of weeks. If you are fan of any of these teams or their players, I encourage you to give it a try as well.
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Actually they're pretty accessible to fans at games and afterwards. The players have no issue with autographs, pictures and the like so its pretty awesome. David Villa, Poku and Pirlo have been a fantastic to local fans and that I think has helped make the team so popular.

Duke Kickass · Feb 22, 2016

Then I tip my hat to NYCFC for getting several things right: building both an exciting brand of play and a personal connection to their fans.

Duke Kickass · Feb 24, 2016

Looks like a few hundred people and a field in very good condition are ready for kickoff. The Union are hosting the Red Bull. If only they sold beer...
But this being the exhibition season, the sprinklers still come on at their appointed time. Hopeful that someone turns them off so we can get this dang game started!