- by Angel Soto, writing from Cali
My Fan History
As a Southern California resident, many would think that I would follow either Chivas USA or the Los Angeles Galaxy. But I choose not to follow one or the other, more so because as a child I looked up to the legendary Brian McBride and he, at the time, was playing for the Crew. From then on I would cheer for the Crew behind my family's back as I didn't want to disappoint them(as most of them are Galaxy supporters). But through the years I started to show my true colors gradually, and from the start of the year 2007 I had decided that my fake galaxy "support" had to be done with. After this game, even after a loss, I decided to put 100% of my patronage towards the Columbus Crew!
My MLS Fan Experience/Recap
Previously I had said that I had not watched the Crew in over 10 years; 1999 to be exact. This match I had circled since the schedules came out to public eye, as I knew the potential of this key fixture! I had a feeling it could determine Playoff spots or the Supporters Shield Champion. It was an oddly chilly night(for Southern California) in Carson, CA. I was hoping to see a few folks from Columbus as this was an important match, but being that it was also a night when there was an important College Football game going on in Columbus, I didn't expect many of them. I knew the Galaxy crowd would show up as Los Angeles keeps demonstrating good attendance statistics year in and year out. Angel City Brigade arrived with much passion and excitement for a game that was just as important to them as it was for the Columbus Crew. The Galaxy had been going through a bad skid of games, only winning 3 games over the last 13(including Real Madrid friendly and Puerto Rico Islanders Champions League match). The atmosphere was decent, ACB really showed up well, they had me looking at them every 10 minutes or so. The rest of the crowd was okay, not too bad. But the stadium erupted in the 13th minute when Galaxy striker Edson Buddle finished a magnificent cross from Sean Franklin to break the 0-0 scoreline.
After the goal the Columbus Crew became more attack directed, but their backline became flat-footed and were susceptible to the Galaxy's dangerous counter-attacks. In the 35th minute Dema Kovalenko slotted home a beautiful set up that started with a Jovan Kirovski back heel, that then was continued with a Landon Donovan through pass to Kovalenko. In the second half the affair worsened for the desperate Columbus Crew, as Jovan Kirovski headed the ball into the net to give the LA Galaxy a 3-0 lead in the 55th minute. The game would stay uneventful, except for the fouls and confrontations by both sides and introduction of David Beckham to the 2010 MLS season, for the next 30 minutes. In the 85th new Columbus Crew signing Andrés Mendoza scored a compensation goal to give the bitter evening a dash of sugar. And only at this time would you see the few Columbus Crew supporters who made the trip. This evening gave encouragement to the Galaxy supporters who were wondering what had happened to their club. As for Columbus, it appears to have a problem playing in Los Angeles, as it has lost its last 2 matches at the Home Depot Center with a 3-1 scoreline in both. As for me, I stayed for all 90 minutes and even waited out to meet some of the Columbus Crew fans who had made the trip.
My Disappointments
As a Columbus Crew supporter it was just disappointing to just watch this team not play with the composure I am used to seeing them play with. They lacked creativity, they looked gassed, and they were just simply outclassed by a Galaxy squad who needed anything positive to happen. My next disappointment is something that I am sure all clubs will start seeing or have seen it when they sign a big name player like David Beckham or Thierry Henry. Everytime David Beckham even looked at the ball the crowd would go insane, but if Landon Donovan had the ball with a scoring chance it was as if everybody had left and I was the only one left at the stadium. I may be exaggerating on that "everybody had left the stadium" part but not by much. Landon Donovan had an amazing World Cup, he has been the face of the league, even after Beckham's introduction.
Dare I say it? I guess LA is still not out of the "bandwagon" faze, which is not fair to those who are intelligent about the team and the sport! Sadly the majority do not know much, I guess I'm hoping for too much too soon. We tend to forget that this league is still growing up, we have many things to work on, and the "bandwagon faze" surely should be one we need to work on; once financial stability is secured by the league. But I am encouraged by the new clubs in the league such as Seattle Sounders FC, Toronto FC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps as their fans to be setting a new standard for the older clubs. I await with much anticipation for the "New Generation of MLS fans." Until then I will start my humble soup I had the Los Angeles Galaxy fans, friends and family serve me.
