My life with The Game has taken me in many different directions. I’ve been fortunate (or unfortunate) to be involved in a variety of capacities: player, coach, and administrator/suit. I can now add supporter to that list as well.

I spent some time with the supporter’s groups of the Columbus Crew for their Thursday night Primetime game on ESPN. The night started with a pre-game “social” at Ruby Tuesday (a bar that the Hudson Street Hooligans calls home). I then took a 20 minute stroll with them over to Crew Stadium. The walk is actually shorter, but we made a stop at the United Food Land. It was really warm and the folks were thirsty….really thirsty. Needless to say, the owners of this place should be very supportive of the Crew due to the increase in business they receive on gamedays. I spent a part of the game in the stands with the HSH and the two other supporter’s groups, La Turbina and Crew Union. I then spent a little bit of time with the La Turbina folks practicing mi Espanol and cerveza tasting in the parking lot. This was an experience I will never forget!

I enjoyed hanging out with them about as much as some of them (those who actually like me) did with me. It was a totally different perspective from anything I had ever done. To top it off, this was all a part of my job. I am a Regional Ambassador working in the Fan Development department of MLS. Part of my job is to help the teams that I work with (Columbus, DC, NY, and NE) connect with the soccer community. So, hanging out pre-game enjoying a few libations with fans goes down as “work”. Not a bad day in the office.

I finally got to see, hear, and feel the passion that erupts from the Nordecke. These people absolutely LOVE The Game and show it. Whether it was the young folks of HSH or the banging drums of La Turbina, that place was rocking all night long. I have to give them their props for making Crew Stadium a difficult place to play for visiting teams. The Crew is very appreciative of their support. I am certain that their vocal and visible support has helped the Crew win a few games this year. In fact, I thought the Crew was done after Kansas City went up 2-0 in the first half. They eventually battled back to a 3-3 draw in front of a national audience.

Players recognize the importance of the fans. I can only think of Christian Gomez drumming with the DC fans as the only other direct player/fan interaction. I’m sure more players would do it if they could. As a retiree, I don’t have to worry about playing time or my body fat percentage. The fans are a huge part of the stadium experience. Tomorrow, I’m heading up to Toronto for the first time to get my Canadian fan experience. I’m sure that will be a great experience as well.

To ALL of the fans supporting our players and teams in the league…….Thank You!

Dante

image via Photo, Studio79