A close friend of mine, die-hard soccer fan, and your WFD Kick About Atletico Madrid Blogger Joseph Zucker, finally made it out to his first Columbus Crew and MLS match on August 13th, a 3-1 Crew win over the visiting New England Revolution. Joseph and I attended our first soccer game together this past Db ecember at Craven Cottage, a Boxing Day derby between Fulham FC and West Ham United. Joseph was kind enough to share his thoughts on the differences between his experience at the Cottage and his experience at Crew Stadium. I was also fortunate enough to get his thoughts on the general Crew Stadium experience, Columbus supporters culture, this year’s Crew team, and the future of the team in Columbus. You can read his responses below.
1) What were your expectations going into your first Crew experience?
I expected to hear a passionate crowd. I knew that while the entire stadium wouldn't be full, there would at least be a pocket of the stadium that would be on its feet and yelling the entire match.
2) Did it live up to those expectations?
I feel it lived up to those expectations. It really seemed like a friendly atmosphere where even if you didn't know anybody, as long as you had that Crew badge on, you were among friends. On the other hand, this is a club that is first in the conference, and the stadium is just a little over half-full. It was a little disappointing, I guess.
3) What were your thoughts on the stadium and atmosphere? The Nordecke?
The Nordecke really impressed me, especially seeing the different tifos and flags. The one thing I will say negatively is that the singing and chanting needs to get a little more creative. And then you look at what they're doing up in the Northwest, and it really makes you jealous. The Crew are the only game in town right now, and their other pro competition is the Blue Jackets. The Buckeyes only play once a week during football season. There really isn't any excuse as to why Columbus can't adopt a larger soccer culture.
4) How would you compare the experience you had at the Crew game to your experience at Craven Cottage?
It's almost like comparing apples and oranges to put Crew Stadium and Craven Cottage side by side. Back in December, I had kept saying how unbelievable it was to actually be in a Premier League stadium watching a league match. At the same time, I got the same feeling to a certain extent with the Crew. It was just unbelievable that I was at an MLS match. The atmosphere was just more electric at Craven Cottage. It was the Premier League. It was Boxing Day. It was the Fulham/West Ham derby. You had 25,000 people crammed into such a quaint little stadium, and I just pictured what it must have been like on that night Fulham beat Juventus.
5) Where do you see supporters culture going in the future in Columbus?
I kind of worry about the Crew's future in general. I wonder if there will come a time where seemingly in every sport, business takes over. I just worry that MLS will only see the low attendances and believe their league would be better off financially to move to a different city. As I have said to you, though, at a few different times, I can also see a point 20-30 years down the road when the stadium is packed. You would look back on these days as simply a time when the club and league was still growing.
6) What are your thoughts on this year's Crew team? How far can they go?
I think the Crew are overachieving quite a bit. They're clearly having a great year, sitting atop the East. I think, though, once the playoffs start, they could run into trouble. I think they've gotten a little lucky over the entire year, and sometime, that luck will run out. They could win the East, but I don't see any way they could win the Cup. They have players you can really get behind. You have the scrappers like Julius James, a club hero like Chad Marshall, a promising young player in Dilly Duka, and Robbie Rogers, who has picked up national team caps.
7) Other final thoughts?
I would love to go back to a Crew match. It's just great to stick it to the higher ups at MLS and watch a club like Columbus succeed. You know every year they want a Galaxy/Red Bulls final. You see those guys bring in Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane, and David Beckham. Then the Crew makes their DP Andres Mendoza. The deck is clearly stacked against the club. I don't know what the club have to do to attract more fans. Maybe it's just something that will grow organically with the city. I think Columbus as a city is growing quite a bit itself, and maybe the club is something that will be a part of that.
A special mention for this post goes to the family of Joel Reynaga, a devoted Crew fan and La Turbina Amarilla member. Joel lost his life in a tragic accident in the Crew Stadium parking lot after the August 13th match. One banner at this past weekend’s game read, “Your Drum is the Beat of Our Heart.” I could not express my feelings any better. I got goosebumps on Saturday night as members of the Nordecke placed yellow carnations on Joel’s drum and sang a robust rendition of “Columbus ‘Til I Die”, led by members of Reynaga’s family. Rest in peace, Joel. You will be missed.
You can follow me on Twitter: @bearinthebus
You can also follow Joseph on Twitter: @JZuckYNWAtleti
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