Jersey? Check.
Scarf? Check. Voice? Check. A wave of nervous excitement swept through my body
as I entered Section 138 for the first time. My friend and I, both new to this
scene, had only been to the Home Depot Center to see a Galaxy match once, and
we decided the next time we would try our hands at the supporter’s section. The
match against FC Dallas began, and from the moment I sang my first song, I knew
I wanted to be a part of the Los Angeles Riot Squad.
In a nutshell, a
supporter’s section is a part of the stadium designated for fans that wish to
stand, cheer, sing, and chant a team onto victory. The concept, much more
widespread in Europe, is supposed to help a team along to victory, having a
constant source of support throughout the game. I have always been someone that
takes pride in being part of something larger than myself, and being a voice in
a crowd cheering on the team is a great feeling.
 |
| Seeing LARS at my first match (away @Chivas USA, same stadium, different corner) made my friend and I want to join them for the next match. |
However, I knew
from the first song (Riot Squad, we are
here, ooh, ooh, #$@% your women and drink your beer! Ooooh we are the Riot
Squad) that this supporter’s group was going to be a little different than
most. LARS happens to pride themselves on helping the team forward by setting
the other team back. They work all game to get in the other team’s head, allowing
the Angel City Brigade, the other supporters group on the other side of the
stadium, to support the team lovingly (LARS
actually made Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching cry on one occasion). I
have even partaken myself, chanting at the refs, the opposing players, and, of
course, my own team. Although sometimes a little unorthodox and a tad bit
vulgar, standing with the Riot Squad is the most fun I have ever had at a live
sporting event and I have been back many times. Best of all it makes me feel
like I have a place, standing among like-minded individuals working towards a
common goal. I love that feeling.
Perhaps the
greatest LARS moment I have had was this past November, as I traveled back to
California (a week early for Thanksgiving) to see the Galaxy take on the
Houston Dynamo at home in the MLS Cup Final. After four hours of tailgating on
a rainy Sunday afternoon we crammed all of sections 137 & 138, singing our
hearts out despite the weather. A 72’ minute goal by Landon Donovan carved our
path to the championship, allowing LARS to celebrate deep into the night
(capped off with a group singing of “We Are The Champions/This is LA (my
favorite song, adapted from the song by The Briggs)). Honestly it was one of
the greatest days of my life and I will certainly never forget it.
 |
| From the ESPN telecast. One of the best days of my life. |
LARS has certainly
shown me a side of sports I was never really acquainted with before: the
religion of fandom. Before my first Galaxy game, I never really had a team I
REALLY cared about. Sure, I liked the Angels for baseball and enjoyed going to
Mighty Ducks games, but really, I never cared how well the team was doing. Ever
since I started to get invested in the Galaxy (about three years ago), I have
found that my emotional state parallels the way the team is doing. The night
the G’s won the Cup I was happier than I had ever been in my life. This season,
with my team making a quick exit from the CONCACAF Champions league and
starting off extremely slowly in league play (1-0-3?!?! Really guys?!?!), I
have seen some bitter evenings (just ask Billy Klaess, he knows all about my
volatile state while watching a Galaxy game). The book Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby is all about this “disease”, the life of
a through and through fan. Adding to this, I am studying Journalism at TCU,
looking to be an MLS writer when I graduate. I can safely say that my ties to
the Galaxy and LARS in specific have changed the course of my life more than
any single thing has before.
Song Starts at 1:57
This is LA, Our city
our home
Los Angeles, we never
walk alone
Forever true we’ll
stay
In tribute to our city
No matter where we go
this is our home.
On a final note, I
consider myself to be an ambassador of the American soccer game. Although most
consider soccer in the US to be the ugly stepchild of sports with football,
baseball, basketball, and hockey trumping over it, I am here to tell you to keep
an open mind. Soccer’s magic and beauty comes straight from the fans, something
one will never experience by watching a match on television. It takes going to
a live match to really understand the greatness behind The Beautiful Game.
Cities such as Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake, and Kansas City have all rallied
around their teams and created soccer environments that begin to rival the
European teams. If you have a chance, I highly recommend taking in a match (although
FC Dallas might not be the best example, their fan base isn’t the best). Soccer
is indisputably growing in the US, and it has changed my life forever.
Hey Brian!
ReplyDeleteI knew before I visited your blog that there was bound to be at least one post about soccer, and this one is really good. Your enthusiasm for the sport is definitely apparent (if not in this post, at the very least on your Twitter timeline). As someone who's never understand soccer's mass appeal, I found this sketch to be especially insightful on what it must be like to be one of you crazy soccer nutjobs.
If you choose to expand this sketch into a full story I only have one suggestion. Your sketch has a nice flow to it, with sound, logical progression throughout. You elaborate on your soccer experiences very well. However, I felt that your brief mention of your pursuit of a journalism degree here at TCU ended all too abruptly. I'm jealous of the fact that something you're really passionate about has given you such a profound sense of direction in your career path. I would like to see you expand on how soccer has influenced your decisions about your future. In my opinion that's a pretty big step in coming-of-age and I think adding this to your sketch would make the whole thing complete.
Sorry for the lengthy comment. Wordy post is wordy.