An incredible 47, 658 were in attendance to see Toronto’s 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy on Wednesday night. It was more than enough to set a franchise attendance record for Toronto FC, more than doubling the previous high. This was truly a sight to see. As the TFC faithful poured into the Rogers Center, there was a special buzz amongst the fans. After yet another disappointing MLS season in 2011, fans were ready and optimistic for 2012.
People crowded into the seats, chanting away, ready to cheer on their mighty Reds. The rest as they say, is history.
Now I am sure many of you witnessed the game so a play by play recap is rather unnecessary. Instead, this is a recap from the cheap seats; a glimpse into what it was like to sit among the 47,000 plus fans and cheer on the Reds.
MLS games rarely see more than 20,000 fans (with the exception of Seattle). Average attendance for most MLS teams in 2011 ranged from around 12,000-17,000, so Wednesday night’s game was really something special. It was a game I was honored just to be a part of.
All the credit in the world has to be given to the city of Toronto for coming out to support their team. It was a remarkable sight to see the fans continue to come in and pack the stadium, wearing red in support of their team. With the odd Premier League or LA Galaxy jersey thrown in the mix, the majority of the crowd dressed in red and came dedicated to making the home atmosphere as great as possible for this first leg of the quarterfinal.
The stadium was packed, but you sure did not have to wait to get in to start having a good time. The subway ride downtown was littered with Toronto FC jerseys, painted faces and rowdy fans. As the subway reached its destination at Union Station, chants of “TFC! TFC! TFC!” broke out amongst the wave of fans making the ten minute walk from the subway station to the Rogers Center.
There was also an organized march from Toronto’s famous Real Sports Bar which filled up early on in the day. Bars all over the city were packed in with fans eager to head over to the game, or sit back and watch it at the pub. Chances are wherever you decided to go near the Rogers Center was packed several hours before game time.
Upon arrival, the area surrounding the stadium was packed. Fans in Galaxy jerseys were being insulted to no end. Among endless chants of “Who are ya?! Who are ya?!” accompanied with vicious pointing fingers, Toronto fans were also nice enough to ask them to return home.
Inside the stadium, line ups at the beer vendors lasted up to thirty minutes. After all, inebriated fans often make the game more enjoyable for everyone, up to a certain point at least. I saw one man, wearing a TFC jersey, face painted, with a Canadian flag draped over his back, carrying what had to be at least seven beers. Only to take a few steps, stumble over and drop half of them.
I had a seat in the supporters end of the pitch, behind the net Toronto was defending in the first half. Our section, as well as the ones around us, were given a boatload of free streamers. Fans then kindly gave the streamers to David Beckham throughout the game as a welcoming gift to Toronto. Some fans were even nice enough to give him beer which they paid for out of their own pockets. Beckham, being too good to accept these gifts, proceeded to complain to the ref about all the free beer he was getting. You can see the video here within the first 40 seconds:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=
HZC4dfo6hju[/youtube]
We were lucky enough to get seats in the second row of the upper level. What made it even better, the group of men in front of us were 50-60 years old, seemingly fresh off the boat from England. They had consumed more than enough alcohol which made them friendly but aggressive at the same time. They were cursing at Beckham and Donovan as if they could hear, let alone care what they were saying.
The great thing about English soccer fans however, is that they have a chant for every occasion, all of which were taught to us word for word and belted out loud and proud. Many of them are not appropriate for me to type out here, but you are more than welcome to YouTube Chelsea’s “Celery” song which was banned a few years back and a variation of the popular “Mourinho, are you listening?”
The best chants of all though came shortly after Toronto drew first blood thanks to a Ryan Johnson volley. Fans, excited with the 1-0 lead, brought back memories while chanting the Danny Dichio Song as it was known in Toronto. This was the most popular chant among TFC supporters for the entire time Dichio was with the club. Listen to it here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=
raZkKG7VAr0[/youtube]
The crowd was loud from the moment fans started filling in the seats. When the game kicked off it was difficult to hear yourself speak. After the first goal, you could barely hear yourself think. Luis Silva scored shortly after to make it 2-0 TFC and the fans almost didn’t know what to do with themselves. The second goal started a ten minute period of linking arms and jumping up and down, or at least that was the case on our end of the stadium.
Twelve minutes after Silva’s goal, Magee put LA on the board which effectively sucked the wind out of the stadium until a flurry of chances for TFC near the end of the half got the crowd back into it.
The great thing about having 47,000 plus fans in attendance, there is never a dull moment. It can be halftime or a dull spot in the game, but something will always be happening somewhere in the seats to keep you entertained.
The second half started slow but the fans remained enthusiastic. There was a period in time around the 60th minute where Beckham was being cursed at by just about everyone in our section. I do not know if it was due to a lack of activity in the game or just a genuine dislike for Beckham, but “(explicative) you Beckham!” echoed through the supporters section for what seemed like forever. It was only until security made the decision to escort a few out of the stadium that the chant began to lose momentum.
Cheers continued late into the game until Donovan’s late equalizer quickly cleared out the stadium. I have seen my share of people get angry in the past, but when Donovan scored and put his finger to his lips to silence the crowd, I have never seen so many people cursing at once. TFC supporters showered the enthusiastic Donovan with a chorus of boos and curses, as if it made a difference.
Donovan’s goal should be enough to see LA through to the semi-finals. Although the result turned out to be disappointing in the end, the fans have every reason to be proud. The Galaxy are a good team and if this game is any indication of what is to come this season, TFC could be looking at their first ever MLS playoff berth.
The fans came out in abundance Wednesday night and with the exception of the beer can incident, the TFC faithful deserve all the credit in the world for making this a game to remember for players, coaches and fans alike. After all, it’s not every day you see 47,658 fans at a soccer game.
Toronto sports as a whole has been stuck in a rut as of late. One losing season after another can take its toll on a city. Wednesday night gave fans the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than the game. It reminded fans that better days are bound to come with this kind of support.
There is a group of TFC supporters who will be travelling to LA for the second leg of the quarterfinals to try and cheer the Reds through to a berth in the semi-finals. If not, at least they get the opportunity to see Donovan and Beckham live again… or as my new English pals would say, “Who the (explicative) is Beckham?”
(image courtesy of torontofc.ca)
