Thanks to Lynden Door, my wife and I got to take in a Sounders FC match. They played Chivas USA which is based out of the Los Angles suburb of Carson, CA. The Sounders won 2-1. This was the first MLS game I have ever been to, and I have to say I was impressed.
At first I didn’t see the draw, nothing was happening and I was a little perturbed because the seats were too good, so we were sitting with the mega fans, and we had to stand up to watch the match, but then the ball got near the net, and my mind seemed to grasp the flow of the game, and I started to have fun.
The vibe at the game was quite a bit different than the intensity of football, well compared to Seahawks football anyway, or the super laid back feel of baseball, again comparing it the Mariners. It was kind of a mix between the two. The crowd was engaged, but at the same time not crazed it was a good feel, and it is easy to see why it has caught on so fast in Seattle.
It was also nice that the action never stops except for half time, so you watch two forty-five minute halves with a fifteen minute halftime, and a few minutes of extra time thrown in to make up for penalties and whatnot. The whole thing only takes about two hours which is good.
The seats we had were great. We were in the lower 100 level on the sideline, seats I would consider murder for a Seahawks game, so we could see all the players easily, and watch the game at both ends without issue. The only problem is that since we were with pretty dedicated fans, we never got to use the seat part of our seats except for halftime, but it was fun being with people that cared about the sport.
If you get a chance to go to a match, you definitely should. It is a lot of fun, and while the games can start off slow, the tension builds, and soon you are rooting for the Sounders FC, and wishing you had bought a scarf to fly your local colors.