USMNT 2–0 Canada: Gold Cup win at Ford Field

Excitement was building, quickly. Tension hung in the air. Some cheers, a burst of applause—then 28,205 people gasping in expectation as Jozy Altidore put it on net. Canadian goalie Lars Hirschfeld stumbled, and Ford Field exploded as the USMNT went up 1-0. Meanwhile, the other four people in attendance had just arrived, and were going up the escalator to the club level.

Yes, we were a little late. Fortunately, we caught the replay on the monitors:

The American Outlaws were in full voice as we took what we thought were our seats. We had an excellent view all by ourselves in the club level, relaxing in the gray leather-ish seats. With nobody else nearby, we got some great time just watching and dissecting the action.

It’s true that the crowd wasn’t quite up to anticipated levels. However, given the cost of the tickets (minimum with Ticketmaster fees was nearly $30; they ranged up into the triple digits), the total lack of TV/radio promotion (that I saw), and the fact that it was a late Tuesday night during the school year, it’s actually pretty impressive. In fact, the Ford Field crowd last was the largest to attend a Gold Cup group-stage match since 2003! A loud, excited soccer crowd 28k strong, with two vibrant supporter sections might not look impressive spread out over a 60,000-seat stadium . . .

. . . but they certainly sounded great. USMNT head coach Bob Bradley picked an excellent lineup, with a nice blend of youth and experience. Several players whose form had been in question looked fantastic in the first half—Altidore, for one, and midfielder Michael Bradley in particular. It’d be an exaggeration to say the US did to Canada what Spain did to the US this past weekend—but the US controlled the midfield, the ball, and the game for the first half, and much of the second.

My only criticism of the USMNT’s play was that it was almost too “beautiful.” Often, there’d be a sequence of linked passes dancing around the box, and several opportunities would open up—but while waiting for the perfect opening, they’d eventually miss a pass, or a defender would get a toe on the ball, and the whole possesion would go to waste. When the opposing keeper is struggling with routine shots, just shoot the ball on net!

At the half, we made the trek from section 214 to 241, our actual seats. There was a mix of excitement and trepidation; a 45-minute throttling is great, but coming away with a 1-0 lead left no margin for error. If the Yanks hadn’t picked up where they left off, all if it could have been for naught. Fortunately, when play resumed, the US offensive pressure continued.

A little way in, Clint Dempsey showed exactly why he’s my favorite player on the planet. As a deflected ball came across the middle, Clint tried a very rare “scorpion kick,” something so crazy that I didn’t know there was a name for it—and actually, neither did he:

People ask me why I got so hooked on soccer so fast, and it’s moments like this: pure physical creativity. Incredible feats that stretch the bounds of human reaction time, athleticism, and coordination. When it happened I looked over at my still-soccer-skeptical wife, like “Did you see . . . ?” and was already shooting me a sly grin while slowly nodding her head.

At full speed, it looked like the kick just missed—but look at the third replay on the clip there. The shot was on-frame, and the goalie was out of position; it just bounced off the face of a Canadian defender. The miss was spectacular enough to draw an ovation; I can only imagine what would have happened if the shot weren’t blocked. Actually, I can imagine it, because Clint struck home just minutes later:

We had an amazing view of this goal—the same angle as the scorpion kick—and it was all I could have hoped for. Going to an international soccer match wanting desperately to see the guy you came to see score . . . it’s kind of a longshot. Yet, I’m thrilled to be 2-for-2, lifetime. Me, my wife, my kids and I all came to see the USMNT win convincingly, and maybe see Deuce put one in net. They did, and he did.

Though the US wisely switched some youth and offense out for experience and defense across the end of the second half, they put it a little too far into the cooler. Canada got some great looks in the last fifteen minutes or so, and elite US goalie Tim Howard had to come up with a couple of stunning saves, each bringing the crowd to their feet.

Speaking of which, I have to hand it to the American Outlaws, and the Motor City Supporters. The US supporters’ section brought it, hard, all game long. Songs, chants, cheers, thunderous foot-stomping . . . it was really an awesome display. We could hear them clear as a bell when we were over on the Canadian side of the stadium. Speaking of which, I tip my hat to the Canadian supporters’ section, too:

Though our friends from just across the river didn’t turn out in droves, they did turn out in spirit. They cheered hard for 90 minutes, and endured “WE CAN’T HEAR YOU *clap* *clap* *clap clap clap*” taunts from the Yankee fans. One of the coolest moments of the night came after the game: some Canadian players slowly walked over to that section, and the fans went crazy cheering for them after a tough loss. Good show by the Voyageurs.

After the game ended, I tried to photoblog the corridors and mezzanines of Ford Field, but it was all too much. There was lots of cheering, lots of singing, and lots of clapping. Many thanks to anyone and everyone who turned out. On the day Triple Sports and Entertainment submitted Metro Detroit’s bid for an MLS franchise, every single fan in the stands made an impact. Honestly, though—as much as I hope the crowd last night impressed upon MLS just how much they’re missing out on by not being in this market, I hope last night proved to some non-soccer-loving Michiganders they’re missing out on an incredible experience.

Technorati Tags: usmnt,canmnt,soccer,gold cup,concacaf,ford field,detroit

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In Living Color(s): Supporting The USMNT In Detroit

A a kid, I didn’t get to go to many games. My mother truly enjoys watching sports, but attending them has never been her thing. Despite my burning passion for the Lions, I didn’t go to a game until I was old enough to get to the Silverdome myself. I turn 30 this year—but as a committed father of three with a 90-minute drive to Detroit, season tickets aren’t yet within my grasp. I make it to a just couple of Lions and Tigers games a year, plus a smattering of Michigan State contests. So, there’s still a special excitement, a zinging flutter, that comes with buying tickets, with holding tickets, with waking up on a gameday morning and knowing I’ll be there.

Today, my nerves are electrified. Me, my wife, and our two elder kids are going to see the USMNT play a real live game that matters tonight, live and in person, and I can hardly believe it. All of my favorite soccer reporters and bloggers are in the Motor City today. All of the usual match previews I devour are tinged with Detroit flavor—and knowing I’ll actually be seeing the game they’re previewing live, not my laptop, not tape-delayed, not in Spanish, and not on ESPN 8: The Ocho or Fox Soccer Channel Plus .TV—makes them doubly delicious.

One of the very best soccer blogs, The Shin Guardian, laid out the Xs and Os of the “Motown Showdown” beautifully. The Yanks Are Coming, a USMNT blog, also put out a top notch preview piece called—what else?—"Detroit Rock City: Everybody’s Gonna Leave Their Seat." Ives Galarcep, Fox Soccer commentator and author of Soccer By Ives, Tweeted last night that Slows BBQ is "OFFICIAL." The Free Beer Movement, an awesome site dedicated to building American soccer through the gift of free beer, assembled an expert panel (Michigan native Alexi Lalas included) to assign a Gold Cup beer to each competing team.

The crazy thing is, at this time last year, I didn’t care. I’d been vaguely aware of the USMNT’s incredible run to the finals of the 2009 Confederations Cup, including an incredible 2-0 defeat of Spain, the best team in the world. I sensed a lot of buzz building around last year’s World Cup, and I discovered that many of the sports bloggers I admire most—Brian Cook of MGoBlog, Spencer Hall of EDSBS, Dan Levy of On the DL Podcast—are huge USMNT fans (all of those links go to exceptional content, especially Hall’s piece on the meaning of being a USMNT supporter. Click them).

So . . . I tuned in. I watched. I found that much of what I loved the most about hockey—the winding and unwinding of tension, the cat-and-mouse game of possession, the desperate anxiety of a centering pass, the anguish of a whiffed opportunity, the relief of an amazing save, the physics-defying feats that leave your eyes wide and jaw slack—it was all there in soccer, too. Soon, I cared. I really cared. I found myself wrapped up more and more in the success and failure of our national team—and with this moment, I was inexorably hooked:

After the end of the World Cup, I posted a piece called “Time Wonderfully Wasted,” the story of my WC2010 experience, and my blossoming soccer fandom. It had lain dormant within me, a seed planted when I attended a World Cup match as a child. I’d supported Italy throughout that tournament—partly because I come from an Italian-American family, and partly because in the soccer world, Italy was totally way awesomer than America. Those reasons weren’t really reasons, and my support of Italy lasted only as long as that tournament did.

“Choosing” a team to root for has never felt right to me; I’ve been a true-blue Lions fan since before I can remember. “Deciding” to care about a team I haven’t always lived and died with seemed impossible. But the USMNT? Their support was literally my birthright, and donning red, white, and blue once felt like always.

Tonight, my wife and kids will be wearing their colors, too. We’ll be in the Ford Field stands at 8 o’clock tonight, supporting our national team live for the very first time. The American Outlaws will be there, the Motor City Supporters will be there, and if you snag some tickets you can be there, too [Ed.: use promo code “GC11”]. I hope it’ll be an amazing experience, one that will plant a seed of fandom inside them . . . and maybe, just maybe, they won’t have to wait sixteen years for for it to sprout.

Technorati Tags: soccer,usmnt,gold cup,canada,ford field,tickets

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Tinderbox: Ford Field and the Gold Cup

I got my tickets for the USA-Canada Gold Cup match tomorrow night, and preparations are apace. There’s been a steady stream of interesting pre-match tidbits trickling out.

• Pride of Detroit has a great shot of the rolls of real grass laying on top of Ford Field's FieldTurf.
• Jennifer Hammond reported that Bill Ford, Jr. is a huge soccer fan, and she got a picture of him with the collected USMNT at Allen Park.
• Speaking of which, the Freep has an excellent story about the USMNT's training and warmups at the the Allen Park facilites--including a quote from my favorite player, Clint Dempsey:

  "You have to look at it in a good way -- (we) got kicked up the backside, and (it) humbled us," he said. "Now we have to go out and get the job done.

  "Everybody is going to make sure they're fired up for this game, so we can take care of business."

• Glenn Toran from Mlive.com made a great point: the Canadian fans coming across the border from Windsor for the Gold Cup haven’t had a top-flight soccer club to root for, either. If/when Detroit gets an MLS bid, there’ll be a great natural rivalry with Toronto FC.
• Zac from SideLion Report chipped in his thoughts on soccer in Detroit (and hooked me up with a link--thanks, man!)
• Righting what many percieved to be a roster wrong, Alejandro Bedoya has been called up to replace the injured Benny Feilhaber.

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The USMNT Comes To Detroit . . . MLS Next?

Next Tuesday, the most incredible possible confluence of my own personal sports awesomeness will happen. The U.S. Men’s National Team will play the opening round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament at Ford Field. The USMNT playing a meaningful game on the Lions’ home turf mashes up my sports passions like . . . uh, the Red Wings in Spartan Stadium? The Tigers taking the field in the Rose Bowl? The Lions on the hardwood of Breslin Student Events Center?

Yes, for the first time in 17 years, the USMNT will play in Metro Detroit. Birmingham native Alexi Lalas, a starting defender on that ‘94 US team that played in the Silverdome, is thrilled to come home to watch this match as an analyst. The Motor City Supporters, and the Detroit chapter of the American Outlaws, the USMNT supporter’s group, will be out in force. The leading lights of the US Soccer Federation will be here, seeing for themselves how Detroit supports their teams. What’s more, there’s now a top-flight professional soccer league in America—and MLS officials will be in Ford Field, anxious to see what kind of support Southeast Michigan can muster.

Watching with them will be Steve Apostolopoulos, owner of the Silverdome. As the head of the ownership group trying to bring an MLS team to Detroit, he’ll be rooting for a good showing—on the field, and off. “We’re hoping that things go well,” he told me. “We know that [MLS is] excited, and we’re very excited to have this caliber of soccer coming to the Detroit area.” I asked him what the status of expansion bid is, and if Detroit has a chance to usurp New York City’s claim on the 20th franchise. “We’d love to be the 20th market,” he said. “We know the commissioner’s pushing for the New York team. If things come around full circle there, and they’re the 20th team, then we’d love to be the 21st.”

Of course, Detroit is not the only option for the 21st team; recently MLS Commissioner Don Garber urged the State of Nevada to consider building a soccer stadium in Las Vegas, and Vikings owner Zygi Wilf mentioned an MLS franchise as a possible source of revenue for the Vikings’ theoretical new digs. I asked Mr. Apostolopoulos about Detroit’s chances against these other markets. “We know there are other possible expansion cities, but we feel we are frontrunners amongst them. We have a committed ownership group, we have a stadium, and a strong vision we believe in.”

I was anxious for an update on that radical Silverdome renovation he discussed with me in February. “We are preparing for the renovation; we’ve engaged with architect firms and engineers. We’re going to proceed with RFPs soon—though we have estimates; we know how much it will cost.” Given the variety of events the Silverdome is being used for, and the multiple uses of the indoor spaces below the field, Mr. Apostolopoulos told me his group will “proceed with the renovation either way,” regardless of whether Detroit has secured an MLS bid.

In the meantime, his Triple Sports Group is trying to bring even more top-flight soccer to Detroit. “We’re in discussions with various European, and several English, football clubs for more friendlies [exhibitions]. It’s mainly a matter of working out timing with the FIFA dates,” referring to sections of the calendar when pro teams must take time off, for international play (like the Gold Cup).

It’s been thought that if MLS isn’t ready to come to Detroit, the Silverdome could host a team in the second-division USL or NASL leagues, and hope to be promoted to the MLS after some time. This what happened with the Portland Timbers, and the Seattle Sounders. If the Silverdome renovation is complete before MLS has awarded Detroit a team, that seems like a natural fit. I asked Steve about this possibility. “Our focus is on Major League Soccer,” he said. “We’ve been approached by other leagues, and that’s an option too, but right now our main focus is on MLS. Our discussions with the league continue to go well. They are definitely very interested in Detroit as a market.”

So. Let's show MLS, US Soccer, and the world just how we do it. Let’s show up huge against Canada on Tuesday. I guarantee it’ll be worth your while—and I’ll even save you five bucks. Click here for tickets to the Gold Cup date at Ford Field, and enter in the promo code “GC11.” Your tickets even buy you two games: Panama vs. Guadaloupe at 6 pm, and the border showdown between the USMNT and Canada at 8 o’clock. If we can show up huge, I bet it won’t be 17 years before we see soccer like this again.

Technorati Tags: detroit,mls,major league soccer,gold cup,usmnt,the silverdome

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The Silverdome, Major League Soccer, and Detroit

 
Last August, the new owners of the Lions’ old hunting grounds turned heads with a radical proposal: tear the roof off the Silverdome, build a field at the club level, and convert the upper deck into a world-class open-air soccer facility. This would provide the dedicated stadium required to lure the MLS to Detroit. The proposal created a lot of buzz, as did the “Match of the Titans” exhibition between top European club teams AC Milan and Panathinaikos F.C.
Recently, GQ UK wrote about the Sons of Ben, the Philadelphia Union supporters group who basically willed their MLS franchise into existence. The article wasn’t particularly flattering, which is why GQ UK invited Match Fit USA’s Jason Davis to respond. The whole controversy got me thinking about my friends, the Motor City Supporters, and their efforts to will our MLS franchise into existence . . . and what’s going on with that whole Silverdome renovation plan, anyway?
I went right to the source: The Triple Group’s President of Sports, Steve Apostolopoulos. “When we made the deal, some said, ‘Soccer? In Detroit? Really?’” He laughed, but it was clear that he and his family are serious. “Some thought it was just a real estate deal, but we have no intentions of ‘flipping’ the Silverdome.” He believes they’re investing in the right community. “If you ask me, ‘Is there room for another pro sports franchise?’ the answer is definitely yes. But, you’ve got to put the product on the field.” He spoke passionately about his company’s dedication and commitment to building a quality soccer organization from the playing ground up.
Mr. Apostolopoulos’s company has literal construction to do, too. In another life, I was a structural steel estimator; I have a basic understanding of how buildings are put together. What they envision for the Silverdome borders on the fantastic. “Nothing exactly like this has ever been done before,” he admitted—but in the same breath, he noted that Madison Square Garden is also a multi-level, multi-use facility. If a large theatre, expo hall, and dual-purpose NHL/NBA arena can sit on top of a train station, maybe this new ‘Dome isn’t so outlandish.
“We’re going to split the ‘Dome in half, vertically and horizontally,” he said. The club level will be removed and become a service area, with locker rooms and other facilities. Below the club level will be a multi-use concert/expo hall, and an indoor sports arena. That arena sounds perfect for basketball, and the Silverdome team is already negotiating with professional lacrosse leagues. Above the ceiling of the arena will be the centerpiece: a soccer field, surrounded by the renovated upper deck, and open to the sky.
There will be seating for twenty to thirty thousand fans, with a canopy to cover the fan seating areas. “It will have a feel,” said Apostolopoulos, “like Red Bull Arena,” citing the beautiful new home of the New York Red Bulls:

But even if they build it, will anyone come? Steve told me a story, illustrating how important he thinks it is to build relationships with fans: “A friend of mine once built a skate park. It was really nice, a great facility, but no one was using it. He asked me what I could do, and I said, ‘You’ve got to make connections, you’ve got to pound pavement.’” That’s exactly what Apostolopoulos has been doing in Detroit. Shortly after purchasing the Silverdome, he called up Motor City Supporters President Andrew Kruz.
“It was the most surreal moment of my life,” Kruz told me. “My phone rang and he was like, ‘Hi, this is Steve . . . and I own the Silverdome.’” Kruz spoke enthusiastically about the potential Detroit MLS owners, and their active engagement with the fan community. “I think that they are doing an excellent job,” he said, “and we are doing anything we can do to help them make Detroit the 20th team in MLS.”
Ah, but ours is not the only bid for that 20th spot. MLS Commissioner Don Garber has been frank about wanting to place a second team in New York City, and give the Red Bulls a turnpike rival:

"Our attention is very focused on a 20th team as we speak. We'd like that team to be in New York City representing a second team in the Tri-State area," Garber said. "The Red Bulls are very supportive of that and believe that rivalry will help grow the popularity of the sport in the New York metropolitan area. So we're going to work hard and try to get something done perhaps as early as 2013."

That sounds grim for Detroit—but the New York bid is in flux. MLS had been working with the owners of the Mets, the Wilpons, but building Citi Field—and getting scammed by Bernie Madoff—has apparently put the Wilpons' interest on hold. Meanwhile, an English-backed group, bearing the name of the old New York Cosmos, is angling to take their spot. Much as the original Cosmos were led by Pelé to on-field success and international media attention, the new Cosmos have hired retired Manchester United superstar Eric Cantona to run their (theoretical) soccer operations—and have gotten a lot of international media attention for it.
But there’s something missing from the New York bid: a stadium, or even the land to build one. Meanwhile, The Triple Group owns the Silverdome, and all 127 acres around it, free and clear. It’s not a dedicated soccer facility yet, but the Silverdome’s owners are “taking out tenders with different architectural firms; soliciting designs.” In the meantime, Detroit sports fans will have plenty of chances to prove they can support another top-level pro sports team.
I asked Steve if the Silverdome will continue to host matches between elite international club teams, as in the Match of the Titans. “Yes, absolutely,” he told me. “We’ve been in discussions, we’ve been in negotiations. It’s a matter of when, not if.” Further, the Gold Cup—a tournament between North American countries’ national teams—is being played in the US this year, and Ford Field will host a doubleheader. If Michigan sports fans can pack that house, we’ll definitely turn some heads. “People ask me if I’m mad because Ford Field got the Gold Cup,” Apostolopoulos told me, “but I’m not at all; I’m happy!” Those games will be a crucial showcase for southeast Michigan’s support for elite soccer. Plus, the USMNT might be playing; there’s no way I’ll be passing up the opportunity to see them play live!
Meanwhile, Kruz tells me, the Motor City Supporters “Will travel and cause problems elsewhere in MLS,” just as the Sons of Ben did to get their franchise. Steve Apostolopoulos and the rest of the Triple Group will keep doing everything they can to secure an MLS franchise that will call the Silverdome home. “We are talking with MLS, we’re in negotations with MLS, and we hope to be able to announce something soon,” he said.
What can you do? Well, besides showing up and cheering whenever top-level soccer comes around, or joining the Motor City Supporters for a meetup or pickup soccer game, you can do something quick and easy right now: pledge to join me and my family at the renovated Silverdome.

Update: I interviewed Mr. Apostolopoulos again prior to the Gold Cup match, click for the latest!

Technorati Tags: nfl,mls,detroit,mls detroit,motor city supporters,the silverdome,gold cup

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