Atlanta Rovers FC — LGSA (8-5-2023)

 

Today was a historic day, as I went for my first-ever groundhop with my oldest son! Given that we live pretty far away from any half-decent team, and all decent teams play almost exclusively in the evening (which is too late for him), we ended up with a game in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), a national soccer league, which runs regional sub-leagues across the country, including one in Georgia. So, we drove about 73 miles (roughly 100 km) to Jonesboro, Georgia, but when we arrived there, something looked suspicious. There were hundreds of people, which never is the case in lower league soccer in the US.

 

Turns out, there was a high school band competition, a big event in the South, particularly within the African American community. After several minutes of panic, we found out that the game was still played, at the same time, but at Southern Crescent Stadium, which turned out to be only 10 min away, in Riverdale, GA.

 

Southern Crescent Stadium is home to the football team of the local high school, an amazing venue for school kids to play their sports. It has an Astroturf football pitch (with additional soccer lines) and two main stands, both pretty sizeable – I guestimate a total capacity of several thousand. Obviously, nowhere near as many people show up for a UPSL game. In fact, only some 50 people were there for this free game, almost all Hispanic, like most players, and mainly representing 6 groups of people related to a player. I think there were three other fans without family connections in the stadium.

 

The season of the UPSL Premier League – Georgia Division had started already in March – unfortunately, I only found out about the existence of this league in early May – and neither team had started too well. After five games, LGSA (from Norcross, GA) were near the bottom and Atlanta Rovers (from Marietta, GA) a bit above the middle.

 

We arrive 13 minutes late and the home team is already 1-0 up. It is unexpectedly hot, at least 30C (and possible hotter in the sun) and the main stand is uncovered and in the sun. Taking a hint from the few people in the stand, I get my umbrella out of my car and sit under it with my son, which helps. Although Atlanta Rovers are 1-0 up, LGSA seems to be the better team. In the 35^th minute, the guests play a good through ball but the goalie comes out and deflects the shot with one hand. The corner doesn’t bring anything.

 

In the 41^st minute we see the first shot of the hosts, which goes well over. But the next minute they get a penalty after a clumsy foul in the penalty box, which is well converted: 2-0. That is also the half time score.

 

The level of play has been pretty poor in the first half and the second half is not better. The pitch is very dry and both teams seem to have a problem with estimating the pace of the ball. Most crosses are poor and players have very mediocre control, despite playing on Astroturf. In the 65^th minute LGSA has only its second corner, which is cleared, after which a remarkably effective counter attack is finished – helped by clumsy goalkeeping: 3-0 and game over.

 

Although the Atlanta Rovers have not really been the better team, the big difference with LGSA is that they converted the few chances they got. After the 3-0 the game becomes even more dire, not helped by the heat, undoubtedly. It is a bit cruel of the referee to play 3 minutes of extra time.

 

By U.S. lower league standards, this wasn’t too bad a game. The stadium was very decent – although could have used a cover for the sun – and the fans were small in numbers but big in atmosphere. I’ll definitely go to another UPSL game (with my son)!

Orlando City SC - DC United (22-04-2023)

 

I arrive at the stadium around 6.15 PM, after a drive of about 8 hours, and park for $20 at a 5 minute walk from the stadium. When I arrive at the entrance, I join a cue to get into the stadium because… it isn’t open yet! They open exactly one hour before the announced kick-off time of 7.30 PM. However, because the US seems to be the only country to be unable to start games at the announced time, the game actually starts about 10 minutes later.

 

I had bought my ticket for Orlando City SC - DC United in the Major League Soccer (MLS) online through Seat Geek, several weeks earlier, from another supporter – probably a season ticket holder who rarely goes to a game — as always, everything is electronic. Although the ticket itself was pretty affordable ($27), the administrative “Fees” ($15) were extortionist, as usual.

 

Exploria Stadium is a relatively new (2019) soccer-specific stadium with a capacity of 25,500, shared by Orlando City SC (MLS) and Orlando Pride (NWSL). Like so many other soccer-specific stadium of (aspiring) MLS stadiums, it has a nice design, the seats are close to the pitch, and the acoustics are great. This Saturday night is quite warm (29 C) and humid but within the open stadium it is pleasant.

 

As I am starved, I first get some food. In the age-old tradition of US sports stadiums, the food is expensive and mediocre. The small (and cold) Chicago Dog is $9.50, the Fries $5, but pretty good, and the water another $5.

 

The audience is an interesting mix of Rednecks and Hispanics with only a minority of the usual upper middle class whites that dominate most MLS stadiums. I guesstimate that some 50% is Hispanic, with very few African Americans, and a very good gender mix (probably some 33% women/girls). The official attendance was 19,514 but no way there are even 15,000 people in the stadium. There are some 25 away supporters.

 

Before the game there is a lot of hype music but very little atmosphere. The stadium is at time at best half full. The free WiFi is great though. Also, the acoustics are crazy good. Everything sounds really loud.

 

 

The game starts pretty decent. Orlando has most of the ball but DC has some good counter attacks. In the 12^th minute the guests commit a dumb foul and give the hosts a free kick at the side of the pitch, roughly 16 meter out. But, after a pinball moment in the box, it only leads to a (harmless) corner kick. Three minutes later, DC United has an excellent counter attack over just a few players and the striker finishes perfectly in a one-on-one with the goalie. The guests lead 0-1.

 

In the 23^rd minute an excellent defensive tackle wins Orlando the ball at the middle of the pitch and two passes later the striker, squeezed between a defender and the goalie, finishes excellently: 1-1. Straight after the hosts have another big chance but the final ball is overshot.

 

In the 40^th minute, a long Orlando attack brings a long cross that is deflected from 2 meters by a defender but the goalkeeper tips it over. Great safe! Three minutes into extra time, a deflected Orlando cross is headed in from just 5 meters but straight at the goalie. Half time score: 1-1.

 

 

The second half starts a bit haltingly. After an injury and substitution have paused the game for several minutes, DC United takes a corner that is easily headed in at the first post: 1-2. The stadium is in complete shock and goes silent for minutes.

 

In the 62^nd minute, a cross is headed into the box, a DC striker controls is with his chest and volleys it in a turn from 5 meters: 1-3. An excellent goal! Three minutes later, Orlando has a beautiful falling header after a corner which is saved from close range.

 

In the 70^th minute a hard Orlando cross is missed inches from the goal. Some seven minutes later a DC player is literally run off the ball but Orlando again cannot score from the counter attack. It is clear that this game is over and, indeed, it ends 1-3.

 

Although Orlando City SC lost, and the beautiful Exploria stadium was at best two-thirds full, I had an excellent evening. The acoustics are amazing and created an excellent atmosphere despite the fans not being remarkably loud. After the (American) football experience in the Mercedes Benz Stadium, it was nice to have a real soccer experience again in the MLS.

Washington Spirit - OL Reign (26-03-2023)

I arrive in DC by train from NYC at 2 PM and walk to my hotel. After checking in, I meet a colleague and we take the bus together to Audi Field, a beautiful, new soccer-specific stadium in the south point of the city, close to Nationals Park, the baseball stadium. Audi Field is a soccer-specific stadium with a capacity of 20,000 that is the home ground of both MLS-side DC United and NWSL-side Washington Spirit. It is perfect for US soccer: not too big, close to the pitch, and steep stands.

 

Today is the opening day of the 2023 National Women Soccer League (NWSL) season and there is a decent, highly orchestrated, atmosphere around the stadium — including a live band inside the stadium. We go to the Ticketmaster Office Box, which is the most US thing ever. After about 5-10 minutes of conversations with the perfectly nice woman at the office, we decide to buy the two-for-one tickets behind the goal ($40 total), which we then get texted to my phone — they don’t print tickets at the stadium! We could this also have done it online in 2 min.

 

The stadium is about half full: official attendance is 11,281. Although there is gender parity, the audience isn’t that much different from MLS, except a bit more diverse (could just be DC), more women couple, and fans wear far less team gear. Although we sit behind the goal, the view is quite good, in part because the stands are steep.

 

The first half hour or so are all for the visitors. In the 15^th minute OL Reign had an excellent attack, a long cross in and an excellent header met with an equal safe by the goalie. Not much later, OL Reign’s number 10 (Fishlock) gives a great ball through but the next pass is too difficult. Only later the Spirit has its first great attack but the header goes past the goal.

 

Only after 30 minutes the game gets pretty even and there are some good semi chances on both sides. In the first minutes of extra time (7 minutes), an OL Reign cross from the right goes across the goal to the left, where. player brings it back, the ball is headed through, and then headed from 3 meter but weakly at goalie. Half time score: 0-0, but definitely entertaining.

 

In the 47^th minute an OL Reign cross goes towards the goal and is saved very well by the excellent Spirit goalie. In the 55^th minute, completely out of nowhere, a Sprit striker crosses diagonally in front of the goal and shoots perfectly against her run low in the corner: 1-0. An excellent goal.

 

After the goal the game is fairly balanced. In the 78^th minute a great OL Reign counter attack, with a beautiful cross, leads to a missed header by the striker from 5 meter in front of an open goal. In the end, the Spirit holds on to its lead, thanks to a very good defense, both individually and collectively, and an excellent goalie, who was my MVP.

 

This was my first NWSL groundhop and I honestly regret not having gone before. This definitely tasted like more. So, if you are visiting DC, and want a slightly different experience, go to see Washington Spirit (instead of, or together with, DC United).

 

 

Atlanta United — Portland Timbers (18-03-2023)

 

We drive the 1.5 hour south to Atlanta, eat and park close to a Marta station, and take the metro to the stadium. Together with hundreds of other supporters we walk up to the stadium but before we can get in, we have to store my wife’s bag ($10) because they have a clear-bag policy.

 

The Mercedes Benz Stadium (MBS) is multipurpose stadium with a futuristic design. It looks, feels, and pretty much is a football stadium, not a soccer stadium, which is not that surprising, as the owner of Atlanta United is also, first and foremost, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons. MBS has a capacity of 75,000 but uses “just” 42,500 seats for Atlanta United (the upper stand is closed and covered, which makes it look as if it isn’t empty) – compared to 71,000 for the Falcons.

 

Like all new football stadium, MBS has massive spaces and feels like a mall: uninspiring, overpriced food options, and video screens all over the place. Although it is cold outside, the roof of the stadium is closed and the internal temperature is pretty mild.

 

We bought our tickets through the Timbers Army, the fan group of the Portland Timbers, and sit with approximately 25 other Timbers fans in the nosebleeds. This notwithstanding, we paid $60 each for the tickets, undoubtedly paying at least $15 to Ticketmaster, which holds an extortive monopoly on almost all music and sports tickets in the US.

 

The stadium is immense and is about 70 percent full (at best) – official attendance number was undoubtedly much higher but it seems many of the 30,000 season ticket holders didn’t show. Given the prices, it should come as no surprise that the crowd is very much (upper) middle class but remarkably multicultural (as is Atlanta’s middle class). This was possible the most diverse crowd I have ever seen at a professional soccer game.

 

The atmosphere is certainly not like on the tv — it is ok, mostly coming from a section behind the goal and from organized events. Again, it feels more like a football than a soccer game. Even the pre-game “rituals” look designed by a PR company rather than grassroots. This is not to say that Atlanta United is not embraced by the city or that there are not some hardcore fans!

 

Portland scores in the second half, a shot out of nowhere, from about 20 meters, in the far corner. But, after minutes of wait and VAR, it is canceled because of offside of some interfering player — this makes absolutely no sense but they don’t show a replay in the stadium. After this crazy start, a very mediocre game unfolds in which Portland defends terribly but gets some decent chances too. Still, in the 25^th minute Portland attacks, loses the ball, and in a counter attack two Portland defenders run into each other and the just 18-year old striker Wiley finishes cool in front of goalie: 1-0.

 

 

In extra time a Portland defender makes an incredibly dumb foul and after several minutes the A player shoots it beautifully in the far corner but it is from far away and not that hard so the goalie should definitely have done better. Anyway, in the the fifth minute (!) of extra time it is 2-0, which is also the half time score.

 

Early in the second half the new Greek striker of Atlanta, Giakoumakis, scores on the counter but he is offside. A few minutes later he has another big chance. In the 59th minute, he finally scores, after a great cross, and horrific defending, a fairly free header, well placed: 0-3.

 

In the 75^th minute I can no longer take it and we make our way back to the metro. On our way out, Atlanta scores the 4-0. Outside, we don’t hear the Portland consolation goal, but we do hear the final Atlanta goal: 5-1. An absolute slaughter.

 

I accept that I am not objective on this game, as a defeated Timbers supporter, but I was underwhelmed by the Atlanta United experience. As said before, it is a football rather than a soccer experience. Many will like this, and the stadium is impressive from an architectural point of view, but it is not why I groundhop.

 

Kalonji Pro-Profile — Beaman United (20-11-2022)

As the US has a summer competition, with the MLS season usually running from March to October, and some of the lower leagues playing just 6-8 games over the summer, it is hard to find any soccer in November. However, the qualifying rounds for the US Open Cup are still on, so I went to a game in the third round for the 2023 season. Kalonji Pro-Profile is a soccer academy from Lawrenceville, a suburb of Atlanta, which plays its games at the football stadium of Shiloh High School. Don’t ask me where that name comes from.

 

The stadium is quite big, with huge bleachers, which could easily fit 1.000 people, I think. On this cold Sunday evening, there are less than 20 though. Most seem either family or friends of the players. The game is free, by the way.

 

Despite a minimum number of fans, and a complete lack of atmosphere, the home team already scores in the 4^th minute after a quick counter and a cool finish across the goal. About fifteen minutes, the guests, Beaman United, another academy all the way from Nashville, Tennessee, have a header in the box, which goes wide.

 

In the 39^th minute a Beaman shot from 20 meters bounces in front of the goalkeeper, who also gets the rebound. A few minutes later the guests get a throw-in at 20 meter, but lose it, and with one pass a Kalonji striker is alone at the goalie, who is about 30 meter outside of his goal, and simply passed by a low shot from almost 40 meter. However, in the extra time, Beaman scores from a deflected rebound just outside of box. Half time score: 2-1.

 

I spend the half time in my car, as there is absolutely nothing to do (or eat) and it is cold, and when I get back, the game has just restarted, and a good attack of the guests leads to a shot from close range and a good safe. In the 72th minute, out of nowhere, a Beaman player accelerates from 20 meter, gets through 2 defenders, and shoots from roughly 13 meter hard and high, leaving the goalie no chance: 2-2.

 

Just five minutes later, a seemingly easy build-up is given away by consecutive terrible passes and in a by-now classic counter Kalonji easily scores the 3-2. Two minutes later, Beaman hits the crossbar with a header. In the 85^th minute, Kalonji has a slow counter, where a players stands for almost a minute with the ball on the sideline, gives a pass, and the striker shoots hard from inside box, but the Beaman goalie saves.

 

 

At that time, I decide to leave, as it is both boring and really cold. Turnout out, second before the end of regular time, Beaman equalized, out of a corner, and a freaky own goal from one meter. This led to extra time, without goals, and ultimately penalties, which were won by Beaman United, in the ultimate penalty, 3-4. Quite the turnaround, as Kalonji was much better in the first half and kind of failed to kill off the game at that stage.

 

 

In the end, I am not sad to have left earlier. US soccer at this level is just so sad. I cannot remember ever playing for so few people. Even when I was 6 years old, in the Netherlands, there would be more family and friends. The “soccer academies” are just random selections of players who still hope to make it semi-pro, I guess. Although I miss groundhopping, I don’t think I will go to these low level games in the US anymore.

Birmingham Legion FC — Loudon United FC (27-07-2022)

It is a Wednesday in July and I drive roughly three hours to Birmingham, the capital of Alabama, to see a midweek game in the USL Championship, the second tier of professional soccer in the US, which is, however, miles away from Major League Soccer. The local team is Birmingham Legion FC, founded in 2017, which plays in the Protective Stadium, the brand new stadium of the football team of the University of Alabama Birmingham (AUB) — note, this is not thé University of Alabama team, which has won more national championships than any other school in the past decade, but technically only the third college football team in the state (after “Bama” and Auburn).

 

I arrive early, at least that is what I think, but when I get to the ticket office, I see on a small screen in the office that they started at 19.05, rather than 20.00 (as I had seen online). As I pay $25 for a ticket, Birmingham Legion FC scores a goal: 1-0.

 

The Protective Stadium opened last year and has a capacity of 47,100! It is too big for the Legion though. Even though there are long banners covering parts of the stands, the stadium looks empty with the roughly 1,500 people inside. A small group of about 50-100 home fans are behind one of the goals and drum and sing for much of the game.

 

There are lot of (young) women and quite a lot of non-whites (although, given demographics of Birmingham, whites are still heavily overrepresented). Moreover, when I walk to the other side, i.e. the expensive section, it is all white. Here, also, few people watch the game. They talk.

 

Ten minutes later, as I finally sit down with a cool bottle of water — it is hot, although with a pleasant breeze — Birmingham Legion gets a penalty after a clumsy challenge. The player scores comfortably and it’s 2-0.

 

In the 42^nd minute, the hosts have an enormous chance, after a good attack, but the striker shoots from 7 meter straight at the goalkeeper. Two minutes later, after a long attack, they score easy when a player is totally free at 10 meter and can pick a corner: 3-0. This is also the half-time score.

 

Just two minutes into the second half a Legion striker runs at the goal and a defender gives him a very obvious and dumb push from behind: yet another penalty and a red card. The player scores and it is 4-0, game completely over.

 

Oddly enough, the next goal comes from the Canadian guests, after a sparse attack, scoring easily: 4-1. In fact, Loudon is now better, despite playing with 10 men, mainly because Birmingham can no longer be bothered. The fans are also even quieter now. Fair enough though, as the game is over, despite the guests getting better into the game.

 

A few minutes before the end of regular rime, A Legion player has a great dribble and is tripped in the box. The third penalty of the night, all clear and deserved, and it is 5-1. In the second minute of overtime, 5 hosts attack against 4 visitors, the player picks a corner, and it is 6-1. This is also the final score.

 

With such a high score and such great weather, this was obviously a nice evening. Moreover, while this is not a soccer-specific stadium, it could be a great ground for a (popular) MLS team one day. Now, it looks a bit sad, even though the small group of drummers and singers as well as the stadium’s great acoustics saves it a bit (if you close your eyes).