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.