Champions League match draws significant crowd

No, not that Champions League.

If you're one of those "I refuse to watch the MLS and I play FIFA online with Real Madrid because Cristiano Ronaldo is the face of masculinity"-type people, just click the back button on your browser.  Not only will you probably scoff at the following, but I don't even want you here.  This is for Americans who care.  So keep it moving, please.

RSL celebrates after Andy Williams' (far left)
free kick made it 4-1.

Last night, soccer in America took a pretty significant step in the right direction.  In early March, in 30-some-degree weather, on a Tuesday, Real Salt Lake convinced 15,405 people to come see a game nearly a month before their regular season home opener.  In the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, RSL defeated the Columbus Crew in dominating fashion, 4-1.  After a scoreless draw in the first leg, Salt Lake now advances to the semis, becoming the first-ever MLS club to do so.

Like the US Open Cup, the Champions League is a tournament, separate from Major League Soccer proper, that teams have taken more seriously in recent years, but have more or less failed to captivate mainstream fans.  The media is catching on, and the diehard supporters can tell you everything about these tournaments, but drawing the average fan to the stadium for these matches has been a struggle.

Columbus Crew has been one of the faces of MLS since its inception.  The first to compete in their own soccer-specific stadium, Columbus has a rabid and loyal fan base that has been an example for the growth of domestic club support.  With that said, it's rather surprising that last week's first leg was played in front of less than 5,000 fans, mostly Nordecke supporters and season-ticket holders.

RSL stressed that their ticket sales department phone-blasted as many people as possible, taking time to explain to even the most casual of fans that this tournament was important, the franchise was making it a priority, and that it's worth the time spent in the cold to come support Real.  Even GM Garth Lagerwey visited a Salt Lake radio station to sell the match.  The team took care to compare it with the UEFA Champions League to help people understand.  The end result?  Filling up more than 3/4 of the stadium and making this tournament relevant.

One would hope word of mouth could trigger a sellout for the semis, to be played against either Saprissa (Costa Rica) or Olimpia (Honduras).  And I'm not so naive to think this tournament will sellout across the country this year.  I don't think it will.  Just like anything American soccer has ever dealt with, publicity and time are the keys to success.  Both are among the main reasons behind the recent World Cup fever (along with the success on the field, obviously).

Stepping stones, people!  Stepping stones!  I said at the very beginning of this blog that it's an exciting time to be an American soccer fan right now.  That statement is no less true than it was five months ago. It's easy to get discouraged, with all the talk of corruption at FIFA an the like.  Thirty years ago, soccer in the States didn't even have a chance to experience these stepping stones.  I know we're not the best.  But I find it so difficult--when you have club teams selling out stadiums, and stars like Landon Donovan scoring game-winners on an international stage--not to want to jump right into the middle of it all, and soak up the prospect of what is currently a niche sport becoming something much more substantial.  And until that happens, I still love the sport, and love to be able identify with it on a national basis.