Gary BUTTERWORTH Online

STRATFORD, NJ, USA

I’m a little late in writing about this, but last Sunday my mom watched my grandmom while I went up to North Jersey to watch the international friendly between the national soccer teams of the USA and Argentina.

It was the second part of my weekend of sports day trips, and I had a great time!

Soccer and Me

Since this is (I think) my first blog post dealing with soccer, and since I never really mentioned the sport until a couple of years ago, I thought I might as well write a little bit about my semi-newfound interest in the game.

I never played or watched soccer growing up. I never had any interest in it whatsoever, and, like a lot of fans of traditional American sports, I even looked down on soccer as being too slow and boring.

But when I was doing my internship in France back in 2004, one of my friends suggested going to a Ligue 1 game. I went (RC Strasbourg vs Auxerre), and I actually enjoyed it. I wouldn’t say I was hooked, but I went to another Strasbourg game during my four months in France, as well as the 2004 SwissCom Cup final in Basel. (In hindsight, I’m kicking myself for not going to a Bundesliga game when I had the opportunity.) It wasn’t such a bad game after all!

I moved to Washington, DC, later in 2004, and I had heard that the Supporters’ Clubs for MLS’ DC United brought an enthusiasm to the games similar to that of some of the European ice hockey fan clubs. So, I started to going to DC United games and sitting with the Screaming Eagles and later the Barra-Brava. The enthusiasm of the fans in these clubs is contagious, and it didn’t take me very long to become a rabid DC United fan and, shortly thereafter, a somewhat serious soccer fan. I even started reading soccer books!

Ironically, after moving away from DC at the end of 2006, my love for DC United only grew. 2007 was an extremely difficult year in my life, and watching DC United games on TV and online was my way of staying connected to the city that I loved even after I had to move away.

So, I have only been watching soccer for about four years, and I have only been watching soccer seriously for about two. This was my second US Mens’ National Team game (I previously saw the World Cup Qualifier versus Panama in DC in 2004), and my first trip to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

Giants Stadium

Adding Giants Stadium to my list of stadia where I’ve attended games was a small part of the reason I decided to go. However, there’s really not much to say about the place.

I had driven by Giants Stadium a handful of times before, and I still maintain that, from the outside, it is an interesting-looking stadium.

Inside, it’s your typical mid-70s concrete giant. It’s utilitarian, and I suppose a little spartan compared to the newer NFL stadiums, but it’s not really the horror that I had heard. The concourses are cramped, and there isn’t as much luxury seating as in newer stadiums. But the seats were comfortable, and the view from my seat was good. I didn’t move around the stadium to take in different viewpoints like I normally do when I visit a new sports venue, but it looked like everyone had a good view of the soccer field. (Sorry, I just don’t like saying “pitch” or “football.”)

One of the main gripes about Giants Stadium is its location, and this was indeed a problem. I drove up from Southern NJ; you pretty much have to drive to Giants Stadium, which is a shame considering that it is within sight of the New York City skyline, and many people from NYC would gladly take mass transit if it were more readily available. I didn’t have much of a problem going in, but coming out was a different story. Because of all the congestion, it took me an hour and 45 minutes for me to go the quarter mile or so from my seat to the New Jersey Turnpike!

The stadium was packed with close to 79,000 fans for this game. The fans brought a lot of excitement, so maybe that reflected positively on the stadium itself. With a smaller crowd, like what Red Bull New York draws, I’m sure Giants Stadium is a dead place.

The Game

The US-Argentina match was officially an “international friendly.” Essentially, this is an exhibition game; this wasn’t part of a tournament, and nothing was really on the line. But international soccer friendlies mean more than, say, a Spring Training baseball game or a hockey all-star game. For one thing, FIFA counts friendly matches in calculating world rankings, and the US could certainly stand to move up in the standings (at #21, I think we’re underrated pretty severely). Similarly, friendly matches count in players’ career statistics in just the same way the a World Cup final would.

Secondly, national soccer teams don’t have all that many opportunities to play together. With World Cup Qualifiers coming up, games like these are important in building team chemistry. And finally, with 79,000 fans on hand (maybe half American, half Argentinian), neither team wanted to disappoint. The fans also weren’t expecting to be disappointed, and I heard a handful of people say that the game had a “World Cup atmosphere” in the stands.

Both teams played more-or-less their full squads. I was disappointed that Altidore was left off the US team (still recovering from a slight injury), and I had been hoping to see Riquelme and Tevez play for Argentina. But otherwise, the big names played. It was a thrill to see Lionel Messi play the first half for Argentina, and it was nice to see Landon Donovan earn his 100th cap for the US.

I sat in section 101, the main US supporters section.

I bought my ticket from the American Outlaws, but it was a general admission, standing section that was mostly dominated by Sam’s Army, the main US supporters’ club. Despite the heat (high 90s F) and humidity, the fan clubs were loud. I thought it was too hot, so I left my scarf and fuzzy hat in the car, but lots of people sweated it out with theirs. We weren’t perfect, but we stood and sang for the whole game. Once it started to rain with about 15 minutes left, we took it up a notch and really rocked the place.

Here’s a YouTube video of the atmosphere in my section:

I wish I could find a video of us after it started raining, when it really got loud!

Tim Howard stood on his head in goal for the US, but we just couldn’t finish our chances.
The game ended in a 0-0 tie. (I can hear the anti-soccer crowd groan about the result.) I joked to a couple of friends that, “it’s almost like the game never happened.” I was mostly kidding, though. Argentina is ranked #1 in the world, and the US is ranked 21st. Considering that, it was somewhat of a moral victory. Plus, I really enjoyed myself. Even with no result, I’m glad I went. And, I’m glad that I had a busy weekend for once!

Link du jour: ESPN’s game recap.

Filed under: international, Life, Posts with Pictures, Soccer, Sports, Stadiums Tagged: | Giants Stadium, international friendly, US-Argentina, USMNT