Go Chicago Fire Go...Win!

Last Saturday I went to a DC United vs. Chicago Fire game at RFK Stadium. The former Redskins, Senators and Nationals stadium named after Robert F. Kennedy now home to DC United. It seems all of my recent blog posts are about sporting events. I will try to switch it up but so far I have baseball, football and now soccer…all that’s left is hockey, the Caps. But, I digress, back to the soccer game…

I’ll start with RFK Memorial Stadium. Outside there were lots of people were entering the stadium, it was well lit, lots of ads and lights but then once inside the stadium was very odd as it felt abandoned. The entire upper sections were empty and half of the concessions stands were closed. The ones that were open had very limited options. There was a very eerie feeling being in that stadium. Luckily our section was packed. Fans we right on top of each other, decked out in their team’s gear, face paint, large flags etc. When DC United scored its one goal the crowd erupted and it almost (almost) reminded me of the game I saw in Spain with all the flag action. I don’t think I have even noticed a lot of flags at the Chicago Fire games I have attended but then again I am usually enjoying the packed stadium and very enthusiastic crowd.

For all those who like the travel advice, this stadium is also Metro accessible but I found that bus ride back was very enjoyable and dropped me off at the exact intersection that I was aiming to be. The bus system here is fantastic! Only negative was that a girl was dying to start a fight with me so I had to turn away from her the entire ride. At one point she threw her gum wrapper at me. Ridiculous. And I am still questioning her pregnancy as she shoved her way to the back of the bus and rudely sat down next to a poor guy stuck in the corner.

So on to the fútbol game. I’ll be honest, not much happened in the first 85 minutes of play. Then as the game was coming to a close, DC United received a penalty kick and scored. My guess is they thought the game was over as Chicago quickly answered back with a tying goal. Going into the penalty time the score was tied 1 – 1. Who’d thunk it that the Fire would score in the last minutes of the additional time? Increíble. I noticed only one group of gentlemen a few rows below cheering loudly for that one. I was very close to going down there and throwing my hollers into the mix but alas I was among the DC United fans and there were children everywhere. I didn’t want to trip over one of them.



Overall, I think the stadium is waaay too large for the crowd and they definitely need to open more concessions. But, the game was fun and yet again Chicago came out on top. Go Chicago Fire Go...Win!

United: 1 vs. Chicago: 2