Major League Soccer Fans
Posted by Zane | Filed under Uncategorized
As mentioned in our last post, the MLS fans present at the ReAL Salt Lake vs. New York Red Bulls game last Saturday were incredible. Defining their behavior as rabid may be an understatement.
By “incredible” I mean both incredibly good and incredibly bad.
The ReAL Salt Lake faithful were incredibly supportive of their team Saturday night. Of all the Major League Soccer games I have attended, Saturday night’s match was the most intense, enjoyable atmosphere that I have been a part of as an MLS fan. That said, I couldn’t have been more disappointed of the way the fans behaved as the intensity of the game rose.
Never have I seen a crowd throw so much junk at the players on the field as I did on Saturday night. Debris, drinks, smoke bombs, streamers (that were taped close…intended to injure the players), and other junk were thrown at the opposing team in an attempt to either distract or injure the players on the field. The blatant disregard for the well-being of the athletes on the field was a disgrace.
Don’t get me wrong…I am a huge proponent of cheering loud, having fun, and trying to do all you can as a fan to buoy up your team, but when it gets to the point where fans are losing control and all sense of sportsmanship, it really taints the game as well as the league.
Never would you see such behavior from the fans of the world’s finest soccer leagues. Sure the fans elsewhere tend to be equally as “out of control” as what I have described the ReAL Salt Lake fans to be Saturday night, but at least they don’t throw smoke bombs out onto the field in the middle of the league’s semi-final match!
What a joke.
Just another reason why Major League Soccer is and will continue to be a step (or two or three) behind the powerhouse soccer leagues of the world.
Tags: Major League Soccer, MLS, MLS fans, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake, soccer fans
