Here in Salt Lake there is a major league soccer (MLS) team called Real Salt Lake (RSL). They are in the MLS playoffs. On Thursday they played a knock-out game against LAFC, which I think stands for Los Angeles Futbol Club. RSL won and advanced to the semi-finals against Sporting Kansas City. The first game of that series (or whatever it's called in MLS) was Sunday, last night, here in Salt Lake. On Friday I was listening to the sports radio station that I listen to during the day and they said, "If you want to win tickets to the RSL game on Sunday night, call now." So I called and I won!
Sunday was cloudy and much colder than it had been on Saturday. The weather forecast was calling for rain, too. I bundled myself up in five layers of clothing and headed to the stadium. MT was still out of town and T didn't want to come, so I just went by myself. I felt a little sad and had a brief pity-party, but then I got over it and decided to enjoy myself.
It wasn't as cold as it could have been. The temperature was in the mid 50s for the first half and the wind was not blowing and there was no rain. It was pleasant. Plus, my seat was underneath the upper deck, so I was a little more sheltered than some other seats. The only bad thing about where I was sitting is that the Sporting KC fans were seated right above me and they had a drum and they banged on it frequently.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Soccer is fun to watch and it's exciting when they try to score a goal and even more exciting when your team actually scores a goal. I'll be honest with you though: when those 90 minutes are over and the score is tied, it kind of leaves you feeling empty. I like a result.
The same two teams play again next Sunday in Kansas City. I think the way it's done is that an aggregate score is kept to see who moves on. I'll keep an eye on it.
The MLS season is super long. I think they have training in February and start playing in March. If you're team is good enough to get to the playoffs, you're still playing in November. I think they take some time off in the summer for international play or something. Plus they don't play as many games as baseball or basketball, of course. Soccer seems extremely strenuous. That's a big field (pitch) they play on!
Here's a fun thing: RSL has a chant that the crowd does before and during the game. It's super catchy and a total ear worm. Take a listen and try to get it out of your head :)
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Oh yeah...and one more thing...
1 comment:
It is a catchy tune! :)
I like futbol!
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