Game #45- MLS CUP finals

LA Galaxy vs Houston Dynamo
November 20, 2011
Home Depot Center

Well after several years of my sports adventure I am finally able to go to a championship final. In the 2010/2011 NBA season I attempted to go to the game 7 finals between the Lakers and Celtics but I was on the east coast that same day, so I would have to fly home and immediately get into my car then hope for no traffic to get to the game ontime (not to mention the single game ticket was $700). The MLS cup on the other hand was much easier to come by. Once the tickets were available 4 months prior to the game I picked up some awesome seats only a couple rows from the field. Then the stars lined up and my home team LA Galaxy made it to the Cup playing against the Houston Dynamo.

The week of the game I was checking the weather forecast about 5 times a day. One day it was 90% chance of rain, then the next day it was suppose to be windy with no clouds. When game day finally arrived I woke up in Malibu with a huge storm on top of us, wind howling and it was pouring...this was not going to be fun. As game time approached it the faucet in the sky was still going strong so Keli and I decided to get some extra poncho's, along with every other person going to the game. Needless to say the local Target had no supplies. But we were inventful and decided to buy a couple shower curtains we could cover up with...worked perfectly!

Now onto the game, the crew with me today are Keli, one of my best friends DI and his newly ringed up fiance Amanda. As game time approached the heavily pro Galaxy fans were becoming rabid. Everyone feels that this is our year. Back in 2009 we lost to Real Salt Lake in shootouts and now it is time for redemption. It is hard to imagine that the Galaxy wouldn't win with the current star power on the field. Landon Donovan, newly acquired Robbie Keane and David Beckham backed by the best goalie in the league Josh Saunders. On Houston the biggest name and former US national team member Brian Ching was ready to bring down the best team in the league (Galaxy won the Supporters Shield for most regular season points). The game started fairly sloppy which I assume was because of the soaking wet field. The ball was slipping and skipping all over the pitch which lead to very sloppy play on both sides. In the first half LA completely dominated the field and ball possesion. Not only did they have the majority of corner kicks but also had a couple near misses on the goal. In the second half it was more of the same, hard shots, many more corners and several direct kicks just outside of the goalie box. Then at the 72nd minute Beckham lobbed a perfect pass to Keane who fed the ball to Donovan and he made no mistakes on this one by placing the ball in the net for a 1-0 lead. Houston really had no reponse and the time clicked away for a Galaxy championship! The Home Depot center went wild, "We Are The Champions" blasted over the speakers, and the players jumped for joy. Seeing the cup in "our" hands was fantastic. Most players went around the stadium and thanked the fans for a great year (Juninho ran over to the LA Brigade and took the huge Galaxy flag and waved it back an forth on the field bringing the fans to a frenzy).

What a great game, not to be topped anytime soon...

Game #44- DC United

DC United vs. Chivas USA
September 21, 2011
RFK Stadium

What a crappy looking day in the MD/DC area. All day it was horrifically humid and on the verge of raining, and then of course as soon as the whistle blew to start the game the water spout was let open. Once again on the east coast for work and I managed to plan the trip around another game, now I just have the Baltimore Ravens to go. I was really excited about this game because two former UCSB Gauchos are suppose to be on the field. During the starting line up though, I realized Chris Pointius of DC United was on the injured list but at least Dan Kennedy was in goal for Chivas. It was a back and forth game that was pretty sloppy because of the wet turf. The ball was skipping around and the passing was piss pour. To make it worse, my seat was second row dead center but because of the rain and the proximity of the stands to the pitch I couldn't see anything. But, the positive about watching soccer in the US is that you can pretty much sit where ever you want so I just moved up a couple of sections to get get under some shelter. The first thing I noticed is what a dump RFK is. I thought Qualcomm was a concrete jungle but the nasty looking rafters and bucket seats that were falling apart made Chargers stadium look like a gem. As for the game, again it was sloppy but had an exciting finish. DC United's Dwayne De Rosario ruled the game and had a great set piece goal in the first half. White quickly made it 2-0 for the home team only two minutes later to go into the intermission. The second half had a lot of back and forth plays when Chivas put one in the onion bag by former Galaxy member Juan Pablo Angel. with only 20 minutes left in the game Angel got another one to tie the game and silence the crowd. The game got real exciting when in extra minutes Angel took down De Rosario in the box resulting in a PK. With the crowd going nuts De Rosario crack a shot but the diving Dan Kennedy chose correctly and pushed the ball away preserving a tie. It was a fun game and a good way to close out the week.

No funny stories but I did have a cool moment at the end of the game. My plan was to get my UCSB jersey signed by the two Gauchos but with the Pointius injury and my brain fart (forgetting a sharpie at work) that was not going to be possible. But in the least I wanted to get a picture with Kennedy before I headed back to the hotel. I managed to get in the Chivas area but couldn't think how I was going to get his attention. No fewer than two seconds later a chick next to me starting screaming his name and had a Dan Kennedy for president poster. I thought that would never work, but to my surprise he knew the girl and walked right over. He was in a great mood after the fantastic PK save. When I asked if I could get a pic he realized what jersey I was wearing and he gave me a "Ole Ole Ole Ole, Gauchos Gauchos!" Sweet way to end the day. Also got a sweet photo...

Game #43- New England Revolution

New England Revolution vs. Houston Dynamo
August 17th, 2011
Gillette Stadium

I am on the east coast for the 2011 Age Group Nationals of Triathlon. The race is actually up in Burlington, VT but I figured not only is the flight to Boston much cheaper, but I could get in a game and explore the scenic New England area by car. What's interesting about the stadium is that it is located in the sleepy little town of Foxborough, MA. I went for a run and bike in the area and it kind of reminds me of the houses and small mom and pop stores around the Charlotte area in NC. One of the pleasant surprises (and this only happened one other time in Phoenix for the Coyotes game) is that parking was free! The second thing I loved about the game is that because the stadium is so huge it really didn't matter where you sat. I was supposed to be behind the goal in "The Fort" but I sat dead center, 3rd row and no one bothered me. The game was fairly unexciting. The only two players on the field I knew where both national team members, Benny Feilhaber of the Revs and Brian Ching on the Dynamo. Despite the relatively unknown teams the play on the field was pretty good. There were a ton of great saves by the Revs keeper Matt Reis making several one arm reaction saves and a couple finger tip blocks. The first goal of the game came from the leg of Ryan Cochrane just before halftime and it remained 1-0 until the 90th minute when Reis made an amazing save which led to a fluke open net goal by Bobby Boswell. The scored ended in a 1-1 tie, but the players started a pretty good brawl at the final whistle. This was definitely good times and I know I will really appreciate the fans and the empty stadium compared to when I come back for a Patriots games!

Game #42-Boston Redsox

Boston Redsox vs. Cleveland Indians
August 2nd, 2011
Fenway Park

While on a business trip to Boston I was able to get in a Redsox game. The flight into the city was completely uneventful until the final 10 minutes when I noticed the heavy rainfall and numerous lightning bolts streaming from the skies. Considering my flight was scheduled to get in at 6pm and the game was at 7pm, I thought for sure it would be called due to weather conditions. But what the heck, let's give it the ole college try. If you have never driven in Boston it is nuts. The last time I was in this city the "Big Dig" was in full swing, now I was meandering through the underground highways trying not to get lost and also thankful I had cash for all the tolls. I managed to find parking and made a mad dash for the ballpark to be met by torrential downpours which did in fact delay the game...for 2 hours! But I made the best of it. Luckily I had my umbrella with me so I trolled around historic Fenway getting pics from every available angel (except the Green Monster, I was not allowed up without a ticket). Not only did I take a ton of cool pics, but I also bought a 100th anniversary brick for Fenway (this is my fifth brick and it states "Chris Costales from San Diego, it's wicked hot!"). Once it hit 9pm the rain finally let up and it was game on. I was able to stay for only a couple of innings because I had a client meeting the following morning, but I did manage to see a homer by Cleveland's Jason Kipnis in the first inning and then a couple of Redsox hits to bring in Kevin Youkilis in the second. The game ended in an exciting 9th inning where pinch runner Jarrod Saltalamacchia rounded the bases and managed to slide head first at home to get the 3-2 win. I wish I could have been there for the final play but it was still a good time to get to the oldest ballpark in the nation.

Quote of the day: For the first pitch of the game, randomly a pregnant lady was given the opportunity. But remember, there was a rain delay for two hours and what else is there to do as a fan (especially in Boston) than to drink. So as the super pregnant lady was on the mound a female behind me says in a thick Boston accent "It would be wicked cool if dat ladies watta broke on da mound". Classic...

Game #41-Portland Timbers

Porland Timbers vs New York Redbulls
June 19th, 2011
Jeld-Wen Stadium

This is my second time in Portland, the first was a whirlwind night at a bar but this time more than made up for it. Me and the guys had our yearly dude trip, and the Rose City was this years destination vacation. The funny thing is that we were expecting bar hopping, frisbee golf and food carts...the rain and gay pride week said otherwise. No worries though, we still crushed it. Probably hit up 10 bars over 2 nights and had one of the cheapest (mind you cheapest, not best) steak dinners ever, $3.50 for a 6oz steak and fries! Well at the tail end of the trip I decided to hit up a Portland Timbers game with my college buddy Pete Oskin. I love the sport of soccer and was amped for this match, not only are the fans great but also one of the most famous players in the world was going to be on the pitch for the opposition...Thiery Henry of the New York Redbulls. A couple months back I went to a game in Seattle and was blown away by the fan base, they came in droves and were jumping the entire game. But Portland...wow, this city is soccer crazy! Everyone knew each team song, 20000 fans in unison screaming Rose City or PT SC...PT SC...PT SC. I especially like going to stadiums where fans love the national anthem. They do crazy things like the Chicago Blackhawks screaming the entire time, the Washington Caps screaming at the top of their lungs everytime the word RED is sung, and in Portland they would make the "PSSSHHHH" sound after each line just like a pair of symbols being smashed together while giving jazz hands...awesome.

As for the game, it started off pretty slow. Poor passing, missteps, blown opportunities, but once the first goal went in it was full speed ahead the rest of the match. The Redbulls tallied the first goal by some spectacular moves and a pass from Henry to Austin Da Luz. After that it was all Portland for the next 35 minutes scoring three goals sending the stadium in a frenzy. What I love about this team is the mascot, Portland Jack. He roams the stadium with a chainsaw and after each goal he makes a 3 inch cut off of a log laying in the home field endzone. But in the 73rd minute Henry put away a goal to cut the lead to 3-2 and the Redbulls tied the game in extra minutes on a penalty kick.

Overall it was a very exciting game. A total of six goals and two penalty kicks...can't get much better than that. I was just hoping for a home win as I wanted to see what the fans would do. Oh well, again great fans, great stadium, great time!