09-30-2002, 11:32 AM
Last night at 12:30am I got back from a road trip to Milwaukee to see my beloved Richmond Kickers take on the Milwaukee Rampage in the A-League Championship. We lost 2-1 in extra time, but other than that it was a fantastic time.
Driving from Richmond to Milwaukee is quite a haul, 14 hours in fact. We went through Cincinnati, Indiana and Chicago - which was cool and a new experience for me.
We checked into a hotel at 6am and although I should of slept I went out with a friend (the Kickers mascot) and explored Milwaukee, including a Miller Brewery tour which included three 8oz samples.
The Richmond fans (about 18 of us) and a few others (from Minnesota and Portland) all gathered before the game and 'tailgated' and knocked a ball around in the car-park. Two hours later we prepared ourselves in the 'stadium' (a stand with three grass banks).
After the game started our little group chanted throughout the game, outshouting the home crowd at a 6,000 capacity stadium. Even after they went ahead in the first round. When we equalized we went crazy!
When the winner went in for Milwaukee we were silent as the Rampage fans ran on the field. We stepped forward and saluted our boys, applauding them for playing a great game and a great season. We were thanked for making the trip.
We went back to the hotel and were invited to the teams post game party, they were a little happier here as they obviously began to reflect on what they had achieved rather than what they hadn't.
Best moment of the night was when a few friends and myself stood up to leave, the team applauded us. They stood and clapped and thanked us again for making the trip out. That was an awesome feeling!
The trip home the next day wasn't as long as it might have been, we had a fantastic time and reminisced in the car. One of the players even give one of my friends his runners-up medal.
I guess the point is, if you like football - perhaps miss it a bit, go and support your local team. Be as passionate as the British know how, find the local group of hardcore supporters. You will be appreciated and you will love it. It's so much more rewarding than being a Premiership fan (not sure about lower divisions, they may be like this - let me know).
The final will be repeated late tonight on Fox Sports World if you want to watch/record it. check http://www.foxsportsworld.com for the schedule.
Driving from Richmond to Milwaukee is quite a haul, 14 hours in fact. We went through Cincinnati, Indiana and Chicago - which was cool and a new experience for me.
We checked into a hotel at 6am and although I should of slept I went out with a friend (the Kickers mascot) and explored Milwaukee, including a Miller Brewery tour which included three 8oz samples.
The Richmond fans (about 18 of us) and a few others (from Minnesota and Portland) all gathered before the game and 'tailgated' and knocked a ball around in the car-park. Two hours later we prepared ourselves in the 'stadium' (a stand with three grass banks).
After the game started our little group chanted throughout the game, outshouting the home crowd at a 6,000 capacity stadium. Even after they went ahead in the first round. When we equalized we went crazy!
When the winner went in for Milwaukee we were silent as the Rampage fans ran on the field. We stepped forward and saluted our boys, applauding them for playing a great game and a great season. We were thanked for making the trip.
We went back to the hotel and were invited to the teams post game party, they were a little happier here as they obviously began to reflect on what they had achieved rather than what they hadn't.
Best moment of the night was when a few friends and myself stood up to leave, the team applauded us. They stood and clapped and thanked us again for making the trip out. That was an awesome feeling!
The trip home the next day wasn't as long as it might have been, we had a fantastic time and reminisced in the car. One of the players even give one of my friends his runners-up medal.
I guess the point is, if you like football - perhaps miss it a bit, go and support your local team. Be as passionate as the British know how, find the local group of hardcore supporters. You will be appreciated and you will love it. It's so much more rewarding than being a Premiership fan (not sure about lower divisions, they may be like this - let me know).
The final will be repeated late tonight on Fox Sports World if you want to watch/record it. check http://www.foxsportsworld.com for the schedule.