<a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=chicago fire&amp;iid=8478260" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/c/5/0/7/San_Jose_Earthquakes_f278.jpg?adImageId=12365262&amp;imageId=8478260" border="0" alt="San Jose Earthquakes v Chicago Fire" width="500" height="345"></figure></div></a>
It was a perfect day in Chicago. Warm temperatures and brilliant sunlight lead most people in my suburban Chicago neighborhood to get out in the garden and start their spring clean-up. When my wife told my neighborhood I had tickets for the Fire home opener vs. San Jose, she was envious. I am a veteran of many an opening day for Chicago sports teams and have not been so excited for a team’s opener since sometime when Walter Payton was wearing a Bears uniform.
Now if you’re attending a sporting event in Chicago in April dress like January and you can’t go wrong. You can always take off things but cannot put on a jacket you never brought. However, my Fire jersey was still proudly displayed.
The drive to Toyota Park in Chicago’s southwest suburban area takes an hour for me. I do not mind, especially since due to the magic of the iPhone I can listen to MLS pre-game from out-of-town stations. Chicago still lacks an English radio broadcast for Fire games.
When I reached the exit for Toyota Park I was shocked but pleased that traffic was backed up. Could this be a Fire game that backs up traffic? Well yes and no, there was a crowd going into the park but also just a lot of other traffic on this wonderful spring day and more than a few poor drivers. After clearing the traffic jam I shortly came upon Toyota Park and instantly felt a surge of pride. The parking lot had never appeared so filled to me! Could soccer finally be on the sports radar?
Parking is normally very easy at Toyota Park and, despite the crowd, was once again. Fifteen dollars will get you in (no value) but by this point you’re happy to pay. Having taken longer to arrive then planned I made my way through the parking lot filled with tailgaters to the gate. I climbed the stairs to the stadium area and came upon the beautiful site of the green field, the video screen welcoming everyone to opening night, and packed concourses of people lining up for food.
Now for the important choice of the evening. Which should be my first food selection of the new season? My favorite place to eat is the grill located at the southeast corner of the stadium. It took me a minute to run down the new menu options but the choice was a polish sausage with grilled onions and peppers. Not bad.
After that I moved through the sea of red to find the free gift booth for season ticket holders. It was a Fire knit cap, good quality but not too likely to be worn by this middle aged guy. Fire fans love wearing their team jerseys, more so than any other fans in Chicago. Everyone, young and old is dressed in Fire wear of some sort. My preference is for the away white jersey and it seemed a bit out of place, the vast majority preferred red. After waiting in line for my free gift, I made the trip to my seat — my home for the season and, while pleased, I quickly decided the other end of the row would have been a better choice. My choice. I’ll deal with it.
Finally game time. Well here is where the perfect night and day is ruined. The Fire missed a good number of chances in the first half including a clear open net by Collins John to be tied nil-nil at halftime. Okay, the Fire controlled the game limiting the chances of the visiting San Jose Earthquakes, and should be ahead. Everyone felt certain a goal would be forthcoming for the home team.
When San Jose did have a chance in the first 45 minutes the Fire defense did seem disorganized. I was worried and sure enough the disorganization took its toll when early in the second half the Fire defense gifted San Jose a goal when the keeper Dykstra became entangled with his defense and fell to the ground leaving an open net for San Jose to tap the ball in. I was still tweeting my displeasure on my iPhone when shortly thereafter Marco Pappa blasted an equalizer into the San Jose net. There was hope, well at least until the 81st minute when Bobby Convey found Ike Opara having his lunch in front of the Fire net and easily made the score 2-1. It ended that way.
I’ll save by displeasure for the on the field play and coaching decisions for some other time and place. However, it appears after 3 games the team is not responding well to new coach Carlos de los Cobos style of play. The record opening day crowd of over 20,000 people left disappointed. Tradition has it that after a bitter defeat you vent your anger by calling the post-game radio talk show. With no English radio this is not possible in Chicago. What was a decent substitute was due again to the magic of the iPhone I called up the broadcast of the Seattle Sounders game to hear an exciting finish in my car on the way home and enjoy their post-game show.
So after an hour drive home delayed by a traffic accident and train crossing I returned. Lucky next week the Fire are on the road. I do not think I would do things all over again next week end after this defeat and it will take a week and a win to re-ignite my Fire. The Fire front office and the fans made it a special opening night. The team should be alarmed by its play. No matter how nice the night and how great the crowd and how tasty the food, wins bring the crowds and the Fire have none after 3 games.

Chicago Fire 1-2 San Jose: A Fan's Perspective

Chicago Fire 1-2 San Jose: A Fan's Perspective - World Soccer Talk

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Blood-World-Footballers-Freaks/dp/0156030985/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-3892125-2156423?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1190576121&amp;sr=1-1">Love &amp; Blood: At the World Cup With The Footballers, Fans, and Freaks</a> 
By Jamie Trecker 
A Harvest Original/Harcourt ($14.00)
If there is one book that should be required reading for the new American fan to the world’s game it’s this one. Jamie Trecker gives us not only a view of the World Cup from a reporters perspective but a lesson in the tactics of the game, a bit of German World War 2 history (mostly on target I should point out, since I am very well read on the subject of WW2 I only caught one flaw in his historical perspective), player profiles, a history of the game of football in the US and the world.
Several lessons are learned by the reader along the way, such as why the American fan can feel free to call the game soccer, why and how the WC to the surprise of many American’s is The World Event, and what “Total Football” means and what is the “offside trap”. It’s a tall order to cover so much ground but he does it well and in a relatively short time.
The author, the well known soccer analyst and writer, does a mostly outstanding job of covering several different topics in his personal memoir of last year’s World Cup in Germany. He uses his assignment to cover the World Cup as a reason to give the American fan, who he well knows is mostly a late comer to the world’s game, an overview or an introduction of what is an obsession for most of the globe. He does this by breaking off from his description of a specific game to educate the reader on the tactics of the game, or the history of a particular national team, or a personality profile of key players. While he covers the event from an American point of view, the English, French, German, and other readers will find the book of great interest. Having been a fan of the English League and the USA team over the years, I will now appreciate greatly what countries like Mexico, Argentina, and Australia are doing with their national teams and leagues from Trecker’s insights into those nations and their players. Once or twice, the breakaways from the main flow of the Cup coverage to cover a related topic were an annoyance, but this is a minor flaw.
I was especially moved by the player profiles that are mixed into the storyline. Trecker explains Wayne Rooney to the American audience in terms that most Americans can readily understand and makes his impact on the English game understandable to some Yanks (myself included) who just were not able to understand Rooney’s impact.
Let’s just say that Rooney is an English version of the NFL’s Brett Farve. I must admit I have been critical of America’s own Clint Dempsey in the past when he seemingly misses an open shot. After hearing his story, never again will I be critical of him, but realize his mere presence on the pitch is a testament to his character. The author tries to gets us in the head of Zinedine Zidane (pun intended) but falls short. This maybe more of an issue with Zidane himself rather than a failing of the author. It may not be possible for any writer to unravel the mystery that Zidane is, but the story clearly requires that he at least tries and it was a good effort.
For the American reader, who the book is clearly geared for, this work is a throwback to the days when America was not a major part of the world. In the soccer/football world the Americans are at a pre-WW2 stage. We are not a major player. The field is dominated by Europe and South America and the Yanks are still eager newcomers with a lot to learn to be on top. Trecker tries to explain to the average American what this all means in our own terms and accomplishes the goal. When necessary he relates things in terms the American sports fan can understand, making comparisons to Michael Jordan or various MLB teams is the best way to get an American reader to understand a point he is making about a player or a certain team. Also, I must admit that as a fellow Chicago resident Trecker made a reference or two that you may only appreciate if you’re from the Windy City.
All of the above should not take away from Trecker’s own personal story. The great efforts he made to follow soccer growing up in America. The struggle it was in Germany as well as South Korea and Japan in 2002 to cover the event from a reporter’s point of view, and last but not least his own personal health battles. I especially admire him writing about his health issues since it gives the readers` an even better insight of what it took to produce this book. I know there are those out there who find the author an unnecessary critic of the MLS or US Soccer, your views on his opinions should not deter you from buying this book. MLS and the US Soccer Federation have no reason to fear this story. In fact just having to deal with the train loads of drunken fans of various national origins is an act of courage.
I look forward to his next book and hope he will find the time and good health to write a longer piece on any one of the various subjects he touched on in this World Cup saga. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Blood-World-Footballers-Freaks/dp/0156030985/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-3892125-2156423?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1190576121&amp;sr=1-1">Highly recommended</a>.
Reviewer Lou Bruno, now in his 50’s, resides outside of Chicago, Illinois, and became a soccer fan later in life.

Love And Blood by Jamie Trecker: Book review

Love And Blood by Jamie Trecker: Book review - World Soccer Talk

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Chicago Fire 1-2 San Jose: A Fan's Perspective

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Love And Blood by Jamie Trecker: Book review