American Hooligans

Supporters of the American & MLS Revolution cheer New England to victory

My class was lucky enough to get media passes for this past Tuesday’s Superliga final between the New England Revolution and the Houston Dynamo. Superliga is a tournament that pits the top 4 American Major League Soccer teams against the top 4 Mexican Primera División teams. This is only the second year it’s been held. That two MLS teams reached this year’s final was a significant achievement for Major League Soccer, which has long been considered a second-class league by much of the soccer world. It didn’t hurt that those two teams met each other in the last two MLS championships (Houston beat N.E. in the past two MLS Cups), either.

Revolution Forward Kenny Mansally evades two Dynamo defenders

Midfielder Steve Ralston takes a corner kick

New England won the game 6-5 in penalty kicks to become the first MLS team to win the Superliga championship, but I’m not going to talk much about the game. I got there with plans to take pictures of players in action but soon learned that my camera wasn’t capable of zooming in enough to get great shots (I needed a telephoto, a vet photographer I met in the elevator recommended I check out sportsshooter.com for tips on good ones) so I turned my lens to the hooligans in the stands.

The revolution is coming! The soccer Revolution!

Fans let goalkeeper Matt Reis know they're not worthy

These hardcore Dynamo fans drove all the way from Houston to see the game

A fan looks on as the Revs go to OT

They may not boast the numbers of their European counterparts, but the crowd of just under 10,000 (Gillette Stadium holds 68,756 — an entire side was roped off, seats covered by a blue tarp) was certainly loud and passionate about their team and game. I moved around a bit during the game to observe and speak with a few of them to get an idea of who the average American soccer fan is. What I discovered is there’s no such thing. There were Latin Americans, White Americans, Black Americans, men, women, children, families, soccer teams, Revs fans, Dynamo fans, all sorts… and barely one of them sat there silent during the game. They badgered the refs, conversed about who they liked

Sign informing fans what to expect in "The Fort"

(“I wish we had Parkhurst for this game”) and didn’t (“that [defenseman Chris] Tierney is a Canadian fruit!”), made fun of the opposition (Dynamo midfielder Corey Ashe, who is 5′5″, got called a “midget” every time he touched the ball), and joined together for songs and chants.

The Fort goes wild

Most of the latter took place in “The Fort,” a standing room only section of the stands behind one of the goals reserved for the most hardcore of Revs fans. I sat there during the penalty kicks that decided the game.

My ears are still recovering.