Things To Do In New York (Sort of): The Metrostars

I know, New Jersey doesn't count in the "things to do in New York" category. I know Jersey is the swampland stepchild of the area.

Yet you really should check out the New York / New Jersey Metrostars at Giants Stadium.

Huh?

Yeah, that's what everyone said to me when I told them I went to a soccer game Saturday. People in the New York City area don't seem to know we have a Major League Soccer team, and that's a shame. Soccer, the most popular sport in the world, is here, and it's a lot of fun to watch.


Nominal Dad and I saw the Metrostars beat the Columbus Crew 3-2 in an exciting soccer match. My Dad and I became soccer fans when the World Cup came to the United States in 1994. He is way more of a fan of it than I am, having gone to the World Cup (football, as the world calls it) in France in 1998.


For $26 (plus the rape-and-pillage, mafia payoff to Ticketmaster), you can get fantastic, day-of seats to the game. I bought 19th row seats just hours before gametime.

The reason being is that no one seems to know we have a soccer team here. In an arena that holds 80,000, there probably was about 10,000 there. That means 70,000 really missed out.


The place was jam-packed with kids (to the extent that a near-empty arena can be). Tons and tons of them. With all of the toddlers (we actually saw a stroller near us) to high school kids taking up space, I'm surprised they bothered to sell beer at the game.


Sitting up close watching soccer is a much different experience than watching it on TV (which I imagine none of you ever do).

The speed and excitement of the game is not captured on your average MLS broadcast on ESPN. These guys are impressive athletes, and they really ram into each other for the ball.


There is one drawback to seeing the game live. There is that there is very little announcing going on. At one point, the Metrostars scored a goal which was never put on the board. If not for the 10 year old kid behind me, who blurted out that the Metrostars were offsides (thus negating the goal), I wouldn't have known what happened.

Other than when someone scores a goal, they don't tell you what is going on. When you attend in NFL game, the P.A. announcer tells you who makes a tackle, and the ref tells you who commits a penalty. MLS and the Metrostars should probably do the same.


It was still a really fun time though. The clouds were moving away from East Rutherford, NJ's Giants Stadium, making it a great evening for a sporting event.

It was also an exciting game. The Metrostars beat the Columbus Crew 3-2, with newly acquired Ante Razov scoring two goals and taking the MVP of the game title. His second goal, kicked from the side of the field, was the greatest I've ever seen (that being said, the only time I've seen soccer matches were New York Cosmos games as a kid, and the Hartwick College Division I soccer team).

Metrostars Goalkeeper Zach Wells made a breathtaking (and it turns out game-winning) save on a penalty kick that was great to see.

If you're a sports fan, or just into globalism, you really need to catch the next Metrostars game. It's a great value and a lot of fun.


Check them out. The Metrostars schedule is here.

RELATED LINKS:
Other Things To Do In New York

Other Sports

Why Don't Americans Like Soccer (Football)?

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