Scattered notes before I collapse into bed:
- What a beautiful night for football. We sat (stood) in the west stands behind the goal with Timbers Army, close to exits which was convenient for a friend with us with special needs, and in the first row so my pregnant spouse could sit without missing a thing. As a matter of fact it was the perfect place to hurl down insults on Chivas defenders like Heath Pearce - where's your mustache now, big guy?! - even if I had promised last night to golf clap his return to University of Portland. There is not a bad seat in Merlo, and we were awed to catch MLS soccer from a few feet away. I watch a lot of professional soccer, and it's been a while since I audibly caught a referee laughing after I screamed bloody murder at him.
We were also privileged to sit (stand) next to the event security detail. Our security monitor lady was charged with keeping the aisle aka "fire lane" clear, which was rich because with all the rain a fire couldn't have started tonight with four gallons of kerosene. At one point early in the second half a Very Important Security Person came near to us to start spotting & cataloging rule-breakers in the Timbers Army crowd. "Fans get away with a lot in Europe, and that's fine," he said to the security monitor lady. "But they're about to learn you can't get away with it here. They're going to drive families away, and then no one's going to come to the games." He pushed a button with me. "Hey, I've got my family right here, and we're doing just fine," I said to him. Which was true- and we were sitting (standing) next to a young couple with a young daughter as well! If you want to stay home and watch sports on your TV where it's almost impossible to be offended, go ahead. But Timbers Army is something magical, and I'll be damned if the Ruffian Police and John Canzano use soccer-mad young families as their reason for trying to clamp down on people having a good time.
- Rodney Wallace is an artist on the ball. He made some dumb ass plays tonight, but every time he got near the ball tonight he seemed like he was on the verge of doing something special. My jaw almost dropped once as he curled on a dime around a swiftly skipping ball and returned it deep down the field. After tonight, I could see why Gavin and John passed up Dax McCarty for him.
- At the start of the second half, an apparently inebriated fan came near the goal and shouted, "Jake Gleeson! I want you to marry my sister!" Everybody got a good laugh, but I suspect I wasn't the only one who was nodding my head in vigorous agreement. Gleeson was outstanding tonight. For most of the second half, Chivas was the more organized, attacking side, and Jake repelled a number of close balls brilliantly. The surface was slick and unsure, and yet Jake looked exactly like the guy worthy of an international call-up, who sacrificed duty to his country to guide his injury-ravaged club to victory. Thanks for stepping in to be the man of the match.
(Photo - the lovely lady and I after a rainy, exhilarating full time at Merlo Field. Timbers' first match in Portland & win as an MLS side. Tuesday, March 29th, 2011.)
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