MLS: Chivas USA at Chicago Fire

It is difficult for me to attend many Major League Soccer games throughout the season because their games often compete with many other sporting events that take place during the summer and they play on Saturday nights – normally a forbidden night for me to attend sporting events. Last night was an exception since the Chicago Fire was playing a Thursday night game versus Chivas USA and it was the main sporting event taking place in the Chicago area.

One problem with getting to venues in Chicago on weeknights is traffic. Plus last night’s bonus was the rain that fell throughout the entire evening. I left the house at 5:45 pm for the 7:00 pm start but did not arrive at Toyota Park until 7:10 pm – I should have been no later than 6:30 pm. I could park quickly since I had my media parking pass. As I walked towards the stadium the national anthem was playing so I had arrived on time.

Obtaining Tickets
This was the third Chicago Fire game I attended this season. The first game was the Fire’s home opener on April 5 and the second game was a SuperLiga match on June 27. Both times I received a media credential from the media gate. This time was no exception. My credential was not waiting for me, but after a short explanation I had a credential and made my way to the press box.

The Game
If there had not been a steady rain all evening I would have watched the game from the stands, but I chose to stay dry and stay in the press box. In September, when I attended two Villareal matches within five days, I wrote about the torrential rain and how it affected the pitch during the match. Last night was no exception as the field became water logged as the game continued. The ball and the players made a splash each time they made a sharp move on the field which definitely affected the play on the field.

The Chicago Fire needed a tie to clinch a playoff berth. It looked as though the game would end in a 0-0 tie until Cuauhtemoc Blanco turned a corner kick into an own goal for the only goal of the match. The Fire won 1-0 and clinched second place in the Eastern Conference.

At halftime, Chris Armas was inducted into the Fire’s hall of fame, which is known as the Ring of Fire.

SuperLiga: Tigres UANL at Chicago Fire

I was the first person to my car in the U.S. Cellular Field parking lot and the race was on. Could I get to Toyota Park, buy a ticket and get into the stadium within 20 minutes? Since both U.S. Cellular Field and Toyota Park are relatively close to Chicago’s Interstate-55 it was definitely possible.

Parking and Obtaining Tickets
I was at the Toyota Park parking lot at 6:55 pm (luckily for me there was no Saturday evening Chicago traffic) and used my media parking pass to park quickly. Since Jamie Trecker, Fox Sports’ senior soccer writer, told me he had requested a media credential for me after we attended the Chicago Fire home opener back on April 5, I was hoping a credential would be waiting for me at media gate. The woman at the gate could not find my credential (also snickering and doubting I would have a credential since I was wearing a Cubs shirt and hat), but given the lack of press that had shown up for the game, she handed me a generic media pass with press box access only. I was grateful and in the stadium just a few minutes after the opening kickoff.

The Game
Toyota Park was mainly full of Mexican fans cheering for Tigres UANL. Entering the game, the Fire knew if they lost by less than two goals they would advance to the SuperLiga semifinals on July 15.

Tigres used a team mainly of reserves and youth club players to defeat the Fire 2-1. Tigres midfielder Armando Pulido scored twice to give the Tigres a 2-0 lead at halftime. It was not until Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored a penalty kick goal at the 85th minute that the Fire knew they would advance to the semifinals.

SuperLiga 2009
This was the second SuperLiga tournament I have attended – the first coming in 2007 when I attended the semifinal and final at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.

Chicago Fire Home Opener

I generally do not attend many Chicago Fire games during the season. Their games are usually scheduled on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons. Saturday nights are normally off limits for sporting events and since I live right by Wrigley Field, Sunday afternoon games sometimes compete with a Sunday afternoon Cubs game. However, today the Fire was home on a Sunday afternoon and the MLB season had not yet started.

Pre Game Dining
I invited my friend, FOXSoccer.com columnist Jamie Trecker, to the match. We met Sunday morning at Purgatory Pizza – a relatively new pizza place in Wrigleyville. A couple of months ago, I read in the RedEye (a free edition of the Chicago Tribune) that Purgatory Pizza had an all you can eat and drink Sunday hip-hop brunch. The brunch was amazing! In my opinion, all you can eat pizza and beer for $13 (upgrade to liquor aka Bloody Mary or Screwdriver for $6) is a great brunch.

Obtaining Tickets
We arrived at Toyota Park and parked in the media lot with Jamie’s national MLS credential. Since Jamie had a national credential, I was able to receive a day-of-game credential for the game.

The Game
The Chicago Fire defeated the New York Red Bulls 1-0 on a fluke goal when Wilman Conde played a long ball that was held in the air because of the severe winds. The ball dropped to the field, as Marco Pappa shot the ball from eight yards outside of the penalty box, which hit the left goal post, rolled along the goal line and happened to cross the goal line before hitting the right post.

At halftime, Jamie and I decided to sit in the press box for the second half since the weather was 37 degrees and raining – which probably kept many people from attending the match. The home opener attendance was announced at only 11,633.

MLS Playoffs: Revolution at Fire

With prior plans on Saturday night and the Chicago Bears game to attend on Sunday afternoon, the Chicago Fire’s home game in the conference semifinals fell on the only day of the week I could have attended – Thursday night.

I had considered eating at Fire Station Pub before the match since Nicole was not attending but I called one of my friend’s to see if they were attending. They were and said I could get a ride to Toyota Park. The ride from Wrigley Field to Toyota Park took over an hour so we did not have much time to tailgate in the Toyota Park parking lots.

Obtaining Tickets
With 15 minutes left until kick off, we were still in line to park. 15 minutes before the game is usually the perfect time to try and find a free ticket. The main reasons being fans who do not want (or know how) to sell their extra tickets are heading into the game and would rather give away their ticket than wasting it.

I ended up buying a single ticket for $10 – the cheapest ticket they had at the box office was $30.

The Game
The Fire defeated the New England Revolution 3-0 to advance to the Conference Finals. As with the Champions League’s knockout round, the winner of MLS Conference Semi-Finals is determined on total goal aggregate of a home and home series.

Doubleheader Day: Columbus Crew at Chicago Fire

In my second sporting event of the day, I attended the Chicago Fire match at Toyota Park yesterday. It was also the second MLS match I have attended this season.

Obtaining Tickets
From the parking lot, I walked to the main box office at Toyota Park. I noticed a man leaving Will Call with more tickets in his hand than people around him. So I asked him if he had extra tickets. He said he did and wanted $10 per ticket. I offered him $20 for 3 tickets (face value was $20 per ticket) and he accepted the offer.

The Game
The Chicago Fire clinched an MLS playoff berth by playing to a 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew. Brian McBride scored 2 goals and just missed a third when his header shot went over the goal by a few inches in the 83rd minute.

Toyota Park
I made a new discovery at Toyota Park yesterday – the Ice Cream Nachos for $5. My mom mentioned she wanted ice cream at some point during the game, so while walking by BV’s Zone behind section 113, we read “Ice Cream Nachos.” Not sure what this meant, we asked the concessionaire. It was cinnamon chips covered with soft serve ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream – by far one of the best desserts I have had at a sporting event. Next time you are at Toyota Park and have an ice cream craving try the Ice Cream Nachos rather than Dippin’ Dots at $4.50.

Colorado Rapids at Chicago Fire

Having not been to Toyota Park for about 1 year, I chose to attend the Chicago Fire game last night over the Chicago White Sox. The best thing about soccer is the length of the game (less than 2 hours). Even though Toyota Park is 20 miles from where I live, the game started 90 minutes after the White Sox game but ended at the same time.

Toyota Park is relatively easy to get to. You take Interstate 55, exit Harlem Ave. and drive south for 2.5 miles. There are a couple of restaurants to choose from as you approach the stadium:

1) Grand Duke’s Restaurant (http://www.granddukesrestaurant.com/)
2) Fire Station Pub

Or you can go to restaurants that are along the way (Mi Tierra) as the Ultimate Sports Wife and I did on a previous trip to Toyota Park.

It was $15 to park. Toyota Park allows tailgating which we’ll need to try at some point in the future. I was hoping to get a ticket for around $5 so I walked around to the main box office:

Ticket Buying Tip #3: Most fans trying to get rid of tickets will go to the Box Office and approach people who are standing in line to buy tickets.

Ticket Buying Tip #4: Look for fans with a stack of tickets. They most likely planned to have a large group show up but some people will back out.

I found a guy with a lot of tickets in his hand. I asked if he had an extra ticket. He said he did not feel comfortable selling the ticket but would give it away (fine with me!). He handed me the ticket and I walked in.

The Verdict: Chicago Fire

I did not end up going to either White Sox game today. I could not cancel my prior engagement to get to the first White Sox game that started at noon – a concern I stated would be the case for most Friday night ticket holders.

So instead of heading to Game 2, I will be going to the Chicago Fire game out at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL tonight. I rarely have the chance to attend a Fire game, so I chose them over the White Sox.