by Ethan Johnson
October 12, 2008

This was the final regular season home game, played on Saturday, October 11.

As will presumably be the case for the remainder of the regular season, this game was billed as an absolute, for sure, all the marbles, do or die, leave it all on the pitch, go for broke, no tomorrow "must win" situation for FCD. Plus, it was "fan appreciation" night, which meant I was honored and privileged to park as far away from the stadium as possible while still being on FCD property after being on my feet for 7 hours. The close parking was blocked off for the fireworks show that I might have appreciated had I not left directly after the game. I did manage to score my free um, towel, that features a large Gatorade® logo and smaller MLS team logos around it. Yep, I appreciate that FCD couldn't have a towel with just their name on it + the sponsor, like they did last year. Plus there was a raffle all night, and I abstained due to the ole Johnson Luck™, which says I'd win a massage from Schellas Hyndman or something. Pass.

Despite my oozing sarcasm, I was surprised to find myself tearing up during the national anthem. Not because the singer was particularly thrilling (at least she didn't sing about the fwee and the bwave), but because I got all nationalistic and crap, thinking about the USA and what it means to live here. Hearing the nearby fans singing the anthem softly did the trick. I thought, ya know, this (the USA) is home, I love it, the end. Had to share.

The parade o' local soccer youth was another contributing factor.

All night, I was thinking about "the last time". This was ostensibly the last home game for the year. Maybe not. But living in the "now", it was. I thought about why I insist on going to the stadium, sitting in the front row, and riding the highs and lows of a team that the vast majority of D/FW don't seem to give a rip about.

Maggie (hutchtx) beat me to the punch with her insta-reaction at the fan forum. I'll print most of it here:

(SIGH). Maybe I'm easily pleased, or maybe I'm resigned to our fate for this season, but, overall, I had fun at the game... the key word is AT the game. I'm sure it would have drove me crazy just watching it on TV. The game experience was worth it, though:

- Seeing a fairly full stadium, for a change.
- Getting to watch Dax (after he finally came on) create some NEAT passing plays up the sideline in front of us.
- Getting to sit behind the bench and yell, "Sit down, Coach!" at Carver. (Ed: The TFC coach)
- Having Mrs. Saragosa and Baby Saragosa sitting nearby . . . Baby S. is so cute and has his hair done just like Papa S.
- Getting to watch up close the Toronto bench reaction to the PK (Ed: penalty kick) call... tough, guys!!
- Screaming my head off for most of the game, and starting a "Kenny" chant before he took the PK.
- being up front already for when the guys came by for autographs after the game.
- watching the fireworks. They were cool. But I would have preferring more fireworks from FCD GOALS.

I caught the re-broadcast of the game this afternoon on Fox Soccer, and hearing Max Bretos scream "yeeeeeh-esssss!" after a critical TFC goal amused me. But I like being at the game, not having announcers talk over every moment of the game, being able to mull over the quality of the play in a vacuum, taking some action photos that hopefully aren't a blurry mess (epic FAIL), hearing the crowd noise and the on-field chatter, and although I am in the Kool Kid minority, I love, love, love the Tex Hooper mascot.

So did some kid in the front row to my left. I don't know who performs the Tex Hooper role, but he/she was having technical difficulties and had to keep holding up the headpiece to see where he/she was going. Kinda ruined the magic. Anyway, in spite of this, some kid flagged down Hooper and grabbed [its] horns and gave the Mother of All Eskimo Kisses to Hooper's forehead. Hooper stood there post eskimo assault, and then fell straight backward onto the cement. And for the piece de resistance, a teen next to me beaned Hooper with a streamer.

You can't get that on TV.

FCD took first blood on an errant bounce in front of goal that Kenny Cooper capitalized on big time. Lest anyone get too excited, TFC answered back to even things up. TFC scored again in the 87th minute, and from my vantage point, I really thought Sala got "lobbed". If so (he didn't, it was more of a chip shot) I was thinking, holy crap, that is Amateur Hour stuff so late in the season. I really thought the game was a wrap, but being the last home game, I wasn't heading immediately for the exits. Naturally, FCD got a penalty kick awarded right at the 90th minute. Naturally, Kenny Cooper put it in the net. Naturally, the "must win" game of the century ended in a 2-2 draw.

This is not a team that needs to be floundering around in the first round of the playoffs.

By the way, there was another "that's why you go to the stadium" moment during the run of play. The captain of TFC is a real hothead. He got super frustrated somewhere in the 1-1 draw portion of the contest, and took a swift kick to a nearby water bottle. The crowd booed and jeered. Later on, during a break in the action, the captain started to walk toward the water bottles to get a quick sip, when the linesman (!!) sent it toward him with a chip shot of his own. Brilliant.

Anyway, so ends the regular season at home. FCD has two more road games, and then, as Gordon Ramsay might say, they ought to sit and have a think.

Next up: FCD travels to the exciting new home confines for Real Salt Lake on Saturday, October 18. <EM>

(The full MLS article archive may be found here.)