I took a trip over to Atlanta with a few buddies for the inaugural Atlanta United FC match.
The heart of Atlanta turned into a sea of patrons dressed in red, gold, and black, 55,000 strong.
And walking into the stadium, you could hear the rafters shaking from the persistent crashing of supporters’ feet as the teams warmed up on the field.
Who in the South doesn’t love a tailgate and competition? Because apparently Atlanta does.
Well, people from Atlanta, along with Birmingham, Chattanooga, Columbus, Charlotte, Nashville, Montgomery, and whatever other Southern cities within driving distance to north-central Georgia that are thirsty for soccer.
Tens of thousands of fans swarmed the Georgia Tech campus… not for the triple option of the Yellow Jackets. But for the triple threat of Martinez, Almiron, and Asad.
The players were athletic and fast. The crowd was electric. The noise was deafening at times. The scenery was something I could get used to.
The result was not what the home side wanted. The more savvy, veteran-heavy New York Red Bulls scored 2 in the last 15 minutes.
No, the result wasn’t what we wanted, but for many soccer fans in the south, having a top-flight game was exactly what we needed.
Cheers to Atlanta United FC. I will be back.
In the meantime…
I am so ready for soccer in Birmingham.
Still 2 months away from the Birmingham Hammers kicking off their 2017 NPSL campaign.
One has to wonder: will there ever be a soccer environment similar to the one in Atlanta last night right here in the Magic City?
I hope so. Don’t you?
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