Post Match Musings on the Club América Match - League’s Cup Edition: Bienvenidos al Futbol Profesional, Muchachos!
By Jason Goodbody
The amateur professional soccer fan perspective.
Well, that wasn't ideal. St. Louis CITY SC nadas all over itself against perennial Liga MX powerhouse Club América 4-0
In what continues to be a season of firsts, CITY is the first team to be eliminated from League's Cup play. I'm sure we can make our way to our resumption of MLS play on Aug 20th without being reminded of this over and over and over again.
I now know "Himno del América" by heart with the post-goal anthem broadcast over the speakers, kindly reinforced by the dozen Club América fans behind me, and the thousands of others in the stadium. And, I'll say again, the broadcast speakers. The fan engagement was different in our CITYPARK fortress and felt weird due to League's Cup rules to ensure that the Liga MX teams who are ever-traveling during this tournament can have some semblance of being in a home stadium. To me, it felt like a guest in my home taking control over the Spotify music. I want to be a good host but I don't have to be super comfortable with it and I have an urge to take back the controller.
Boy, it was hot. My phone said it was 89°* at kickoff and like most good apps and weather reports nowadays, it also said that due to the high humidity it "felt like" I wanted to be home on the couch in the AC. *reported as 31.7 Celsius in accordance with League's Cup rules encouraging accommodating visiting Liga MX teams and their fans in the spirit of solidarity and healthy competition
Remember way back when some overly opinionated commentators (that included me, I was that guy) wondered why instead of a 7:30 shotgun start across timezones, we couldn't space out the broadcasts on a Saturday, have midday matches, and be able to watch multiple games throughout the day on Season Pass? If you don't remember that community conversation, it was a spirited doozy. NOW, imagine a 3pm game in CITYPARK or (and you should feel the sweat trickle down your back just thinking about this) Houston, TX….in August. I am so sooo sorry AppleTV people. You were right the whole time.
In his press conference, Coach Bradley Carnell said that Club América played with "11 Designated Players" and judging by their payroll that seems about right. 10-ish of their roster make over a million dollars a season. CITY can field a decent team with a combined salary of that much. For those not mad but just upset about the performance, imagine a team full of Klausses, Löööwenses, and Joakim Nilssons (the Swedish center back currently untested but by all accounts super good), and a single Bürki (you can only have one in goal) playing our team (presumably we get to keep our Klauss, Löööwen, Nilsson, and Bürki). The clobbering that would ensue in this fantasy game born from an alcohol-fueled argument in a sports bar should put this all in perspective. At any given time, we are starting and playing many who were in tier 2 and 3 leagues last year and we've been successful according to all but the most hardened of sports fan souls. Carnell wrapped up his thoughts with "it's a great reminder of how much work needs to be done". It'll all get worked out.
Club América is the largest professional soccer club in the Western Hemisphere in all the ways; revenue, followers, expectations, payroll, hype, love, hate, flashy kits, etc. Indeed, it is the most popular and hated team in the Americas - like the Dallas Cowboys of Mexican Soccer but with a crisper passing game.
By the time the final whistle blew, It was important for our team to see what a little bit of hard work, 100 years of history, and no salary cap can do.
And then there was the kerfuffle in the visitors supporters section with the security, and the smoke, and the banners, and the thrown beer I saw, and the pepper spray I smelled. This is what the big time looks like, folks. Be careful what you wish for.
In the 75' min after a perfect through-pass from Löööwen, Jared Stroud readied himself for a shot on goal and then tripped on a divot I guess in the most emblematic of this game possible. This young man was devastated. As he left the pitch, subbed out by Nerwinski, he made his way around the South End. Yaro left minutes earlier on the same path after battling a physically dominant Julian Quiñones. Each had their head down in exhaustion and frustration, but as they turned the corner, cheers and applause and appeals for them to lift their chins rang out from the stands, also in most emblematic form for this team and fan base. So let us cherish these moments and in our effort to chase a hundred years of success and uncapped salaries, let us also not be eager to change all that much.
Club América, now go win the whole damn thing for all I care. Let's return to our regularly scheduled program. #AllForCity