Soccer in a baseball stadium

After going to pro games in soccer-specific stadiums in Italy and Brazil, I was a little skeptical about going to a KC Wizards game in an independent league baseball stadium (the Wizards are playing at Community America Ballpark — home of the KC T-Bones, until their new stadium is completed in 2011). But after attending Saturday's 3-1 Wizards' victory against New England, I have to say it was pretty cool.

Even with extra seating added by the Wizards, Community America only holds 10,385 fans. But a cozy stadium filled with 10,000 fans makes for a much better atmosphere than having 15,000 or even 20,000 in Arrowhead Stadium (where the Wizards used to play) which holds almost 80,000. Everyone was close to the action and the chanting coming from The Cauldron (the Wizards' special fan section full of flags and banners) rolled through the whole place. 

As far as I could tell, there's no bad seats there either. Matt and I got the cheapest tickets possible, seats on the grassy outfield hill that retail for $15 (I got them for $12 on the Wizards' online ticket exchange). We were behind the end line, but right up next to the field, about as close as you can get without being a player's wife or mistress (we weren't willing to try hitting on any of the guys to get a seat upgrade, but they were probably close enough to hear us. Especially Matt — he can really project). I took this photo with just a regular point-and-shoot with 3X times zoom, that's how close we were.

Sitting on the grass may not sound too glamorous or "big-league," but it's more comfortable than scrunching your knees in behind the hard plastic seat in front of you and then fighting for armrests with the people next to you, as most of us do at typical pro sports events. It was a relaxing way to spend a nice summer evening — like being at a picnic or a family reunion with a soccer field nearby, if your family is uncommonly athletic and dresses in matching clothes.

The action was good too, even by Euro or Brazilian standards, I'd say. It certainly helped that the Wizards scored three goals in the first half, when they were playing towards our side of the field and were only about 25 yards away. That's pretty exciting and you can't expect that to happen every game (for those of you who are unfamiliar with soccer, the rate of scoring is generally more like the Royals' offense). 

Even when they're not scoring at will, though, the Wizards are an exciting team. They have a good mix of international veterans (USA defender Jimmy Conrad and forward Josh Wolff and Argentina midfielder Claudio Lopez) and promising young guys like Herculez Gomez and Matt Besler. Besler, who graduated from Blue Valley West, provides some local flavor while Lopez, who has played in two World Cups, gives the team a Latin flair and a talisman for the many Spanish-speaking fans in KC. 

The Wizards are a fun franchise to get behind and when their new stadium opens on the site where Bannister Mall used to be, no doubt it will be an excellent soccer experience. But you might want to get out and watch soccer in a baseball stadium while you still can — it's pretty good too, and probably cheaper than it will be in 2011.