My MLS experience

Who said that Americans don't care about 'soccer'?

Today I attended the game between Houston Dynamo and New York Red Bulls at the impressive BBVA Compass Stadium, set against the backdrop of downtown Houston and I left in high spirits after an enjoyable day out.

Conveniently enough the match was once of relative importance, an Eastern Conference semi-final first leg and I was told by the friendly ticket lady that the club was anticipating a healthy crowd for the fixture.

I must admit that I had no idea what to expect from an MLS game, with the league being regarded at home as a graveyard for over-the-hill European footballers seeking a final pay-check, mixed with US players who weren't quite good enough to make the grade abroad.

Also I was unsure as to what, if any, interest football receives from the American public. There are so many other sports with such phenomenal fanfare over here, that football has limited room in which to maneuver in the sporting market.

In terms of both the quality of the football and also the atmosphere inside the stadium, I was pleasantly surprised.

In the hour leading up to kick-off, the streets around the stadium were a sea of orange (the colour of Houston) and it seemed to me like somewhat of a carnival atmosphere, positive and great fun to be a part of.

The game itself was intriguing, Houston started slowly and Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill combined to put the Red Bulls a goal to the good. Henry and Cahill were naturally the pick of the bunch having both performed at the highest level, but there were also a handful of other players on show who looked like they either had, or will eventually play in some of Europe's top leagues.

The quality was evidently nowhere near that of the Premier League, La Liga, or the Bundesliga, and on many occasions decent approach play was squandered by a wasteful final ball around the opposition penalty area.

However, there were sprinklings of talent on show and I would liken the standard to the Championship back home.

The game looked over at half-time with New York holding a two goal lead and Houston having few clear-cut chances.

There was a crowd of just less than 20000, only a few thousand short of capacity and the audience featured a predominately Hispanic demographic. Texas is close to the border of Mexico and also home to many other Latin immigrants, who's primary sport is football and it's clear to me that this is an important market for the MLS to capitalise on.

The hardcore section of Dynamo's support was very impressive, constantly singing along with their drummers and creating an impressive atmosphere that I didn't expect to experience at a MLS game. They certainly lived up to their banner, that when translated from Spanish to English read, 'there aren't many of us but we're crazy'.

The crowd grew in excitement whenever Dynamo attacked and a goal early in the second half followed by a Red Bull's red card set-up a grand-stand finale.

Deep into stoppage time Dynamo poked home an equaliser and grabbed a deserved draw, sending the crowd into delirium ahead of the second leg on Wednesday night.

All-in-all I enjoyed my afternoon out at the MLS, affordable, family friendly and a decent game and with a good level of passionate local support, combined with some smart marketing, the MLS should continue to grow at a steady rate, even if it probably won't ever be able to match its competitors in Europe. There certainly is a place for 'soccer' somewhere is the USA's sporting agenda.