Around the Stands: Toronto FC 1-2 Houston Dynamo

It was finally that time when I could put my season ticket to use for the first time this year. Toronto FC were back home for their 2015 home opener against the Houston Dynamo. I'm not really going to talk about the result and the match itself, because there are hundreds of people who have already done that and who can do a better job at it than I can. What I am going to talk about is my personal experience on that day, from the pre-game festivities to the new additions at BMO Field. I can definitely tell you that it was an interesting experience.

I was at the pre-game fan event at the Brazen Head, which was a little bit lame, if I'm being honest. Before their "pep rally", I was up in the patio having a large pint, when Cabbie came up to the patio and told everyone of the rally that was going down at 3:00 PM. He was clowning our group on the fact that no one (besides me) was wearing any TFC gear, so I thought that was a pretty cool moment. We go downstairs to the rally, and Cabbie and the new TFC girl (whose name escapes me) were hosting the event. I noticed that the crowd was a little bit relaxed, in the sense that I felt that most of the fans were more casual supporters, rather than hardcore supporters. This observation I had was reinforced when the new TFC girl had to go over how to sing "O When The Reds" with the crowd, and on top of that, the actual chanting at the event was sporadic at best.

Tim Bezbatchenko was there, said some things to the crowd, and then proceeded to chug a beer, to the delight of the crowd. Tim Leiweke also said some things to the crowd, and he boldly claimed that TFC will make "the p-word" (his words, not mine). I'm not sure why he wouldn't actually say the word "playoffs" in the first place. It was all nothing but hot air from the club's top brass, which is what they do best. The marching band starts up, a homeless guy dances in front of us, and we all start marching to the stadium. The lack of chanting continues, and anyone who tries to start one is drowned out by the drumming of the marching band.

We come out of the tunnels at Exhibition Station and in front of us was this gargantuan, imposing structure which was the new BMO Field east stand, It looked much bigger in person, and once the roof gets put on the stands, BMO Field can finally look something like a proper stadium. We get in the stadium, and as usual, we get bombarded with the imagery of all of TFC's sponsors, because corporatism is the message. The stadium looked great, although there was still some construction happening around the stadium. My seat was at the top of the upper deck of the new stand, and even though it offered a great birds-eye view of the pitch, the amount of stairs I had to take to get up there was brutal. Now, I'm not the most athletic guy out there, but I felt like I had run a marathon just to get up to my seat.

I decide to stand behind section 112 for the duration of the match. Toronto FC overloaded on the fireworks before the players came out of the tunnel, which I thought was a bit unnecessary, but they have to sell the experience, of course. The pre-game tifos looked nice, though. The match started, and sections 111/112 and 114 were bringing the chanting and singing, while section 113 looked like a wasteland, as only a few people from that section were actually taking part in the chants. The atmosphere from the supporters section was okay, but it really could have been a lot better. Obviously, the support was harmed by the fact that TFC were losing, but I felt that there could have been better communication between 112 and 114. This wasn't helped with the fact that 113 doesn't really join in the chanting. If TFC's vision was to have a united south end all singing the same song, so far, they are failing. The support is too fractured right now, with all these different supporters groups.

I had a good time, as I always do, but TFC's loss hurt a bit. Houston played very well, Michael Bradley was awful, and TFC couldn't push the tempo. It felt like the same old tune we have been hearing for the past 9 years. It was just disappointing to watch, and TFC have really seemed to go all in on how the club is branded, especially since Defoe came to TFC. The entire organization needs to know when to just shut up and try to string some wins together. Until that happens, TFC's marketing strategy feels like it is just being shoved down our throats.

So, that was my experience at the new BMO Field. I hope to put up some video soon.

UPDATE: I took some video of my experience. Watch it down below.

4 Years and 10,000 Views Later

So, I've recently hit two milestones in regards to this blog. The first milestone is that I have recently passed my 4-year anniversary since this blog's creation, and the second milestone is that this blog has recently passed 10,000 page views. This may not seem like a lot to many people, but for me, these are two significant milestones. I know that I haven't really posted to this blog on a regular basis, but the fact that I am able to post whenever I feel like it keeps this blog fresh, and I don't have to feel burnt out because of it.

Back in April 2011, I took the plunge into writing, and created this blog. I created this blog because I wanted a space to express my thoughts on the things that were going on in the world and were affecting my life in some way. To this day, that hasn't changed. This blog is a hobby for me, and it will continue to be a hobby. I still post whenever I feel like it, and I don't have to feel pressured by deadlines. I feel that I am able to post my best work on the blog if I didn't have someone who wanted me to have a blog post completed by a certain time and date. I love the fact that I have total control over this blog, and that I can take it in any direction that I want. I wouldn't post something on this blog if I wasn't completely satisfied with it, because I want the reader to get the best of me every time I post something. That is my promise to you.

When I created my blog, it was known as "Beefing with the World", and it was a reflection of the angst I felt at the time. My first posts were basically attacks and criticisms of certain groups of people I didn't like (soccer haters, high-school wannabe gangster types, overreacting sports parents). As time went on, the focus of the blog shifted more to writing about Toronto FC and to also talk about the experiences in my life, as well as reactions to certain things and events. The current title of this blog, "Cultured Individual", is a reflection of that. The other reason why I changed the title of my blog is just to make my blog more accessible and welcoming to the reader.

I never expected my blog to have any sort of popularity. I felt like writing simply because I wanted to. I would never think that my blog would be read by hundreds of people all over the world. Yes, it can be viewed as a drop in the ocean to people with a popular following, but to me, this was like a tidal wave. People were actually interested in what I have to say! The last blog I wrote about Toronto FC was shared by so many people, probably the most shared post on the blog to date. To see personalities with thousands of followers and with real influence in the Toronto sporting landscape read and share something I have personally written is very encouraging for me. It makes me want to keep doing this as a real hobby. I feel like this blog is my personal contribution to society. With every blog post that I write, I always want to present something that no one else has covered or explored. I think that is what makes my blog posts unique. If I can't present something entirely new or present a new angle to something that has already existed, then it loses the uniqueness that I crave.

The most interesting experiences I have had with the blog are the face-to-face interactions I have with people who have read some of my posts. Admittedly, it is a bit weird to talk openly with someone in public about something I wrote on the internet and where I would be used to interacting with people online, but I also find these face-to-face interactions the most rewarding. I'll give you an example. The next night after I wrote about my experiences of going to university, I met up with a lady friend of mine for a drink in the back room of a seedy Irish pub in St. Catharines. Inevitably, the conversation turned to the blog post I wrote, and I couldn't help but feel embarrassed for myself a little bit. But she told me about how she enjoyed reading it and how impressed she was that I would pour my heart out like that. That felt like the greatest compliment of them all. To have someone personally describe to you how your blog has personally impacted someone's life is one of the greatest feelings one could ask for.

To everyone who has read my posts, shared my posts on social media, left comments on the blog, and interacted with me through every medium possible, I want to express my sincerest gratitude. This blog wouldn't be where it is without you. Although I may not post all that often, I want to continue to create quality posts that I hope you will enjoy. I feel more motivated than ever to post content on my personal space that I share with you.

This has been quite the roller coaster ride, but I'm not looking to hop off just yet.