(Post originally occurred 12/2/07)
1. FC Cologne vs. FC Augsburg 3:0
- It's official: I have a newfound love. I have the soccer bug like I never would've expected and it's great.
To get the full effect, right-click on the box to the left and have it open in a new tab or window. Then you read the story with some good atmosphere in the background.
Since there is next to no coverage of American sports here, I had to find some other team to follow and root for. Unless you're near one of the Irish pubs or the American Sports bar on Sunday nights, when they show the 'featured' NFL game of the week on SkySports, you only see single-sentence coverage on the bottom of CNN.
I found out the 1st day in Germany that Cologne has their own professional soccer team. When asking some locals questions about when and where they played, they all started off their answers with "Well, you know they are terrible, right?" Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, every time I talk to someone outside of Michigan about the Lions. That hasn't stopped me from relentlessly rooting for them (or renewing my season tickets) for the last ten years. So, I tell everyone that I'm used to following teams that don't win much, so why not stick with the local boys?
With all the negativity people use in discussing FC Cologne, I didn't expect to see many fans in attendance when I went to my 1st home game. I couldn't have been more wrong! The stadium (which is amazing in itself), holds about 50,000 people and is open-air, yet all of the seats are covered by a roof. Picture an updated version of Texas Stadium where the Cowboys play. The only open seats in the place were found in the one section the home team saves for the visiting team's fans. Every other seat was packed with drunken Cologne fans, all waving their team scarves and singing constantly. I couldn't help but get caught up in the energy of the event. It felt much like a playoff game atmosphere in the US, but not as tense. People were just excited to watch their team play, and hopefully see a good game.
Two minutes into the game, FC Cologne scored and the whole place erupted. Guys sitting next to me, who I'd never spoken to, grabbed me and hugged me like I was in their group. Everyone was dancing around and clanging their beer mugs with each other, and then the singing started again. I was hoping I'd enjoy the game, and not be bored out of my mind like when I watch it on TV, but I never expected it would be this awesome.
Cologne went on to win that 1st game 2-1, on a deciding goal in the 88th minute. As I walked out of the stadium, I knew I had found my thing, something I could follow while I was here. I was also bummed that no one else I knew was with me to share in the excitement. I knew Andee would've like it as well, as she played soccer in school and we always watched World Cup matches together on TV. Before I got onto the tram, I stopped at the souvenir wagon and bought two of the cooler-looking team scarves. These things are more popular than team jerseys in the US. Literally, every person there has one. Now that I was wearing one, I really felt like I fit in. I was already looking forward to taking Andee to a game.
Fast forward three weeks. Andee had been in town for a bit and had to listen to me constantly talk about soccer. As we watched it nearly every night after work, I would tell her how cool it was being there in person, but I don't think she believed it could be that exciting. We had watched a couple of Cologne's away games on TV in bars, but generally there were only a few other people watching with us, and certainly didn't have the same energy the live crowds did. We had purchased tickets to the next home game and with our apartment only three tram stops from the stadium, we knew we wouldn't have to deal with the long trips to and from like we do in Detroit.
The day of the game came, and Andee had just gotten over her cold. It very overcast and chilly out (when isn't it, though), and we bundled up well. We left the apartment early so we could grab lunch on the way. As soon as we got to the station, the game-day atmosphere could be noticed. It's very similar to when college football is going on, and you are just arriving at your favorite tail-gating spot. On game days, pretty much everyone on the trams are going to the game, so everyone has a bottle of Kolsch in their hands. It's cool to see the pre-game festivities going on during their travels to the game. At every tram stop, there are groups of people all wearing their scarves and drinking. We stopped one stop early and went into a Mexican restaurant we had found the week before. Despite the fact that is was barely above freezing, the outdoor deck and picnic tables were loaded with people. We got some food then walked the last few hundred yards to the entrance of the stadium. That's when the butterflies started. I always get this way a bit when walking up to Ford Field, but after three years, it's not as special anymore. We tried to capture the scene as best we could with the camera, but it seems as if everything is too big for pictures to do it justice. See for yourself...
Once inside, we hustled to grab some beers and get into our seats, but rather than paying at the counter for your snacks, you need to buy a credit-type card from a girl in a green jacket, who will also put money on your card. Give her 50 Euros, and she'll give you a debit card. When you buy snacks, you lay the card on this sensor, and when the light turns green, your card has been credited and you can take it and your food away. I really think they are onto something here, as the food lines always flow quicker than in US stadiums. Oh, and when you're done with your 1st round of beers and go down for another, make sure to bring your empty plastic mugs with you. They will refill them and give you a discount for recycling. This really cuts down on the litter in the stadium, but is weird watching little kids running down with 20 mugs so they can get some extra nickels for candy...
As for the game, Cologne scored early. Cologne scored often. They also had one goal taken away because of an off-sides call and another where a guy missed a header into a wide open net by hitting the post. Final score: FC Cologne 3, FC Augsburg 0. We enjoyed every minute of it and plan on going back again. We have a coupon in a welcome book we received from the police, that if you buy a ticket for a home game, you will receive a ticket to an away game for free. We're going to take this act on the road! We will just have to make sure we don't pick a stadium with a bunch of hooligans who don't take kindly to visitors cheering. I don't want to become a European soccer statistic...
FYI: some of the pics have additional information if you click on them. You can comment if you prefer the pics weaved into the story (the site does it automatically, but they don't line up in the story real well), or I can do it myself, which takes forever. Maybe it's best if you just click on the album and check them out there. I'm looking to see what format people like best...
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Cologne Hotels
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