Saturday, June 1, 2013

MEET ME IN ST LOUIS

With City completing an incredibly successful post-season trip to the United States, where the club succeeded in raising its profile on numerous levels, this is the third and final part of our reports from the US which reveals the efforts fans make to follow the club
This is what it's like to be City, Stateside

_______________________________________________________

by Pete Wright
Chairman/President
MCFC Denver




Last week, I had the privilege of driving to St. Louis with my good friend Erick French, also of MCFC Denver. The 15 hour drive was split up between a stop to visit my parents in tiny Rossville KS, which is just outside of Topeka. My parents recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, so originally I just wanted to go see them. Then the news came out that City was going to visit St. Louis. It seemed as if the stars had been aligned perfectly. My wife had to work that weekend and Erick wanted to go, so it became a complete guys' trip.
On the Wednesday morning before the match we set off through Kansas, through 8 1/2 hours we drove what is one of the most boring drives in America, I-70 through Kansas. We spent the night at my parents' place and set off again early Thursday morning for St. Louis. The 5 hour drive seemed to take forever. The eagerness to see City and to meet people from the other supporters' clubs was eating away at me. There had been so many people that I knew from emails and Facebook that it was finally time to enjoy some pints and cheer on the Blues.

We arrived in St. Louis, checked into the hotel and then it was off to the pub. Finding Patty O's was a bit of a trek but in the end we ran into Vic Gregory from the Chicago MCFC group with none other than the great Mike Summerbee with her.Meeting Mike Summerbee was definitely among the greatest things I have ever experienced as a City supporter. I have supported City since 1997 and have always held Summerbee in high regard as a legend not only for City but in all of football. Summerbee stayed at the pub for some drinks, called me "tone deaf" when I led the rendition of "Blue Moon" and posed for pictures with anyone who requested it. He was incredibly gracious and classy, even bringing one person to tears with his words of praise and his own humility. After he left we all remained at the pub for a while longer to increase our blood/alcohol levels and then it was off to Busch Stadium. Any United fans in our path were shamed as they should be and the songs of Yaya Toure and Blue Moon were belted out. 
We made it into the stadium and to our section where we continued our singing, even when we fell behind 3-0. We grabbed more beers and a bit of grub and continued to sing. One warning for those who'd like to visit Busch Stadium, the stadium is brilliant, the food on the other hand, not so much.  $29 got 2 beers and a crappy hot dog. For less you can get 2 beers and a foot-long dog at Coors Field.
The turning point of the match came when a few Chelsea fans wanted to come to our section and hurl abuse. It seemed to be a bad move, because at City, We score when we want!  When the 3rd goal went in they began to disappear, then Micah Richards drilled the 4th and they were gone.


After the match it was back to the pub for more beverages, singing and more pictures (some very incriminating pictures with an inflatable banana).The next day was spent recovering, spending a bit more time with the Chicago group then setting off back to Denver. It was an amazing trip and an experience I'll never forget. We City supporters may have been outnumbered, but that will always be in numbers, never in heart and passion. We showed City how much we love our club on that night and it was a tremendous experience.

-----------------------

Peter Wright
Chairman/President
MCFC Denver.
Follow them on Twitter here 


No comments:

Post a Comment

ON THE WINGS OF DESIRE

City's total domination of English football continues. Those that decried the self-styled one-sided end of football, this morning whoop...