Ladies and Gentlemen, I don’t know what took me so long to get there, but I made it to TQL Stadium on Wednesday night to witness the guys in Blue & Orange win in exciting fashion.
Before we get to the game, let me just say this: I’ve seen FC in action live before. Those games; however, were at Nippert Stadium ahead of the MLS promotion. I stood in general admission and watched the likes of Corben Bone, Djiby Fall, Danni Konig, and Emmanuel Ledesma, among others, plant the seeds that we are watching grow in 2024 as a top MLS squad.
Now, to TQL. My goodness.
The sheer beauty of that stadium — I mean, I knew she was gorgeous on tv, but it was a whole different experience seeing her in person. And what better way to pop my TQL cherry than to be smack dab in The Bailey!?
The Bailey was an absolute vibe. The energy, the positivity, the atmosphere — EVERYTHING — it was unlike any professional sports experience I’ve ever witnessed in person. Hand on the Bible, I sucked at the chants, but practice makes perfect — I WILL GET BETTER!!! The clapping, the dancing, the screaming, the cheering — it was a state of bliss.
Now how about a quick recap?
Our boys got the scoring started in the 29th minute when a Lucho Acosta cross found Kevin Kelsy in the box.
Unfortunately, Philadelphia was able to sneak one through and tie things right before half.
Following halftime, FCC got a chance to take the lead following a penalty in the 49th minute. You already know it’s automatic.
That’s right, the Captain put our fellas on top. Unfortunately, just six minutes later we found ourselves tied again when Philadelphia managed to once again find holes in the FCC defense. Five minutes after Philly squared things up, Luca Orellano put one in the net from just outside of where my friends and I parked our car.
Once again, the place was bouncing from end to end as the Good Guys jumped out in front again. It appeared that the three points were as good as golden for us until Philadelphia showed their ugly heads again in the 90th minute to tie things.
I felt like the biggest mush. Surely FCC isn’t going to tie against the Union at home in my first game at TQL.
Ten minutes of stoppage time was announced.
Now or never.
It appeared that everyone on the pitch was just trying to survive — it was quite spicy outside yesterday. The clock felt like it was running triple time. Here it is, FCC is going to draw against the 10th place Union at home. Jared is never going to let me hear the end of this one.
But my friends, let me just tell you about my favorite Argentinian. With maybe 30 seconds left in the match, Lucho created space and what ensued is not something that I could imagine registering on the Richter scale.
THERE WERE NO WORDS! Absolutely one of the best things I’ve ever witnessed live whether it’s sports, music, or whatever else there could be. Lucho sent the home crowd into a frenzy and when I say I still haven’t come down from that high, I mean it. It was so loud that you could no longer hear me chanting the wrong words to the chants. At this point it was pure adrenaline and absolute cinema.
TQL was a beaut. I cannot wait to go back this season for more. I’ll probably buy season tickets next season because I’m irrational like that. What can I say — I love what I love.
Oh, one more thing…
Even though the chants were a bit shaky, you can bet your ass I didn’t miss a word of “Mr. Brightside.”
As my good friend and cohost often says: UP THE ORANGE AND BLUE!!!
Ohio Sports Radio 
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