Editorial (August 17, 2017) – Last Word on Soccer and Last Word on Sports take pride in our work. We focus on the game on the field. While we have emotions about sports, we don’t let them get in the way of our of our (imperfect) objective coverage. In this, we don’t always give the human side of sports its due. As Managing Editor of Last Word on Soccer, we’re working to change that by bringing light to and humanizing those involved in the game. Especially when they’re doing something noteworthy.
This week and last week, I had the pleasure of hosting Steve Bernasconi of The Soccer Tour during his ten days in Colorado and lone Colorado Rapids home game of the tour. Here’s my account of the adventures and fun that were had:
Colorado Rapids And Denver Adventures With The Soccer Tour
For those of you who don’t know anything about Steve or The Soccer Tour, he’s a lifelong soccer fan from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He’s embarked on a season long roudtrip across the country in what he calls his “quarterlife crisis.” He’ll be attending a home match of every MLS team, many NASL and USL teams, and a handful of other games/soccer events.
“The Soccer Tour is a journey that I’m on that I embarked on in February. The goal was to discover soccer in our country. The way that it’s grown the past few years has really fascinated me. I put together a schedule that included a stop at every [MLS] stadium. By the end, I’ll have seen 50 matches at all levels of the game. It’s all about meeting interesting soccer people, hearing their stories, sharing them, and getting a handle of what’s the State of Soccer in the U.S. and Canada in 2017,” Steve told Last Word on Soccer.
In many ways, it’s been a Homeric Journey for him personally as much as it’s been a soccer journey:
“I’m not focused on the end product. I don’t know if I’ll write a book. I’m not too bothered by all of that. I didn’t want to live my life on auto-pilot. At what point do we stop and say ‘wait, why?’ Can I have a goal and dream and make it happen. Can I trust other people? Can other people trust me? Can I open myself up to new experiences and get out of my comfort zone?”
Steve certainly stepped outside his comfort zone by coming to Colorado for the first time. He completed the Eastern Conference half of the tour a month ago: “The first half of the tour was amazing. That wrapped up in July. Then I came out [to Denver].”
Colorado’s August 5th game against Vancouver Whitecaps FC was his first match west of the Central Time Zone.
I had contacted him early in his tour about showing him around Denver and Colorado. As a Colorado transplant, I’ve taken it upon myself to show first-timers how amazing the state is. Steve took me up on a few nights of bed rest and a day of attending Rapids training.
Discovering Denver:
Steve arrived in town the Thursday before the game. He dropped his stuff off at my apartment and we went on a walk around Denver. We made a stop at Diego’s for some Colorado style Mexican food (I prefer Mexico City, but it was closed). The evening consisted almost entirely of soccer talk. I asked a bunch of adventures about the tour. We got to talking Rapids and then he was the one asking all the questions.
We both have roots in the lower divisions, which led to a conversation about #USLRising and the NASL’s coming doom. Steve got a kick out of my ’12-year-old trying to get a driver’s license’ analogy for Pro/Rel (hit me up on Twitter if you want the full spiel). He shared some really good stories about his Wild West days with the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. We finished the night off with a drink at the British Bulldog (the official bar of AO Denver) and the most recent episode of Game of Thrones (Queen’s Justice).
Rapids Matchday And Training:
The next day we were up early for Rapids training. I had the pleasure of riding in The Soccer Tour van to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. We walked around the massive training/practice fields. For a club with somewhat of an MLS 1.0 soccer-specific stadium situation, he was impressed with the surrounding amenities.
As an unofficla Mid-Tour Award, he actually gave the Colorado Rapids the Best Training Facility: “Best training facility for a practice: I was impressed by Colorado, they’ve got twenty-something fields.” Steve said.
Watching training led to more Rapids talk about the current team form and their must win game against Vancouver. The trip concluded with some Rapids interviews and a tour around DSG Park. While small, Steve was impressed with the layout, the roofing, and Eighteen76. Little known fact: The roofing at DSG Park is actually designed to resemble the Rocky Mountains.
Steve was interviewed by the Rapids for both the Rapids Podcast and Rapids 360. He had some nice words for the organization and the media department:
“Very rarely will a club reach out to me before I reach out to them. The Rapids were one of the few clubs that before I could send them an email, they sent me an email. Asking how they could take care of me, what they could offer me.“
The day concluded with some soccer talk and drinks with Richard and Todd from Non-League Colorado, though you may know it better as the Flakoglost Podcast. Great guys, great soccer minds. Definitely hit them up if you’re ever in town.
The next morning was Saturday and Match Day. We met up around the C38 Tailgate after making the rounds to meet others. We later met up in the press box after the first half rain got to be too much. We discussed the tactics and what Colorado was doing so well on the counter attack. The match ended up being a 2-2 draw.
While the result wasn’t what Rapids fans were hoping for, Steve walked away with a new-found respect for the club and the fanbase:
“When we look at MLS, we talk about certain clubs. We talk about Seattle and Portland. When we do talk about the Rapids, or the Columbus Crew, or D.C. United, it’s never in the most positive of lights. It’s ‘their attendance sucks. They’re stuck in MLS 1.0.’
For me it was really encouraging to see a good group of supporters. When it rained, most of them stayed. They were loud. To be able to go to some clubs that I didn’t hold in the highest regard beforehand, coming out here, meeting people, and seeing what they do do correctly, taking away some positive experience has been good for me.”
Casa Bonita And A Sentimental Interview:
A week later after some rest and relaxation in the mountains, Steve crashed at my place one more time before heading west. With some inspiration from South Park, we headed to Casa Bonita for dinner and more soccer conversation. Our initial conversation the previous week started general and got specifict towards the Rapids and anecdotes. Our conversations mid-cliff divers got very general, big picture, and philosophical. It was a perfect lead in to our interview.
We got back to my apartment and sat down for a Last Word SC Radio exclusive. I’ve conducted a lot of interviews in my three years with LWSC Radio. I have to say these 37 minute were some of the best content I’ve been involved in. In many ways, The Soccer Tour is a microcosm for the grass roots nature of soccer fandom in America:
“The tour works because the Soccer Community has embraced it. When I do go from city to city, I try to stay with people in the community who have heard about what I’m doing and have graciously opened up their homes to me.”
Our conversation ended on a sentimental note with another theme of self-discovery through soccer discovery:
“I’ve really seen some of the best aspects of humanity. The generosity, the altruism, the love, and friendship. I’ve met hundreds of people. I’ve made tones of new friends. I’ve learned so much about myself and what I want to have in my life.”
We finished the evening off with some Game of Thrones (Eastwatch) and Rick and Morty (Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender). Steve was on his way in the morning for Idaho.
At the time of publising, Steve is in Portland, OR. You can see his whole schedule here. You can follow his journey at thesoccertour.com and @TheSoccerTour on Twitter. If you’d like to get involved, click here. As I can now attest, he’s a very approachable and friendly human being. Don’t hesitate to reach out if he’s on his way to your town and you want to meet up.
It was a pleasure meeting and hosting you, Steve. I enjoyed being your Rapids liaison. Thanks for the Harpos FC scarf. Long live The Soccer Tour. Travel safe. Be well.
