FANBOY

March 22, 2025

Over the past few years, I’ve really gotten into soccer; a few TV shows like Ted Lasso, Welcome to Wrexham and Onside: MLS helped me see the beauty of the game through narrative, and I’ve been adoring the Minnesota United and their loyal community, mostly from afar.

I saw a few Loons matches years ago when they were playing at the U of M stadium while building their own; until this year, I had never visited Allianz Field in St. Paul. I joined the Preserve last year and, over the most recent holiday season, they offered a deal where you could blindly buy the same seat to the first two matches of the year (and get a cute hat to boot!). I went for it.

I’m so glad I did. I can say, hands down, that these matches are the most the fun I have ever had at a sporting event. The stadium is beautiful, the food is ridiculous, the energy is electric, the vibes are immaculate. Nearly every person I bumped into was an absolute delight of a human being. (I actually ran into one of my favorite cousins at the home opener!)

I went alone, but it never really felt like it. The United community is a big carton of good eggs. That being said, if anybody ever wants to go a match or has an empty seat available that needs filling, you know a guy! I’ll even let you borrow my scarf! (But not really, no, you should really get your own.)

These are my photos from the first two home games of the year: the first against Montreal on March 1 (it was insanely cold!), the second against reigning champs LA Galaxy today, March 22 (it was insanely beautiful!). We beat Montreal 1-0 and drew LA 2-2, and both were enormously exciting matches. ⚽️