Saturday, November 7, 2015

Rampage Home Opener - The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Beautiful Game

Wanted to post some observations from the historic home opener of Cedar Rapids Rampage SC. Let's run down the best and worst...

The Good:

The attendance- Close to 4,000 in the crowd and often provided a tremendous atmosphere. No doubt it was the crowd that lifted CR to a three goal surge at the end of the first quarter. The energy in the building was palpable.

The accessibility of the field/players after the game- They should ALWAYS do this.

The Security- Having heard about incidents of overzealous security at Titans matches, it was a pleasant surprise that no such issues were reported at the Rampage.

The Merchandise- The jerseys, hoodies, and hats were all slick.

The Concessions- VERY good nachos and refreshing drinks.

MOST of the game- Showed Coach Kraft which positions needed to be upgraded (which he has) while remaining competitive into the 4th.

The Bad:

The music: Just that it was pretty much CONSTANT. Allowing the music to die once in a while allows the crowd to lend their voices. Don't underestimate the CR crowd. In the two moments the music did stop during play, organic chants DID emerge.

No giveaways for a souvenir- Even a small pocket schedule card would have been nice and given people something to think about for buying tickets next time.

The Ugly:

Those football lines- MLS learned this after a few years. Part of what soccer fans love is the aesthetics of a ball on a clean, solid surface. I HOPE the Rampage find either a new rug OR a way to cover/dim the football lines. The look of say the Comets turf is so much better: crisp and clean.

No comments:

Post a Comment