Yes, there's been a lot of moaning and groaning about the invasion of Phillies fans at Opening Day yesterday, but the reality is, given how the Nats have played over the past couple years, what can one expect? One Philly fan told me they brought FORTY buses down from parts north for this game.
On my way home from the game, I spoke with a couple longtime Caps fans on their way to the Caps-Boston game. They knew EXACTLY what it felt like because that's how it was before the Caps started getting good, so it gives me hope that in the next couple years the Nationals can mirror that kind of success, both on the field and in the stands.
For the meantime, however, I'll be one of the HUNDREDS (Edit: As of Thusday 4/8, it's over a thousand) of DC United fans who'll be making the trek up I-95 this coming weekend for the opening game of the Philadelphia Union, where I hope to make myself as OBNOXIOUS a fan as the Phillies fans were yesterday. (Heck, the DCU Team Store even had scarves made for the occasion!)
The difference: In soccer, home teams EXPECT to have away fans in their stadium, and set it up so they're essentially walled off by security in one single section to ward off any unpleasantness (some of which, unfortunately, I saw yesterday at Nats Park).
It's still interesting to see how different sports handle visiting teams' fans (remember that 'Skins-Steelers game at The Snyder MoneyPit?).
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