To learn more about the history of the Stadium Tour, read this.
Our third stadium tour took us to the StubHub Center (now the Dignity Health Sports Park), home of the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA (at that time). Our trip was scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend in 2014, the year of the World Cup in Brazil. At the time that we were planning the tour, we considered that the National team would be in camp already, and that we likely wouldn’t see the best players from the Galaxy and their opponent, the Philadelphia Union. But, if you’re a soccer fan, you already know what happened…
The short story is that Landon Donovan, arguably one of the best US Men’s soccer players in history, was left off the roster of the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) for the 2014 World Cup. Donovan played for the LA Galaxy, which meant that his first game back from camp was the game we attended. The Galaxy fans made sure to make their feelings on the roster omission known.
Because of this controversy, the atmosphere inside the StubHub Center was electric. The fans were upset that Donovan had been left off the roster, while also being excited to have their superstar back on the field and wanting to show their support for him. Donovan’s presence also translated to his renewed efforts to break the MLS scoring record – he was tied for most goals in Major League Soccer with 134, and everyone was hungry for him to break the record, both as a badge of his prolific soccer career and a symbolic middle finger to USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who had made the controversial decision to leave the leading MLS and USMNT scorer off of the World Cup roster.
From the first whistle, even the most novice fan (read: me) could tell that the Galaxy players wanted Donovan to break the scoring record, and they fed him the ball with every scoring chance, even when other players had open shots. Sure enough, early in the second half, Robbie Keane fed Donovan the ball and Donovan scored, becoming the all-time MLS scoring leader. Donovan scored another towards the end of the game, and the Galaxy won 4-1.
Though we were at the Galaxy stadium, and the focus was definitely on Landon Donovan, the Philadelphia Union also had a national team player who had been off the roster – Maurice Edu. Hubby, Sis, and BIL were just as disappointed that he wasn’t going to Brazil, but also just as excited to see him play as they were Landon Donovan. He was a defensive midfielder, and not going to gain as much attention as Donovan, but we all remembered his disallowed goal (he was robbed!) from the 2010 World Cup and thought he would make the roster (ironically, the game in which Donovan became the hero to advance the USMNT out of the group). He scored the only goal for the Union on a PK, and the whole stadium cheered for him, recognizing that he too was playing through disappointment.
I mentioned the concern we had that we might not see the all-stars due to the World Cup, but Hubby was equally excited that he might get to see some rising stars for the Galaxy, specifically two home-grown players, Gyasi Zardes and Jack McBean. We ended up seeing both players, and Hubby was thrilled. Zardes started in the game, an unmistakable forward with his bleach blond mohawk. We saw Jack McBean play with Galaxy II immediately following. (Side note: In between the two games, Sis and I went back to the car to get sweatshirts because the sun had gone down and it was getting chilly. While we were being nice to our husbands, they met USMNT legend Cobi Jones, who was doing pictures and autographs in the concourse. Jerks.)
The StubHub Center itself is impressive. The stadium is a standard bowl, with supporters groups behind the goal, and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. There are also skyboxes for the “wine and cheese crowd,” as Hubby calls them, but more so for the celebrity fans who want to watch the game somewhat incognito. (Do you remember the coverage of David Beckham’s first Galaxy game? Every A and B-list semi-soccer fan was in attendance, and the tv coverage spent more time scanning those boxes than covering the game on the field.) The comfortable environment is not just for the rich and famous though. In the concourse, there are tvs and couches to watch the game while you enjoy food and beverage, or if you need to escape the Southern California sun.
I know we ate, and I know there was some beer drinking, but I have no memory of what it was or how it was. What I remember from that game is redemption, watching a team and a fan-base rally around their guy, and lift him up in the only way they could. I’m sure that the game was bittersweet for Donovan, and could never compensate for missing the World Cup, but as a soccer fan on a stadium tour, I will remember that feeling of watching Donovan break the MLS scoring record, the roar of the crowd as they celebrated their hero, the man they call #LegenD.
