Mike Queri approached the soccer ball and swung his right leg with all his might. The ball zoomed against a backstop and Queri quickly glanced at the radar gun to gauge the speed of his would-be shot.
The gun read 54 miles per hour. Not bad, but the soccer fan from Norman, Okla., figured he could have done better with a proper warmup.
"Hurt my knee," Queri said with a faint smile.
The pain lasted only an instant. Then Queri and sons Brandon, 12, and Bryce, 11, were off with the rest of their group to explore all that Soccer Celebration had to offer.
The fun started well before the gates opened at Dick's Sporting Goods Park as fans warmed up for the MLS All-Star Game with skills activity, autograph sessions, picture-taking opportunities and much more.
"This is great," Queri said as he stepped back and surveyed the carnival-like atmosphere. "You've got players out here for the autographs and lots of things for the kids to do."
Queri's sons are youth soccer players and the family has been to Dallas for MLS games.
"My kids play as much as they can play," Queri said. "Getting to come out here is big-time for them."
The fans strolling through the VIP lot where Soccer Celebration was held had the opportunity to experience Virtual Soccer, treat themselves to face paintings if they were so inclined and get a "You and Freddy Adu" souvenir picture with snow-capped Colorado mountains in the background.
One of the more popular activities that fans enjoyed was an opportunity to make a public service announcement that advocates buckling seat belts. The basic script was on the prompter and fans only had to sub in their names and which team they supported. The best of the tapings could wind up getting on television or on stadium screens.
Steve Linn and his family had fun making one of the public service announcements. The Linn family flew in from Jacksonville, Fla., as big fans of Celtic FC and proudly displayed their green.
"We follow Celtic via satellite," Linn said. "We get up early on a Saturday morning and watch the games live."
Linn, who has Scottish roots, made plans to attend the 2007 All-Star Game as soon as he learned that Celtic FC would be the opponent of the MLS All-Stars.
"All of the All-Star activities have been great," Linn said.
Sam Sapen, 17, took in Soccer Celebration while wearing her David Beckham jersey. She was supposed to baby sit on Thursday night, but opted for a night of soccer. She had heard that Beckham would attend the game.
"I came to see everyone, but Beckham is up there," said Sapen, who lives in Aurora, Colo. "I got his jersey for my birthday in May. I was hoping maybe I could find him, but I have a feeling it's not going to happen. But I can always wish, right?"
Robert Falkoff is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
