The fans were out in force at Friday's MLS SuperDraft at the Baltimore Convention Center. The numbers might have been smaller than usual, but they made themselves heard. At one point, MLS Commissioner Don Garber asked the fans to keep the noise down. The chants were getting in the way of each draft pick's speech after being selected and the live broadcast on ESPN2.
"He had to yell at us for being noisy," Red Bulls fan Tom Schodowski said. "But being noisy is the New York way."
The chants started before the draft began. D.C. United and New York outnumbered the others. But fans from Chicago, Columbus, Kansas City and Toronto were also in attendance. Fans also represented Philadelphia, even though that city does not yet have a MLS team. Fans flew in and they drove. However, some didn't make it due to Thursday's inclement weather.
Fans began chanting for their teams and continued through the entire first round. They booed during timeouts, cheered for their teams and taunted the other fans. During the second round, the numbers began to dwindle. But at that time, most players in attendance had been selected.
Overall, most fans were pleased with the outcomes of the day.
"We needed a striker," Chicago Fire fan Omar Shaker said. "We also needed a young goalkeeper. We got both. There are more positions we could use help at. We'll see what happens."
One fan in particular stood out among the rest. Fred Meindl of Akron, Ohio was taking part in a dare. He was dared to change uniforms every time a new team was on the clock. He did just that, with the jerseys of every MLS team.
"I'm a huge fan of MLS," Meindl said. "I've been a passionate fan since it started. I hear all the critics say soccer is not going to be successful in this country. It takes time to build a successful league. I'm a firm believer that it will last."
Kathryn L. Knapp is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
