ST. LOUIS – It’s a different kind of October for St. Louis sports fans. The Cardinals aren’t in the playoffs, but the city’s new pro soccer club is making a lot of noise, and they had a big game against the Vancouver White Caps Wednesday night. And while CityPark was quiet Wednesday, it didn’t stop fans from flocking to local bars and restaurants to watch their favorite team.
City SC fan Brian Jennewein was one of a number of fans who took in the game at Maggie O’Brien’s, right across the street from the stadium. He said it’s about time St. Louis got to experience professional soccer.
“St. Louis is the soccer capital of the country. There’s more all-Americans, more professionals, coming out of this town than anywhere. And the owner of Maggie O’Brien’s was a SLUH All-American. So, soccer is huge here,” Jennewein said.
O’Brien’s is packed after City’s home matches, and people still showed up Wednesday to watch the team. The bar is part of the official City on Tap network of bars and restaurants that play every single city match, home and away.
With the team in first place, there’s been a lot of talk about the high expectations and ticket prices for St. Louis City SC matches. Fan Mike Weber says we are experiencing the best-case scenario, and players and fans alike should keep those high expectations.
“To have a new expansion club come in, you figure you’re going to suffer through five, six, seven lean years of supporting a losing club. But this club has just blown away expectations. We come down here expecting to win,” Weber said.
City beat Vancouver in May at CityPark, 3-1. They’re trying to become just the second expansion team to beat Vancouver twice in a season.
