8.8.12

I have seen 5 total playoff games in my life. A Mavericks game 5 where they lost, the Chiefs January 2011 playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens where they lost, drove to Denver for the SKC-Rapids game last Halloween where they won 2-0, followed by the 2-0 finishing blow later that week. I was there for the eastern conference final last November, I remember the pain of the Dynamo players celebrating on the field. I remember the orange confetti, I remember the orange fireworks, I remember their fans going wild. I remember each every moment of those triumphs and pains.

I remember sitting in the very chair that I'm typing this from right now in 2010. I remember watching the throw in being taken 10 feet closer to the goal than it should have been. I remember Mike Fucito slotting the ball to the right of Nielsen in the 92nd minute, I remember the noise their crowd made and the hate that I felt. I remember the damn near same thing happening the very next year, twice in fact. I remember the corner kick in the 93rd minute, Jeff Parke who hadn't scored a goal since the first half of the Bush Administration. I remember my friend crying into my sister's shoulder, I remember the hatred I felt. I remember when they gave us our first home loss, the Omar Bravo fake headbutt and red card. The first goal came in the 90th minute, Mauro Rosales in his historical year, the second from Lamar Neagle. The hatred was etched permanently into me that day, I would never ever tolerate the Sounders from then on.

Today, today really isn't a playoff game. The format is similar but the field of teams is bigger. 64 teams entered with even more already eliminated from the qualification round. Hundreds upon hundreds of teams with one single goal: to lift that big silver cup. We fought off a team starving for an MLS future in Orlando City, we fought off a team with plenty to prove in Colorado, we fought off a team that most people had never heard of but wanted to be this year's Richmond Kickers in the Dayton Dutch Lions. We went into Philadelphia, a place where we had the snot beat out of us weeks before, and dominated the second half to bring the game to Livestrong Sporting Park.

I have never seen a championship game. My family wouldn't have been able to afford season tickets, let alone flying to DC for the 2000 MLS Cup. My interests were elsewhere in 2004, a lost 15 year old at the time. Those are the only other opportunities I've had for potential championship glory in my lifetime. The last time the Royals won anything, let alone qualify for the postseason, was four years before I was born. The Chiefs, well, they can make the playoffs but usually choke somewhere after regular season play ends. Today is my first day for potential championship glory.

I remember waking up on November 6th. I woke up in a sweat, in the middle of the night, at about 2am. The same time that I woke up this morning but something completely different took my mind. I was afraid, I had many doubts. Could we win? Could we take on the mighty LA at their home ground? I was struck dead with the Terror. But this morning, when I awoke, I only smiled. I had no fear, only the feeling of preparation. I do not dread this game like I did the ECF last November. Today, I only had one feeling, winning.

See you at 4:30.