By agoudsward
Some of the most exciting experiences in my life have been going to see my favorite teams, the New York Yankees and Giants, live and in big games. There's just something special about being there in person, cheering along with thousands of like-minded fans.
So I knew when I came to London, I had to see my other favorite team, Chelsea, (nicknamed the Blues) live at least once while I was here. Fortunately I was able to get last-minute tickets to Sunday's game against English giant Manchester United. There was added anticipation going on as the match would mark the first team that Chelsea's former manager Jose Mourinho, who was largely responsible for making Chelsea a European superclub, would return to Chelsea's home now managing one of the club's top rivals.
It was a game millions around the world would be watching and felt so fortunate to be one of the 40,000 or so who could actually see it in person. So, I arrived at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's home ground, along with throngs of other blue-clad supporters ready for an authentic taste of English soccer, or football to be more exact. It did not disappoint.
Chelsea scored a mere 30 seconds into the game sending the stadium into raptures. They were on their way to a 4-0 throttling of United, their best win of the season so far.
Attending a match in England is more distinct than any other live sporting experience I've had. The fans seem to be much more involved in the game than at sporting events in the U.S. People ridicule drunken English soccer fans singing the whole 90-minutes, but when the whole stadium belts out chants in unison it's a pretty incredible feeling.
The opposing fans are segregated, they all set in once corner of the stadium, rather than being dispersed throughout. This creates a unique back and forth between the two sets of fans. As Chelsea continued pounding United, the stadium broke out in mocking chants of "Who are ya? Who are ya?" to which the away section responded by boasting about how many times they had won the title "20 times, 20 times."
Overall, it was one of the most amazing experiences I've had here and while sporting events in the U.S. remain are still great to attend, go to a soccer match in England if you want a sports experience you won't get anywhere else.