The Other Kind of Buckeye Football
There are fewer pro opportunities for soccer players in the U.S. than for players in the “Big Four” sports. MLS has only 20 teams, compared to 32 in the NFL and 30 each in the NBA, NHL and MLB. But the Buckeyes alone have still sent about 20 players on to the pros in the time John Bluem has been coaching, and they’re not the only team in Ohio – or even central Ohio – that can say that.
OSU soccer stars who have gone pro include current Crew SC goalie Matt Lampson; defender Eric Brunner, who played for six teams across eight seasons; brief early 2000s Crew SC player Jake Traeger; and former Crew SC midfielder Konrad Warzycha. One of the biggest success stories has been Honduran defensive midfielder and wing back Roger Espinoza, who spent 2007 as part of the team and has gone on to play for MLS and the English Premier League.
“Along the way, he also played in two World Cups for Honduras, and he also played in the Olympics with Honduras,” Bluem says.
Another notable OSU name is current goalie Alex Ivanov, who is one of only two Buckeye athletes in history to win the Senior CLASS Award for outstanding Division I athletes.
Fly Like an…
The Eagles will begin their second season this spring, with their home opener likely to occur in June.
The team plays at the Wellington School field.
It’s a much smaller venue, a much newer team and a much less prominent league, so the Eagles’ fan base can’t compare to Crew SC’s or the Buckeyes’, but it impresses in its own way. Attendance at a typical WPSL game is only 25-50, but the Eagles were regularly breaking 100 last season even though the team went winless, says team Media Relations Consultant Steven Santino.
For 2015, Santino says, the team is looking to build on what it did right last year – and put up a good fight against newfound rivals the Cincinnati Lady Saints.
Fandom Defining Moments
Frankie Hejduk: The Crew’s 2008 MLS Cup playoff victory over the Chicago Fire. “I thought the place was just a packed house, full as could be. I remember the noise and the energy and the electricity around the stadium. But then I see pictures, and it was only about 15,000. It just sounded like there were 80,000 people there.”
Clark Beacom: Attending a fan event at which a group of 50 to 60 Crew supporters were building a tifo – a coordinated show of support, such as a series of signs or a large banner – by painting sheets and sewing them together. “I think these guys spent maybe six or seven nights just sewing, tracing and painting, all so, for about 30 seconds or so … the players would know how much the fans care about them and the club.”
Blake Compton: The July 4 fireworks game against the Los Angeles Galaxy this past year, with a choreographed flag display by the Nordecke and the Hudson Street Hooligans. “I think there were 100 flags at one point,” Compton says.
Did You Know?
Columbus is one of the top five national viewing audiences for the World Cup.
“Being one of the top-rated markets to view the World Cup, it’s just amazing to see the growth here,” says Crew SC’s Clark Beacom.
The U.S. team is undefeated at MAPFRE Stadium, including four wins over Mexico – a big part of the reason it keeps coming back.
“(MAPFRE) Stadium does bring out the emotional effect to tried-and-true soccer fans in America,” says GCSC’s Linda Logan.
The Crew had five sellout games last year – a team record – and this year, seats in the Nordecke, its dedicated fan section, sold out in a matter of minutes.
If the Columbus Eagles are any indication, the local soccer community is quick to gin up support for new ventures.
Just a few months after it was announced the team would be coming to Columbus, a group of Crew SC fans started a fan group called the Eagles Nest that got up to 200 members – not nearly as many as Crew SC’s fan groups, sure, but pretty good for a fledgling team in a smaller league.
Youth soccer clubs are big in Ohio, to the point where the state has two youth soccer conferences rather than one: North and South. Those clubs do a great job of preparing players for college and even pro ball, says John Bluem of OSU.
“There are a lot of kids playing soccer in Ohio, and there are a lot of good clubs, a lot of good coaches,” he says.
The OSU team is also growing a fan base among students, says coach John Bluem, particularly when it plays such on-field rivals as the University of Akron, the University of Maryland, Indiana University, Bowling Green State University and, of course, the University of Michigan.
Children aren’t the only new soccer fans who have helped to galvanize the Columbus market. The city’s diversity contributes as well, as immigrants from such areas as Somalia bring their own love of the game to town.
As time has gone on, Blake Compton’s support of the Crew has evolved, though his love of the team has not lessened. No longer part of the Hooligans, he now promotes the team and sponsors events through his company, Compton Construction.
The youth programs deserve a good amount of credit for the city’s soccer enthusiasm, says Steven Santino of the Eagles. Santino has been impressed just with the number of clubs in his hometown of Westerville, and Westerville certainly isn’t the only community with robust soccer numbers; Dublin’s soccer scene, for instance, has a reputation for being expansive and competitive.
“There’s enough interest there, there are enough players who are willing to ... show up and support their teams,” Santino says.
Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
