It is time to pay back a debt

It’s been months since the opening date was announced. There are 17 other sides in this league, and out of this 17 it’s LA I wanted to see come into Royal Brougham Park to open the season.

There are a number of reasons for this wish. First and biggest is it’s payback time for last autumn’s playoffs, that’s obvious. Second is they humiliated us 0-4 last year in our home. It was a woeful Seattle display, but LA did what good teams do and dispatched us comfortably. The performance in HDC last July was not much better; I’m looking forward to the chance to seeing that particular wrong put right this July.

Lastly, but not least, I think LA was the best side in the League last year and if Seattle wants to be taken seriously as a contender then they have to beat the best, and I think the best is LA.

On Tuesday night the rest of the league will be watching. Loose and it’s not all over, win and the Supporters Shield is not ours. There are a lot of games to go and nothing will be won or lost on Tuesday night, but this is the opening game. This is Seattle’s chance to make a statement on national TV, win and the rest of the league takes a little more notice of Seattle.

Getting some revenge for last year in a full and loud RBP in a nationally televised game that has the potential to show that in 2011 Seattle is about more than full stadiums, sounding good and having bra straps on our shirts. It will show we are here to compete with the best in the league.

Tuesday night I’ll be taking part in a game day tradition that goes back to the first football league game in 1888. I walk to the stadium with the optimism and anticipation of a new season. Every team is level, no one has lost a single game yet; every supporter thinks that we can win it all, we can mow down all those put in front of us. Anything can happen.

I think we have the players, I believe we have the coach; I have no doubt about the supporters. Maybe this is our year; maybe we can win it all.

I love the feeling of walking from the concourse, through the tunnel towards my seats and into the lights of the stadium. Looking to my right and see the ECS already pogoing, taking in the noise, atmosphere, seeing the familiar faces as I walk up the stairs. It’s game day and there is no place like it.