Finally, two years after the Chicago Fire announced the club was moving back downtown to Soldier Field, we finally got to see the potential of the iconic lakefront stadium. More than 31,000 fans packed the venue for a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake Saturday night, the third-largest standalone crowd in club history.
It was loud. It was colorful, with the red and Chicago flag blue of the crisp new logo drowning out what was left of the Fire Crown logo in its final home game. And, most of all, it was fun. People were excited to be there, from the die-hards, to the brand new fans trying to sort out which players they like best.