It is the last Saturday in May. You wake up earlier than usual and step outside to drink in the warm morning air. In San Antonio, the summers always come early.

Back inside, you wipe the sleep from your eyes and pull your Alamo FC jersey over your head. A quick look in the mirror confirms that you are, in fact, awake. You walk out of your building and grab a coffee from the shop on the corner.

Drinking in the first sip of morning caffeine, and burning your tongue in the process, you emerge back onto the pavement just in time to catch the River North Streetcar headed downtown. You hop on, give “the nod” to the dozen or so others in their Alamo FC garb and allow the morning breeze to further awaken your senses.

Once downtown, you and the other supporters exit the streetcar and join the throngs of folks just like you making their way towards St Paul’s Square and the pre-match festivities.

Supporters from The Upper Room and Puro 33 gather at Alias Sports Bar, where the michelada flows and the smell of chorizo soaks the air. You and the Crocketteers gather in your traditional spot, filling Sunset Station with singing, shouting, and Shiner Bock. Bands play as the supporters prepare to give a full 90 minutes to the home side just a short walk away inside the Alamodome.

Match-time approaches and you begin the trek with the other supporters towards the dome. The spirit of revelry is thick amongst the group. You smile as some around you wave scarves in the Texas sun, blow on parade horns, and generally swim in the pool of anticipation that is an old-world match-day. You think to yourself, “This is why I love soccer. This is what I waited so long for…”

The dome is particularly lively this afternoon. ABC is here to televise the MLS Match of the Week. All eyes (and cameras) are trained on Cristiano Ronaldo, as he warms up in his first Texas appearance as a member of Red Bull New York.

You slide into Row 6 and greet the familiar faces around you as the chants of your fellow Alamo FC supporters echo off of the walls of the cavernous Alamodome. A record crowd of 52,000 buzzes while the teams take to the pitch, flashbulbs popping away.

The referee’s whistle blows, the ball is played in. You take a deep breath and survey the surreal scene one last time before throwing yourself fully into the match. This is real. The MLS is home in San Antonio.

Tags: alamodome, Expansion, mls, San Antonio