All right, Chicago soccer fans, it is time to “pack the place!”

Chicago soccer fans, it is long past time to get on the red, black and white bandwagon and cheer on our local professional soccer team, the Chicago Fire.

 No more rooting from afar, no more just reading about them in the paper or catching a glimpse on TV, nope—it is time to get over to Soldier Field and literally “pack the place.”

If you have not been to a game yet, now would be the time!

Only two home games remain, so this friendly message from your Chicago Star Media site comes with an added sense of urgency!

The Fire this season has been… well… ”on fire!” The team is playing outstanding and is currently battling for a playoff spot in the MLS Eastern Conference.

On Sept. 27, they will take on the Columbus Crew in a huge rivalry match-up,  and then the Fire conclude their regular-season home slate vs. a tough Toronto team on Oct. 4.

As currently situated, the Fire will make the playoffs, but things are still a bit tenuous. They lead New York by only a couple of points and are still within shouting distance of the teams just ahead of them, the aforementioned Columbus Crew and the Nashville Sounders.

So these two final upcoming home games are crucial.

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The Fire have been drawing nice crowds this season as the positive momentum has built, but it is time to take it to the next level.  It is time to “pack the place,” and fill up Soldier Field on those two nights with some of the biggest and loudest crowds the stadium has ever seen.

A quick mini-editorial, if I could:

Many average, semi-interested soccer fans (maybe call them  want-to-be-but-not-quite-there-yet soccer fans) are most familiar with the game by watching the World Cup, which is by far the most popular event and one most are familiar with. But here’s the thing: Yes, It is soccer at its highest level, BUT… it is a slightly different style than you see in our MLS league. The World Cup players are so gifted, so talented in their passing and set-up skills that the game tends to be much more deliberate and calculated—withfewer scoring opportunities.

The MLS games, on the other han,d are different. There is much more “action.”   Fans will notice the up-and-down-the-field style of play with many more scoring opportunities than one might witness when watching a World Cup match. It may indeed surprise the more casual fan how different the game is played at the MLS level vs. the World Cup.

So folks, let's get behind our Chicago squad. Two huge home games left, both at Soldier Field.

Soccer fans, even in smaller number,s tend to be as rabid and loud and enthusiastic as any sport there is in this country. You get Soldier Field rocking with 30, 40, 50,000 fans?  For a soccer game?  Now, how cool would that be?  It would produce a spectacle like none other and would be guaranteed to be well worth your ticket price.

It is our time, Chicago soccer fans.  Let’s “pack the place!”