For years, the Chicago Fire have entertained soccer fans and have put Major League Soccer on notice that they are a team to beat. They won the MLS Cup in their 1st season and have rarely missed the playoffs. Before the Fire called Toyota Park home, they shared Soldier Field with ""Da Bears"" and moved in June 06. Toyota Park has played host not only to soccer, but also to concert events like the B96 Summer Bash and rugby and lacrosse games. It may have been built as a ""soccer specific stadium"", but it can can be used for more than just soccer. There are several negatives about the Park. There are no parking lines in the lots and most of the lots are STILL not blacktoped or marked with signs to find your car. Exiting can be difficult since traffic patterns can change due to incoming freight trains or stupid cops only opening 1 lane out. The food can use improvement (quality, price, and variety-wise). The field ""looks"" smaller than other soccer fields and the facility is a bit smaller than other soccer specific stadiums (seating approx. 20K). There's only 1 big screen television at one end of the stadium and they never seem to keep the score of the game throughout without them flashing an ad or the crowd. Security can't get story straight on what can and can not be allowed in the stadium (but what I observed, it's the BLACK GUARDS who say no to everything and even YELL AT KIDS). Speaking of, there was an issue of some Monterey security members shouting racial slurs towards our fans, but obviously they denied the story and refused to take responsibility. But I just LOVE the place and soccer. Section 8, the Fire's supporters, ALWAYS encourage fans to stand and cheer like they do in Europe. The seating is so close to the field that you can almost touch the players. Sure, Toyota Park has some ""faults"" that still need to be cleared. But I for one will keep on coming back to support my Chicago Fire and the game of soccer. LETS GO FIRE!!!
Pros: Chicago Fire Soccer, On site parking, tailgaiting allowed, festival before the games, facility can be used for events other than soccer
Cons: Traffic pattern varies, difficult to find car in lot, consession stands need improvements, need more shelter from rain, untrained and xenophobic security guards
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