Wednesday, October 24, 2007
It began faintly as a distant pulse from outside Arrowhead Stadium. The driving rhythm grew more distinct as the raucous column of singing fans led by pounding bass drums paraded through the concourse and down the aisle to the customary home between sections 102 and 103. Meet the Cauldron, the self-described home of the Kansas City Wizards’ most fervent fans.
As the rowdy supporters settled into their designated area, they hoisted blue and white flags and banners and began a series of chants in the hope of inspiring their Wizards against Eastern Conference rivals, the New York Red Bulls. The noise didn’t stop until after the final seconds of stoppage time ticked off in a 3-2 win as the Cauldron’s members exposed the 13,875 in attendance to a limited glimpse of the stadium atmosphere that fans in countries such as Argentina took for granted.
It’s an atmosphere that wasn’t created overnight. Without a few dedicated University of Kansas students it would never have been possible.
Wizards playoff game vs. Chivas USA
When: Saturday at 7 p.m.
Where: Arrowhead Stadium
Tickets: $16-20
Pregame tailgate
When: 4:30-7 p.m.
Where: Lot C10
Cost: $5 for food
When Major League Soccer’s inaugural season began in 1996 Sam Pierron was an 18-year-old freshman living in Ellsworth Hall and majoring in political science. Though only marginally acquainted with international soccer, Pierron said the 1986 and 1990 World Cup broadcasts began his progression as a fan that eventually led to the creation of the Mystics, the Cauldron’s predecessors.
“Soccer was something I liked to watch in theory, but it was just never on,” Pierron said. “The 1994 World Cup changed it a bit. That was my first chance to watch a lot. Right after that I was an exchange student for a year in Johannesburg, where there were games on television every week live from England, Italy and Portugal as well as the South African league.”
Despite extensive contact with soccer during his time in Johannesburg, Pierron said the inspiration behind organizing the Mystics came from a trip to New Jersey in the summer of 1995 to see the United States men’s national team play Colombia. Although the game itself was on the dull side, Pierron said the support the United States received piqued his interest.
“There was a big group of fans standing and singing behind one of the goals like fans do in foreign countries,” he said. “We went and joined them for the second half. As it turns out, that was the second game ever of Sam’s Army.”
Through Sam’s Army, the U.S. national team supporters’ group, Pierron was turned on to the types of resources that could be used to organize a similar fan base with the recently created MLS club in Kansas City. By using the Internet to organize, Pierron brought together a group of students, educators and soccer aficionados interested in being a part of the foundation of the Mystics, the Wizards and MLS in general.
What began as a voluntary offer to design the Wizards’ Web site soon evolved into the creation of a diverse fan group with Pierron serving as president. Like the league itself, the group had a relatively unheralded start.
During the first few years the Mystics experienced fluctuating attendance with highs of as many as 50 supporters but often as few as three devoted fans. Standing, singing and more than likely heckling the opponent’s goalkeeper became habit as the group sought to create some excitement in the cavernous confines of Arrowhead Stadium, much to the chagrin of stadium security.
Mike Gaughan, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, season ticket holder and former Mystics president, was part of the group from the University involved with the Mystics from the start. He said the emotion in the game lent itself to the kind of organization committed to bringing an air of enthusiasm to fans.
“Soccer is a passionate sport,” Gaughan said. “The fans are passionate, the players are passionate, and when MLS started there was a niche for fans who wanted to express their passion for 90 minutes in, I guess you could say, the more traditional sense, with chants and songs.”
Pierron said that passion within the Mystics reminded him of another group of fans in nearby Lawrence.
“For a lot of the early guys in the section from KU, the Wizards games were the closest thing to the student section at KU games outside of the Fieldhouse,” Pierron said. “It sounds kind of silly because there were 50 of us doing it, but that was a very real feeling.”
Despite the Mystics’ modest beginnings, the same commitment to passion and energy continues within the Cauldron today. Although the group has grown steadily during each year of its existence, this season has seen a huge spike in the number of fans supporting the Wizards in the welcoming confines of sections 102 and 103.
Robert Houghton, Cauldron president, said he estimated the group drew an average of 50 to 75 fans per game in 2006. During the 2007 season the Cauldron has had an average of 350 fans. The huge jump in participation came as a surprise, but Houghton said efforts to integrate young fans and Hispanics have fueled the Cauldron’s unprecedented growth.
With the help of Pierron, now the team’s customer relations manager, the support of ownership and the growing attention generated by increased media coverage of MLS, Houghton said he couldn’t see any limits to the Cauldron’s development in the coming years as the league continued its pattern of expansion.
For Pierron, his love for the game and his club has come full circle. Although he has the best job he could imagine, Pierron said he missed being able to be a fan first. The same man that led chants, beat bass drums and screamed himself hoarse for 12 years now makes occasional visits to the section he helped create while making sure game days run as they should.
It’s an arrangement that can take its toll, but in the growth of the Mystics, and now the Cauldron, Pierron said he found satisfaction in knowing a fan base was there to take soccer in the U.S. to new heights.
“The reality is that an 18-year-old soccer fan now basically doesn’t remember a time before MLS,” he said. “When we started all of this, we hoped that we were laying a foundation for the future. So to see that come to fruition is extraordinarily gratifying.”
— Edited by Luke Morris
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