“We shall fight them on the beaches.  We shall fight on the landing grounds.  We shall fight in the fields and in the streets.  We shall fight in the hills.  We shall never surrender” - Winston Churchill (as reiterated in ‘Aces High’ by Iron Maiden found on the album Powerslave)

The first home match day in May dawned rainy yet hopeful. There was a sense of urgency in the hope, however, as the Wizards needed to turn thing around as soon as possible.  Kansas City entered this match searching for solutions to their recent scoring drought. They wanted to impose their will offensively, and finish off good scoring chances. They wanted to find the solution to their recent defensive struggles, and shore up the back four. They wanted to pressure Chicago and pin them into their own half. Finally, they wanted to keep their players healthy, and they wanted to answer their critics who questioned their character.

Three out of four ain't bad.

The nasty conditions produced a sloppy match at times but, unlike the sun, periods of good play occasionally shone through. After sliding to a 2-goal deficit early in the second half, Kansas City turned things around and began to take the game directly at Chicago. Upon equalizing in the 89th minutes, the Wizards looked poised to steal all 3 points, but it was not to be.

Accompanying me on this day's match excursion were Mrs. Fanista and her ever-so stylish friend, Ms. Fashionista. They were both troopers in the face of the inclement weather. It has been noted previously on this site that a different perspective can sometimes be refreshing. Other times it can be distracting. When things are going pear-shaped in a hurry for the team you support, this new perspective could be considered refreshingly distracting... Whichever way you see it, here are a few snippets of conversation observed throughout the evening:

Me (after a good scoring chance produced by one-touch passing in a sustained build-up): “Nice possession, boys.”

Mrs. Fanista: “I hate it when they pass. They should just kick it into the goal.”

Ms. Fashionista: “Did that guy in yellow forget his blue outfit?”

Me (after a Jack Jewsbury shot on goal from 30+ yards): “Great strike, Jack!”

Mrs. Fanista: “I think his wife had a baby last season.”

Ms. Fashionista: “I don’t like his hair.”

Me (when Jimmy Conrad disposes of a Chicago cross): “Great clearance, Jimmy!”

Mrs. Fanista: “Does he have a special parking space at the office?”

Ms. Fashionista: “Oh, no, he didn’t wear black shoes with a navy top.”

Me (as Jimmy lies crumpled on the ground after clashing heads with CJ Brown): “Oh, no, Jimmy.”

Mrs. Fanista: “Do you think you will still have to go to the staff meeting on Monday? I was hoping you could watch Fanistinho when I go to my yoga class.”

Ms. Fashionista: “Head wounds are hard to accessorize. Maybe he could wear a snappy red and white belt to match his bandage.”

Me (at halftime): “I’m going to buy a pretzel.”

Mrs. Fanista: “I’ll keep reading my book.”

Ms. Fashionista: “You should have told me not to wear heels when sitting on the grassy berm in the rain.”

Even with the rain and the Wizards playing catch up all evening, both seemed quite eager to return to CAB in the future.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, Fanista, and his women and not of the JimmyConrad.com staff or of the glorious Jimmy Conrad. If you have a problem with Fanista, he can meet you in the parking lot after the next game or you can email him at fanista@jimmyconrad.com. You've been warned.

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