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SANDY — In an interview with The News Tribune, Seattle Sounders FC goalkeepers Stefan Frei and Troy Perkins were asked about opposing hecklers and if there were any trends between them.
Frei said Portland’s were the most clever, New York City’s were the most knowledgeable, and Perkins said Kansas City’s were the most humorous.
The two were in complete agreement about whose fans were the meanest:
“Believe it or not, the meanest place has been Salt Lake,” Frei told The News Tribune. “I was very surprised with that.”
“The worst is Salt Lake,” Perkins said to The News Tribune. “I actually had to tell a security guard he’d better grab me before I went into the stands because of some of the things they were saying.”
Sounders FC general manager and former RSL senior vice president and general manager Garth Lagerway is very familiar with the RSL faithful’s antics.
The worst is Salt Lake. I actually had to tell a security guard he'd better grab me before I went into the stands because of some of the things they were saying.
–Troy Perkins
“Utah itself is a very red state,” Lagerway told The News Tribune. “(But the Salt Lake City) counterculture sometimes manifests itself as anti the Mormon Church, and the Mormon Church, of course, discourages obscenity and vulgarity, as common society does. If I had to suppose, it’s folks that have something to say, and that’s the one point in their lives where they got to say it. There’s a little bit of anti-religious zealotry, if you can have such a thing.”
Lagerway attributes some of the unnecessary meanness to the architecture of Rio Tinto Stadium. The tight end line seating directly behind the goal is more uncommon than not in standard MLS stadiums.
Every fan base knows the reasons to attend an event is not only to be a spectator, but to also provide the home team with an advantage. RSL fans provide a loud atmosphere difficult for opposing teams’ in-game communication. The “mean” factor comes into play by entering the minds of the opposing players, making them focus on the fans’ detrimental comments rather than the task at hand.
The RSL fan base is loyal and dedicated to its team. Knowing it is the only professional team to hoist a championship trophy helps fuel its fiery passion.
Frei, Perkins, Lagerway and the Seattle Sounders FC travel to Rio Tinto Stadium Aug. 22. Nathan Harker is a sports writing intern currently enrolled at Brigham Young University majoring in broadcast journalism. Nathan can be reached at nathan.harker32@gmail.com or via twitter @nharker3207.
