Sometimes you need to be reminded of why you do it.
Standing in the second row of an ecstatic section 113 -- hugged by strangers and friends alike -- while red confetti floated to the ground in the cold, Spring air -- I was.
Seconds ago TFC had scored a goal against one of the best clubs in North America. Our team – our loveable tramp of a dysfunctional team – had just evened its CONCACAF semi-final series.
In the distance I noticed Terry Dunfield leap so high that he was lying prone on the top of his teammate's heads. In the stands directly in front of the celebration a suddenly quiet group of Mexican fans were being taunted by a horde of red that fully engulfed them.
The noise was unbelievable. It hadn’t been that loud in several years -- maybe not since one of Danny Dichio’s famous goals.
My attention back in 113, I saw a sea of smiles. Not just any type of smiles, but rather the kind that comes when you are seeing something unbelievable, impossibly beautiful.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]The stadium had been loud since the opening kick-off – only briefly pausing when the opposition scored minutes before – but it reached a different level of noise now. Joy, hope, belief and excitement pulsated through the crowd.
For the rest of the half, nothing mattered except being there. Being there was he reward we were all getting for always being there. For staying true, fighting apathy and understanding that supporting a club is a long-term proposition.
It felt perfect. It was the feeling we had dreamed of since those naïve, drunk and blissful days in 2007. It was the feeling we feared we’d never experience again that terrible day DC United scored three and the Scotsman was run out of town.
Those moments don’t usually last long and this one didn’t either. Eventually the focus shifted back to the ebb and flow of the game at hand. However, the excitement stayed. The atmosphere remained intense. The crowd stayed decidedly positive and madly partisan.
And TFC rewarded them with one of the best games it has ever played. Julian de Guzman may never play better. Ty Harden made a diving tackle to prevent a breakaway late in the second half. Milos Kocic stretched fully to prevent a point blank shot.
The Reds didn’t find the net again, but no one left BMO frustrated. This was a performance worth celebrating played by a team you were proud to have supported. The result was secondary because you saw Toronto play with passion and pride and you sincerely believed that they could replicate that performance on another night.
And they will. Soon. Regardless of what happens in the second leg we have all seen what this team is capable of. There is no going back now.
There can only be so many perfect moments in a season, but it feels like there might be more on their way.
The club was born in 2006, but last night was the first time it truly felt like we were playing the game. It’s exciting to think where we might go from here.