This past spring, MPR created a New York Islanders meet-up to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs among fellow hockey fans. Through this group, we discovered Brevard Court in uptown, and The Upper Deck at Courtyard Hooligans quickly became our go-to spot. The owner let us take over the bar during Islander playoff games, but it’s really a soccer bar. So although the Islanders didn’t make it past round 2, we ended up back there for the Copa America USA v Columbia game. It was a blast and we decided right then and there that we’d become soccer fans while we wait for hockey and football to start back up this fall.
Lucky for us, two world-class soccer teams came to Charlotte for a match this past weekend and we snatched up tickets in the nosebleed section. The two teams were Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. We rooted for Bayern Munich because we’re both German and wanted to support Julian Green from the US Men’s Soccer Team.
Before we headed to the stadium, we made a stop at Brevard Court to grab a bite and soak in the pre-game craziness. It was packed, per usual, and everyone donning their jerseys got us pumped for the game.
At Bank of America stadium we quickly got through security (tip: never bring a bag/purse) and started the long walk up the ramps to the 500 section. Our seats were literally in the last row of the stadium and my calves hurt from walking up all those tiny steps, but luckily we were surrounded by other fans that made watching the game so much more fun. And the view was fantastic.
I’ll admit, sitting in 95-degree weather in direct sunlight is not ideal, but we had a great time nonetheless. The key to survival was the Panthers refillable drink cup so we could stay hydrated. (Gatorade fountain 🙌🏻) We also caught up with some of our Islander meet-up friends during intermission, which was a nice break from the sun.
Bayern Munich won 4-1 and now we have our fingers crossed that Charlotte will get a Major League Soccer (MLS) team in the coming years because these games are definitely something we would frequent. Until then, we have the Charlotte Independence!
Caitlin Ryan, APR 
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