To FC Tokyoooo and beyond!

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First, a little background information: My sister, Sarah, just started law school this fall. It's a place known for sleepless nights and grueling academic work. The first year is supposed to be the hardest, and no one is said to enjoy it. I think the closest thing my sister has to a social life is a few short coffee breaks during the day, a minimally social study group at night, and the time she spends keeping in touch with her boyfriend back in Mexico. This might not appeal to you, or to me for that matter, but if you know my sister at all, then you know she's loving it, and she's already proving to be good at it too. Sarah's always been a very serious person. She loves school and works hard. She gives up all her free time for an endless list of selfless causes, and I think one day she really might save the world. That's Sarah now, but back in high school, she had more free time, and she filled it with an amazing group of wildly entertaining and fun-loving friends. There were about nine of them, and although they now live all across the globe, with no two people living in the same city, they still keep in touch. Being two years younger than my sister and her friends, I looked up to them. I watched them closely, and there is probably no one on this earth who thought they were cooler than I did. Always looking for a good time, they had a propensity for late nights and endless laughter. I admired their enthusiasm and zest for life, and I wanted to be just like them. Two years is no longer a big age gap, but I think I will always remember them with the awe of a little sister looking up. When I found out my sister's friend Olivia (half Japanese and half American) was coming to Japan for a one week vacation, I jumped at the chance to meet up with her across the planet. I hadn't seen Olivia in at least two years , but I remember her well for her adventurous spirit and excitable nature. I imagined all the endless fun we could have together, and I couldn't wait to see her. We exchanged a few emails and our Japanese phone numbers, but it wasn't long before I realized it wasn't going to be so easy to meet up with her. I play soccer all evening and into the night, and she goes out to see friends late at night and into the morning. We both sleep until lunchtime and then get up to do it all again. It made me wonder about all the fun I was missing while she was out making friends and dancing the night away. I guess I never grew up to be just like my sister or her friends. I chose my own path, and that is why I'm in Japan in the first place. I play soccer, and I'm here to learn from Sawa and her teammates . So, despite tempting invitations to fun clubs and dance parties, we settled on a plan to meet at the FC Tokyo game Saturday night. Having seen how enthusiastic the Beleza women's fans were, I was excited to meet the J-League fans at the FC Tokyo game. Neither FC Tokyo nor their fans left me disappointed. Beating Iwata 3-2 in injury time on a header goal from a late substitute, FC Tokyo did their part. Their fans went crazy, and so did I. From the first whistle, the game was back and forth, o-1, 1-1, 1-2, 2-2, and finally 3-2. The stands were electric with energy. The fans booed players when they passed back to the goalkeeper and when, under pressure from the other team, they turned the ball over. They heckled theIwata players when they fouled the home team, and they disagreed outwardly with the referee's calls against FC Tokyo. Although we were seated in a more tame section of the stands, we watched the tried and true FC Tokyo fans as they waved huge team banners, sported the jerseys of their favorite players, and cheered continuously until the game was well past over. It was a great game, and they had every right to be enthusiastic, or so we thought. Later, however, we found out that the game didn't even count for anything.FC Tokyo was already safely in 6th place and guaranteed a playoff bid. Iwata, On the other hand, was seeded below 8th place with no chance of making the playoffs. All that excitement and energy for a game that didn't even count! I wish we could bring some of those cheering, chanting, soccer enthusiasts back to the US. It would be great for the sport, and it's so much fun to be a part of when you're in the stands. You just can't help cheering with them. "FC Tokyoooooooo"