By Daniela Calvo // @DanielaCalvo__
My name is Daniela Calvo and I have been following soccer since I can remember. As a Mexican American, I grew up watching Liga MX with my father, a passionate Club America fan. My weekends were filled with nothing but soccer games and on weekdays we listened to Jorge Ramos on the radio. In spite of watching and listening to soccer with me, my father was surprised he raised a fanatic.
Summer of 1998 my uncle, cousin, and I attended many Chicago Fire games at Soldier Field. Not only was my uncle excited to have a team represent our city, but also because he can introduce the sport he loved so much to his son. Lucky for me he always bought an extra ticket. Despite the triumphs of the Fire’s inaugural season my cousin never harvested an interest in the sport, which led my uncle to lose interest in the team as well.
A couple years after that, I would say the early 2000’s I started watching FC Barcelona games on my own and the reason was Ronaldinho. The talent he brought to the team- his dribbling, set pieces, and long shots captivated me. He’s the reason why Barcelona is my favorite European team. I spent years watching La Liga witnessing the rise of Messi, the integration of Neymar, and Puyol’s retirement. All of that was great, but I felt like I was missing something.
The thing I was missing was the Chicago Fire. I wanted to watch games in person, rather than my computer screen. I attended my first Fire game in 17 years on March 2015 and I did not miss a single game that season. Despite being at the bottom of the table I was always excited to attend their games.
I started bringing my camera with me and captured fans supporting the team and enjoying the atmosphere. Those images introduced me to several great people in the Chicago Fire community. Now I can’t wait to share my thoughts on this upcoming season with you via MLSFemale.
Follow and chat with me on Twitter // @DanielaCalvo__
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