Fútbol Joy

Last Saturday I had one of my peak 2025 experiences, at the MLS semifinal between the Vancouver Whitecaps FC (hereinafter “Caps”) and Los Angeles FC (“LAFC”). Both those FC’s stand for “Fútbol Club”. 53,095 other fans were there with my son and I; we came home smiling. I’d like to share a bit of the joy and an unexpected side-effect: I’ve gone off most other TV sports.

Earlier this year I wrote about becoming a Caps fan. Anyone who enjoys this will probably like that piece too.

Let’s set the scene with pictures.

Supporters gather pre-game at a nearby Irish-flavored pub.

Supporters march to the game.

When you’re in a frivolous parade, everyone smiles

at you, even the drivers hemmed in by paraders.

The banner is what’s called a tifo.

I have to admit I failed to parse it.

The game · It was 120 minutes of ridiculously over-the-top psychodrama. I was exhausted at the end. If you want a full retrospective, type “whitecaps lafc” into any Web search to get the particulars. Or hit this. But here’s the short version:

• The Caps came out sharp and fast and had LAFC pretty well flummoxed through most of the first half, scoring two goals,

one of which was