SeatGeek Stadium

Went to the Chicago vs LAFC game. Atmosphere was great with lots of people, lively crowd, and everything felt fairly organized. Parking took a bit of time, as expected with a big event, and the $40 parking fee feels a bit high. Overall, it was a good experience and worth going for the game-day energy.

The venue was perfect for a one hour show. The lights by the exits were too bright during the show. It interfes with the visual experience. Thank you to the two producers that helped two old ladies find their seats. Good luck on your really cool adventures.

DoodyCalls loved being part of the Chicago Fire Dog Day at SeatGeek Stadium! 🐾⚽ The venue was welcoming, easy to work with, and the atmosphere was fantastic for families and pets alike. We had a great time connecting with the community and showing our support, and we’re grateful for the chance to be part of this event.  Looking forward to coming back for more dog-friendly events in the future!

What a great EXPERIENCE. Brought my son & my Daughter-in-law, They loved it!!! I think they should do an old school Rock & Roll show! I could imagine Journey's "WHEEL IN THE SKY" playing while watching ah Giant light wheel turning up above us!!!

Went to the DroneArt show Saturday night, awesome show! Parking was smooth, getting out ahhh not to bad, sat in seats instead of doing picnic seating on the field. Had drinks and truly enjoyed the show!!

The stadium is nice enough. We went through security and nobody asked to check our tickets…. Nobody checked anybody to make sure they had tickets. Did we actually need to spend money or do they just let everyone come to the games for free? So confused…. Loved the staff and all the guests. Big fan of the city of Chicago

VIP is worth the price. It comes a goody bag and the blanket is too cute. On the field, under the night sky with a clear view of the show was stellar! The service, food, music and drones were the real VIP's. Highly recommend!

This was amazing! My husband and I went for a date night, but I can't wait to bring our kids next time!

We came here to watch the Chicago Red Stars, ladies soccer team. They don't play actually in Chicago but in Bridgeview. They had a deal with Weeds Tavern on Dayton Street: $30 for a ticket, free drink, and round trip rides from the game! Only select games. We wanted to support the Stars after the Riotfest debacle. (frankly watching soccer is like watching paint dry with a ball moving around in the background, but that's besides the point)I'll do a Weeds review separately. The Seatgeek stadium is near a hotel and mini mall with restaurants. I probably should have gone to one of those, but I'll get to that in a sec. The area around it is nice, security was efficient too. There were giveaways, games for kids, and it's big but not humongous. What I liked a lot was the bag policy, oddly enough. It was not nearly as strict as Guaranteed Rate field or Solider Field, or Wintrust arena, where they have you using all the pockets and can't take anything bigger than a clutch purse inside. (I have seen people with regular bags inside as well, but since I do not have a car, I don't want to bring something I have to toss away). The bag policy at Seatgeek is 14 inches, about the size of a normal tote bag. Maybe because it is much smaller than the other venues, they can allow regular size bags. Anyway, it was nice to hop on the bus with my drink, and enter with all my creature comforts. The stadium is easy to navigate, and crowded but not swarming (it was a 8:30 START game time, the place was just under half full, so that may be why). It was a nice night, warm but not muggy, which is good bc everything is outside, even the merchandise area. The food was the typical overpriced kind, but what made it worse was it WASN'T HOT! I got chicken tenders, popcorn, and my party got a brisket sandwich that was lukewarm at best. It came with coleslaw, we could not find forks. Do they not cook at games anymore? I realize cooking takes longer, so to move the lines and save labor, they probably heat everything from frozen and stick it under a heat lamp. The atmosphere of the place was cool, the bathrooms were clean. We sat on bleacher seats with no cup holders, but we were behind the net, some nice shots from there, chance to catch a ball too. If we go again we will see if the place has cupholders, and if we drive, we will definitely eat in one of the surrounding areas first!

There is so much to talk about this space, not all of it favorable. There was promise when calling about seating for someone unable to climb stairs. They directed us to section124 seating, which is down stairs. There have been people in wheelchairs told that area too. There are seats along the corner of the field where wheelchairs can go. However, the section 124 seats are down stairs. The access ramp in is steep four switchbacks. There is an elevator, but they give you the third degree, as though someone is trying to sneak into the private boxes. People keep saying they will bring the ADA seating problem with both Red Stars and Hounds, but have yet to hear from anyone. Speaking of the Hounds, the announcer is not helpful and really would rather have silence. Have. It returned to a game, because they are so annoying. The food options for people who do not eat meat are limited, but there. There are tacos, pretzels and popcorn. The website mentions restaurants as options for eating there, but those are not inside the stadium, but in the lot. Make note of where you park, there are no identifiers to help find where you parked. The it has loose gravel and is uneven use caution.

One month ago we had our very first trip to "Dawgtown" Bridgeview Illinois. Home stadium to the Chicago Hounds rugby team. (July 8 2023) We came out for the MLR final Match between SD Legion and New England FreeJacks. From beginning to end the day was exciting. There was a pre~game tailgate/block party, DJDiesel onstage aka Shaq doing his thang onstage inside, & intense moments during the match... and even a post match mashup with an Irish band. It was a very full and entertaining day! Weather was good too! We also sat in the midst of the New England FreeJacks fan section, albeit we were cheering for SD, and since we're from the East coast too it was all good. We made frienimies. We got lemonade and from a nice & friendly vendor (I personally can't eat at the rugby matches as I'm too nervous) and they had lots of other local food vendors to choose from for those who wanted to experience it all. If you've never seen a MLR Rugby match this is your chance. It's a lot of intense fun. You might've seen the bright green advertising on the L even and wondered what is that!?! Yup Chicago has a very green aka new rugby team as well. Check them out sometime. We enjoyed our time at this nice Stadium. *My only qualm was the volume and frequency of the music during the match. It simply was too loud and sometimes obnoxious. That could be toned down a bit. Congratulations to New England FreeJacks who won '23s final by one point. Much respect to all the fans and players!

I pass by seatgeek stadium frequently and have always wondered how it looks inside. I figured it must be large because whenever there is a men's soccer game, there is a line of cars causing traffic on Harlem Ave. Welp, I was invited to a women's soccer game and finally got my chance to see the inside of the stadium. 1st entering the stadium the staff checked our bags, tickets, and scanned us with a metal scanner. It is pretty big inside and there were games at the entrance for both kids and adults. It also surprisingly had food stations. I didn't get the chance to try the food but im hoping to go back when the stadium is full to try the food and experience the energy of the crowd.

I am currently at the event , waiting in the ticket resolution line with others that purchased from seat geek. The event has started and seat geek help line can not transfer ownership of the tickets to us. Please read reviews of this site before using. Help line does not speak English. If I could give zero stars I would...

I visited the stadium for North Coast Music Festival. I loved this venue for a music festival. First off it is large but not overwhelming. It took between 5 and 10 minutes to get from one stage to another and it was easy to navigate. The stadium stage was my favorite because the stadium had a lot of shade and was easy to get in and out of. The fields were turf AND they had coverage over the turf so if it had rained or anything, it still would not have been muddy. The restrooms in the stadium were pretty clean and well-stocked even with a bajillion people coming through. The indoor soccer field set up as the "chill dome" was awesome, though it struggled to stay at the "cool" temperature when there were a lot of people inside. I can't really speak to the service because I'm not sure which staff were employed by the stadium and which were employed by the festival, but either way I had no issues with anyone. I would def return for another event.

We were really impressed with SeatGeek Stadium. It is a great venue for soccer. We have not seen a concert here, but the field and stadium were great for soccer. Seats were comfortable and the view from anywhere would be great. It was also nice having a cup holder in front of you. The food options were really good as well. There were lots of bathrooms stalls and the bathrooms were clean as well. Every employee we encountered were kind and had a smile on their face. We will be back!

This company ruined the game for my entire group 4 people I invited that drive for how's to see the football game. Myself and one other did not get to watch the game because one of the tickets didn't work at the gate! The app told us to wait and the ticket would be available before kickoff and it was not! My friends ended up driving home and not even going into the stadium and I spent the entire game on my phone with seat geeks customer service. After all this the company did not refund my money because they said "the ticket became available at halftime" what a joke I wish I could do more then just leave a bad review because this company literally took thousands of dollars from me

Website not functional, and customer service less than useful. Avoid at all costs! Couldn't buy tickets I wanted and the team just told me to wait and try again another day with a different credit card...

Great place to see a game! I came for a women's soccer game and it was a blast. I had the VIP experience which is totally worth the price. From the delicious food, open bar, desserts, and staff. It was great. Check in/security was a breeze. Seats in the vip section were great. All staff that I encountered were great, especially bartender Laquita (sorry, spelling might be wrong!). The non-vip sections all have amazing seats as well if someone doesn't want to spend the money.

This site ripped me off I bought thickets for my grandkids to see Disney on ice this coming Saturday April 24th in Miami not only the tickets where 18 $ more per ticket compared to ticketmaster ( 63$ per tickets vs 45$ for the same line ) but also the service fee was outrageous 26.75$ per ticket instead of 16 $ in ticket master don't use them ever

They suck!!! My card had been entered twice now!!! No customer service available!!! DID NOT GET MY TICKETs!!!

Not even just the stadium but DO NOT BUY TICKETS FROM SEAT GEEK they will literally play you I couldn't find my tickets thru the 'third party' that they said they would be at and when i CONTINUOUSLY talked to MULTIPLE reps and they all said they'd get back to me but they never did and the event passed and they never gave them to me 0/10 never again this is horrible .

I've had a good experience buying from SeatGeek before but what they've just done to me is reprehensible. I bought tickets for the Lana Del Rey concert for me and my sister for $663.83 total. Right after this purchase, the tickets shot from $250 a piece to $500+. Now, my tickets have been cancelled and SeatGeek refunded me--probably so that they can resell the tickets for twice the amount I bought them for. This is a disgusting business practice and I do not recommend this website to anyone who doesn't want to get their experience ripped away from them because of their lack of professionalism and corporate greed.

Poor customer service. I ordered a parking pass for a hockey game on April 1 that proved to be no good. When I arrived at the designated garage; it was empty, closed and locked. Could not reach a live person by phone the next days after endless menus and finally being put on hold for too long. After several emails, SeatbGeek agreed to refund my money. Still waiting for the refund after almost a month! I would not use SeatGeek for tickets; there are better choices.

Not only was I sold falsely advertised tickets but the customer service has been terrible. After tracking down a phone number to call sat on hold for 50 minutes only to be hung up on when finally told I'd be transferred to a supervisor. They do not honor their Buyer Guarante. Stay far away from seatgeek so my mistake does not become yours

Do not use. You will never receive your tickets and they will keep your Credit Card number and your money. No customer service.

Organized entry, BUT the last day they LET ALL the General Admission into the VIP to speed up check-in!!! They didn't have anyone supervising area to make sure the ACTUAL VIPs get head of the line! Food looked like cardboard pizza or frozen! VIP section was a nice feature, BUT NO CELL Data! Cleaning services kept VIP section cleaned. Leaving was HELL I mean NO organization whatsoever. Be prepared for BAD PARKiNG-NO CELL service unless you have WiFi-LOTS of long lines inside and out! LACK of access to medical personnel-Artists stopped performing so people can move out the way to people in need of medical attention.

I would recommend staying away from Seatgeek. Awful customer service. Do not respond to emails and when I finally got a supervisor on the phone they refused to refund my ticket purchase even though we never received ticket.

Not to be confused with SheikhGeek, which is a rich dude in Abu Dhabi that loves WoW. We were sad to see that the Fire has moved out of SeatGeek Stadium which is a pretty nice Stadium out in the suburbs of Chicago, but I have the same problem as everyone else which is that it isn't in the center of Chicago and which is that people can't get to it very easily from all the many far-flung parts of Chicago. Especially from all the bougie suburbs. They would obviously need to put the stadium in a more fancy area or close to downtown where the other stadiums are. Northside perhaps. If they can do that then they can probably start getting their attendances back up again. Now this stadium will be very lonely without its main occupant of 12 years. Whoever runs this team should be Chicago Fired, because it's been a long time and many years and very few high points and a lot of stadium issues and mistakes too. Sigh. Could have been so much better. The Chicago Fire who are surely going to be changing their team name at some point is a team that has been around for a long time and vomit... I mean one which... I used to support and root for back in the days of Bob Bradley and Damarcus Beasley. Both of them went on to have a long and illustrious careers - especially Bradley - but the team remains, and it had such big names as Blanco, Ante Razov at the peak of his powers, and so on since then. They've underachieved but I'm still a fan and hoping that they will become one of the dominant teams like they should be sooner or later.

they are horrible makes you look bad they say they will try to help and at the end they don't do anything helping you forget about the problem worst app ever 0 if I could

They are terrible! You can only communicate through a chat or email. I bought tickets for a football game and we cannot access them. They keep telling me the same thing and it does not work. Do not buy tickets on this site.

Getting in for a Red Stars game is always easy. Parking is way too expensive at $20 a pop, but at least it's close to the stadium. Staff is always attentive, many bathrooms that are clean, and the food/drinks are less than some other places in the city.

SeatGeek is the worst parking experience I have ever had. I tried to get clarification about which parking lot my reservation was located, and they refused to help me find out. And when I said I cannot have a ticket to a parking spot that I am not sure exists, they insisted that I would be told to park upon arrival. But I didn't know where I was arriving! So, when I asked for my money back because of their intensive ambiguity that did not feel right in any manner, they also refused. I always try to find the silver lining and the best I can do is say that I will never seek them out again. I am going to another event soon, and their business popped up. At least now I know, they don't know where they're sending you to park. I'd give them no stars if that were an option.

Don't buy tickets from Seatgeek. When you try to talk to someone, you can't. worse customer service ever.

I remember when this place used to be a big truck place back in the day. It's finally great that there's a stadium in our back yard and not in Chicago where you're dealing with conflicting chaos with traffic. They make getting to this stadium pretty easy and the city of Bridgeview has done alot for this stadium. I've been to this stadium mostly for concerts. I love everything about Toyota park, it's not too big nor too small it's the perfect size. If you don't have a car. No need to hear because there's various forms of public transportation... Mostly PACE buses to help you out. I do not recommend going here for any festivals they are expensive and a waste your time because you're going to pay for parking, pay to get in and pay way too much to try and do fun things. You're going to have a really bad time and don't recommend it to anyone. Toyota Park is constantly bringing in new places too I love it. They've attracted a gas station on the corner and now they got a hotel in the makings as of this review. Things are looking up for the city of Bridgeview.

All the people who work at Toyota Park are super friendly! Did I look like a lost visitor with my souvenir cup and non Chicago Fire t-shirt on? Regardless, everyone and I do mean everyone was extremely helpful in guiding me to the right spot. I even had a chance to sneak to midfield to get some sunset shots of the field and for that (and many other reasons), I will be eternally grateful for the staff at Toyota Park. Everyone from the fan shops to the food, thank you! The seats are your standard soccer stadium seats. The food is also standard too. Don't expect amazing fine dining food. You get hot dogs and nachos as your standard faire. The stadium itself is easy to navigate. I actually had the chance to watch the Chicago Fire play the Colorado Rapids in Denver a couple weeks before and were beaten 2-1. Chicago was definitely outplayed for that game. Since I didn't know anything about the San Jose Earthquakes, I was hoping the Fire would turn up/turn out for the game and they did in a homecoming game that made me a Chicago Fire fan! Love the sport and now I love the team. The stadium doesn't have too much history since it was only built in 2006. However they have hosted qualifiers for the World Cup and the fire have had some amazing feats here. Looking forward to visiting next time I'm in town!

this is the worst company. they only interact with you via text and email. you have to repeat the problem over and over and never get a response. I am trying to get my tickets which were order 2 weeks ago. nobody knows when they will be delivered. how they will be delivered or if i will ever get them. please do lot buy tickets from this company

Didnt get tickets to take my 9 year old son to the Padres Game. Trying Calling, no luck.

I've visited Toyota Park twice, for a concert and to see the Chicago Fire. It is a very impressive stadium, and easy to navigate through. The parking lot is absolutely insane after an event though because of the lack of exits.... Stadium food is top notch here - between the deep dish pizza and the loaded nachos, I couldn't be happier! The beer selection is a bit crazy, it is all imports (Heineken). They have stands for mixed drinks. The employees I have had interactions with have all been friendly. Bathrooms were clean. I really can't ask for more for a stadium! Toyota Park is easy to get to if from I-294. I also was able to get to and from here and avoid the evil tolls. Overall, a really fun place and I hope to come back for another event :)

I love the Red Stars and would go to every game except for the fact that the stadium is the only option for parking and that is $20. Often the parking is more expensive than the game tickets. It is a very utilitarian stadium. Move the Red Stars to the city stadium where public transportation is plentiful and free parking is plentiful! Make the Red Stars accessible to everyone!

What the actual fork! THIS PLACE MADE ME FURIOUS. I ordered chicken tenders and fries and then was told that they would be out momentarily. I waited about two minutes. I had my partner stand in for me to retrieve the item while I ran to the bathroom. The staff was so incompetent that they gave away four orders of chicken tender baskets to others who had ordered after me. I was gone for five minutes at the restroom, then waited another seven minutes for more chicken tender baskets to be brought out. As the next round came out, I watched the attendant hand them to the next group who had ordered AFTER I had returned from the restroom. I screamed at the staff and said that I had been waiting for fourteen freaking minutes. This place needs to desperately get it together. No no no. I will never order food from here. Put numbers to each of your cashiers (ie this is cashier 1, 2, 3) then as meals are prepared-- a ticket spits out and you have your food runners bring the food basket to the appropriate cashier station IN ORDER of who ordered first. oh my word. The whole stadium was equally disorganized. We came in through one entrance and our bags were not searched. Our companions came through a different entrance and their bags were thoroughly searched. Big red flags for safety. It was so disorganized and I felt badly for the family who was not able to get a cup with a lid on it for their child because the concession stand was stingy. Note: I came here for a Chicago Red Stars game.

If they are going to put a stadium out in the boonies, they need to figure out a public transportation plan. We were in Chicago for a rugby weekend, we bought tickets ($90 each) for Nov 4th USA vs Maori at Toyota Park for Friday night. It took us over 2 hours to get there from downtown, via 2 subway lines a bus and a 25 min walk. the Toyota Park website promotes an 'Express' shuttle which runs on game days from Midway, we arrive at Midway half hour before game time, and see HUNDREDS of people lined up for a single bus. We ended up boarding another bus which dropped us a mile from the Stadium so we walked another 25 min along a busy road in the dark, it was GRIM. We left the match early fearful that we would be stranded if we missed the bus back to Midway. The empty bus was waiting however the bus driver said he would not leave until a half hour after the match even if the bus was full (?). He then changed that story, who's on first, know what I mean? USA's dismal loss did not add to the experience. A vendor who was taking our bus home said this is the norm, it's always a mess. So we left downtown at 5pm, got to the stadium at 7:30pm, left the stadium at 8:30pm before end of the game, and got to our hotel at 11pm!!! We had a great weekend in Chicago except for this ordeal. I emailed USA Rugby, as they were the organizers of the event, they blamed the transportation issues on the Cubs Victory Parade, which was downtown at 10am. We had absolutely no problems with transit out of the city, it all started at Midway. According to a local, this is the status quo for the so-called Express Shuttle to Toyota Park. For USA Rugby to blame this on the Cubs Victory Parade is a lame excuse for their lack of planning.

Flew in from LA to specifically watch the Women's Chicago Red Stars Soccer Team play, and so appreciate the energy and spirit the stadium attracts. Looking forward to returning and enjoying the next game even more so!

This was one of the better outdoor venues to see a concert festival I thought. Well, better then heading to the Tinley Park Amphitheater anyways where the sound isn't the greatest and you have obstructed views. Usually, that's where festivals like this take place. We came here for Chicago Open Air Fest on Friday and Sunday. Tailgating was allowed which always adds to the enjoyable experience. After the fun in the parking lot, it was easy to find both stages of music here of which had pretty good sound. Beer prices were average and I didn't bother to even try any of the food since we brought a grill with for tailgating. I didn't really see anything that caught my eye for those hefty prices anyways. I guess my real only complaint is getting out of the parking lot afterwards. Either leave early or prepare to wait a long time because there isn't many exits. Overall though, I hope more festivals like Chicago Open Air Fest comes to Toyota Park.

Purchased ticket, and the EFT was not received. Trying to retrieve it, and receiving message, "cannot be delivered at this time". No real live chat offered. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!

I am a decorated Veteran and I've been well by Saint peach out of my stadium tickets because the cat was canceled I am getting those with these people sing very serious you're not refund my money they keep taking her sweet time and nobody will give me a straight answer so I'm going to the Better Business Bureau and I'm gonna sue these people

Omfg. This place is THE WORST STADIUM EVER. I came here for the Open Air Festival 2019. We came primarily for one band, but after reading the reviews on here, I knew that we had to make sure we got here early. I read that parking was a nightmare, WOW, NOT WRONG. **If you absolutely HAVE to come here, park on the 71st St end of parking. **** Also, the narrow roads leading into the venue by parking were confusing because people were driving in the wrong direction sometimes and it was a little nerve racking and dangerous. $20 for parking on a gravel lot is RIDICULOUS. Also, it's very badly run. There was ONE merchandise stand for EVERYONE. I am not joking when I tell you that at one point, we saw a line of probably 800-1000 people were in it. This was around 6ish. I legit thought the line was to get into the venue until we saw the beginning of the line at the stand. It stretched from gate D to gate A. That's a LOT of people! When we left, around 9:15, the line was still long, from gate A (the stand was between A and B) to between B and C. Also, the Open Air people issued general admission tickets in a crazy way. Some people bought GA1, GA2 tix, but the tickets issued said GA11? Because of this, the ticket takers were confused (not their fault!) and literally asked me if we had "Golden Circle". I had no idea, so I said yes on the side of error, and we got admitted into the best GA section. It's really not my fault if they didn't clearly print on the tickets what section we were in, so I looked at it as payment for the overcharged parking. Also, to get to the GA, you have to go up stairs, then down stairs? Why tho? Also, we bought bottles of water and they took our caps. Why??? "Because some people throw bottles. " OK, except, when you're in the Golden Circle, there are vendors that actually come around with tall boy cans of beer (and don't pour into a cup like at ballparks) AND THAT'S FINE?? SMH. We were able to get out of the parking lot without TOO much hassle, but only because we left before the headliner. If you REALLY REALLY have to come here, bring a Deja Blue water bottle cap, and park close to 71st St. There's only one way out of venue, and that's the closest to it.

I am really struggling to find any nice words about this stadium. For starters, why did they think that putting a stadium in the suburbs was a good idea? The area does not have the infrastructure for this to make sense, and traffic was terrible on the way in and the way out of the stadium. The parking staff was also about as incompetent as they come. It also doesn't help that they had half of the parking lot closed off for a fall festival, because they couldn't find an abandoned big box store parking lot to hold it in. And to top things off, most of the parking lot isn't even paved, and becomes a dusty mess if there is any wind. The stadium does look nice, and the sight lines are unobstructed, and it is an intimate setting. That is unfortunately where all of the compliments end. As a vegetarian, it is usually not difficult to find food options that taste good in most stadiums, however, this is not most stadiums. If you eat meat, there are plenty of options, but for vegetarians, you have nachos, grilled cheese, and fries. Those are all of your options. And on top of that, all of the concession lines are extremely slow, and have long lines. It might be better if they had the entire stadium opened up, but they don't see that necessary for Red Stars games apparently. The worst part of the entire stadium had to be the restrooms. While they were mostly clean, at least for a stadium, nothing seemed to work. The door to the stall would not lock, and the trash bin next to the toilet was not secured, so while I was trying to keep the door closed, I also had to fumble around and try to get the trash bin back in. At least the Red Stars won the game, but they deserve a better stadium than this. No wonder the Fire moved back downtown. Hopefully they build a soccer specific stadium near downtown, and the Red Stars can play in a better facility.

The park is very clean and there's a variety of Chicago-style food offered. Every seat has a great view of the field. Personally, we liked the 200 level which gives you an eagles eye view of the field. The only negative is it's so, so, so far away with out any good way to get there from the city. I guess I'm spoiled because I live in the city and I guess I just expect everything to be a bus ride away.

zero about SeatGeek. They claim to be a ticket seller. They don't sell tickets. Claimed I'd get a email from another company to get the tickets to Sox game. I did not and cannot be online every day. This company is a scam. Trying now to get my money back from Visa

Just attended a game on Sunday to find out that food and drink prices have been hiked again. It is now $10 for a draft domestic beer and $13 for a draft "premium beer". I am pretty sure that is the highest price of any stadium in the country (a Dallas Cowboys game charges you $8.50). Food prices are likewise insane. While the stadium itself is quite nice, with good views and sound system, the location is terrible, especially for those coming from the north or west. There is no public transportation to the park, the neighborhood is sketchy, and the parking lot is unlit and unpaved. Parking is $20. I don't see the Fire surviving much longer at this location.

Party deck. The two words sort of strike fear into my heart. They conjure up for me mental pictures of drunken 50-year old dudes on work outings at sporting events trying to relive their youth with beach balls and booze while making inappropriate cat calls at the servers (all while not watching the game). In short, a personal nightmare of mine (reminiscent of a Jimmy Buffet concert). Anyone reading this is free to come up with their own similar nightmares. If they involve half naked whoo girls, feel free to PM me a full description (if you're an artist, drawings are welcome) when you get the chance. This nightmare scenario is not the case at Toyota Park. At $45, the Party Deck is in a prime location right behind the south goal and well worth the money (especially with a Groupon reducing it to $30). Unlike many other stadiums, the party deck is open to fans who buy individual tickets in the area (though group rates are available). Even better than its location availability though is the fact that from two hours before kickoff until the 20th minute of the match, the Party Deck is free all-you-can eat food and four free beers (Miller Lite or MGD). And, trust me, the stadium really means all-you-can-eat. I saw someone walk up and order six pretzels and three hot dogs. And the cashier just smiled and handed them over. That amount of food alone was worth almost the price of the ticket (Toyota Park isn't cheaper than most other stadia). Not that you need to siting in the Party Deck to be involved in a party at Toyota Park. The whole stadium rocks during a Chicago Fire match and there is not an obstructed view seat in the house! As much as I miss the Fire playing downtown in Soldier Field, the crowd out in Bridgeview contains far more die-hard soccer fans. These fans will be screaming, pounding on metal, and blowing horns during the entire match. Even half empty, the place is louder than any baseball stadium I've ever been to for the *entire game*. When it's filled to (or over) its capacity of 20,000, I wouldn't be surprised if you could hear the cheers and chants from Oak Park (slight hyperbole alert). Sadly, ease of access is the only drawback to Toyota Park and it's a big one. There is no good way to get there. Driving will set you back $15 to park in the lot (and traffic on Harlem is a standstill). Taking public transportation can take up to two hours depending on where in the city you're coming from (though the 386 - Toyota Park Express - Pace bus cuts out a little time). And a party bus will set you back around $40. Still the time, effort, and cost to get to Toyota Park is worth it just to hear a crowd full of rabid soccerheads screaming, "Fire...Fire...Fire...Fire...Go!" during an exciting, tense, summer night Fire party (er match).

I like this stadium because it is a soccer stadium for my favorite team. However I wish it was in the city, or at least easier to get to without paying $15 for parking. The grass is beautiful though!

So unorganized and unprepared! i am currently standing in a huge line to get into the gate! This line wraps around twice! They need to be more organized!!

Ugh. We came here for a DMB show and the traffic was more awful than most venues...the lines were insane...the bathrooms were far away & the stage set-up (not the venue's fault, but I'm pissy so whatever) SUCKED. This place is like Home Depot, without the outrageous $20 parking fee. So plus 1 star. However, I would gladly have paid more for better organization.

We very much enjoyed our first visit to Toyota Park, a soccer-only sized stadium in Bridgeview. It's not a new stadium, but seems to be impeccably maintained, and we were close enough to the pitch to see how perfectly they keep it and to smell it. Tickets just a few rows from the field were really reasonably priced, especially if you consider similar quality seats at just about any other sporting event in the area, and the crowd was friendly, spirited, and energetic throughout. There are of course a few drawbacks to this stadium located way outside Chicago and in a pretty desolate industrial area. The traffic getting into the parking lot is pretty awful (but I'm sure it's better if you're a season ticket holder with access to the dedicated VIP lot) - we waited in a long line for about 15 minutes after turning off the main road for the privilege of paying $20 for parking. We left about 10 minutes before the end of the game so we wouldn't get stuck in the lot on the back end. There is only one road to access the stadium, one driveway to the parking lot, and one road out, so it's no surprise that traffic can be horrific. I guess if you have the time, get there super early, tailgate, and plan on tailgating after the game too? The other problem that I observed is that concession lines for items other than beer were epic, and some Yelp reviews allude to missing a good part of the game waiting to buy food. We opted to picnic in the car before heading in to avoid this catastrophe. Overall we had a really fun night doing something we typically wouldn't do in Chicago and would come back to see another game.

Quick take regarding soccer matches: Site lines are excellent and I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. A wide variety of vendors and beer options; everything is expensive, but not out of the ordinary for a sports venue. Easy to navigate around the stadium. A few bad things to note: Parking is ample, but most of the lot is gravel and you are going to pay a ridiculous $15 to park (more expensive than the tickets in some cases). Definitely try to carpool and get there early to tailgate. Terrible commute to the park from almost anywhere, no worthwhile public transportation either.

The aftermath of the World Cup left me sadly without soccer that I had waited for in two years since EuroCup 2008. Sad and with vuvuzela but no where to play, I turned my attentions to the domestic game. What was I going to do? Was it time to start becoming a fan of the Chicago Fire? I hadn't really thought about attending since I hadn't gone before and never got a big pack of friends to go, but that was all about to change. The opportunity to watch some Major League Soccer presented itself when it was soon announced that one of my favorite players, Thierry Henry signed for the New York Red Bulls and he was coming to Toyota Park to take on the Chicago Fire on August 20th. I really didn't hesitate to scoop up a ticket on Section 8 Chicago since I had friends who went to the games often and also the ticket was so cheap. After watching so much soccer over the past month, it was just a logical decision. Fortunately for me, I had some friends who knew the ropes. Getting off the magnificent beer bus, the first thing I noticed was the army of kids running in the parking lot playing soccer games. The games were well organized and we walked by game after game to the ticket booth. There were cars with their trunks open and people sitting in chairs grilling food and drinking beer. Unlike Cubs games, there was no line at the ticket booth and I quickly snatched up my ticket to the game. Not too far away, we found the Section 8 Tailgate which featured a big crowd of people gathered around for some serious tailgate action. For a $5 donation, you could have a drink from the keg and there were guys busy grilling up burgers and dogs for all to eat. It really was cool, tons of people standing around talking about soccer and forgetting about the mugginess for awhile. Raul B. brought some chairs and we were all able to hang out as Michael G. appeared along with Aurore L. and Mr. Aurore L. After the tailgate, there was a stream of red shirts beginning to gather to march into the stadium. The overhead clapping and yelling of, "Chicago Fire!" became the only sound that existed. People were marching with their flags, scarves, and all yelling, "Chicago Fire!" It was awesome and I don't think I've ever seen any fans so dedicated to their team, surely not the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, or White Sox! We got to our section and everyone was standing on the riser. I heard a snare drum along with a bass drum non-stop beating. Two guys near the bottom of the section were leading on the chanting, cheering, and singing while everyone joined in. I started joining in since it was easy enough to pick up and no one cared if I messed up. The flags and scarves started breaking out as the crowd kept coming in. The Fire picked up Nery Castillo and Freddy Ljungberg so there was heightened anticipation along with Thierry Henry's showing. The Red Bulls cranked it up a notch and were going past Chicago's defenders, I couldn't believe how many wide open shots they were getting. Thierry Henry got free but lucky young Sean Johnson held down the fort and had a steady game all night with a dizzying nine saves! New York's attack was relentless and I couldn't see any way how the Fire would win, let alone tie - but I was also yelling and chanting all game along with everyone else in Section 8. I stopped caring what Thierry Henry did and it didn't matter after half time since he injured his groin, but Johnson continued stymying the Red Bulls at every opportunity. Sometime after half time, someone decided to let out flares which sent a cloud of smoke and red light into the crowd. It looked like some kind of crazed cult and I was in the heart of Section 8 singing and yelling like everyone else. The game ended with a 0-0 draw, but I was happy we averted a grand disaster as Sean Johnson's steady goalkeeping was impressive enough to warrant Man of the Match. My first Chicago Fire game was over, and it was awesome!!!