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By Lindsey Valdiviez

“I. I believe. I believe that. I believe that we. I believe that we will win,” echoes throughout the  Livestrong Sporting Park. At the heart of the Park lies the trademark KC Cauldron – a seating area where the die-hard Sporting fans pump up the pace of the game and the stadium itself for the cost of general admission. Just five minutes earlier junior Courtney Coppinger ventured into the clamorous KC Cauldron.

With the help of seniors Lane Schulte, Hannah Reinhart, and Megan Hodes, Coppinger was able to get into the Cauldron without even purchasing a general admission ticket. Coppinger and her family regularly spectate from their suite, but this time she decided to be a more active part in rooting for Sporting.

“The suite is more comfortable and easier to watch, but if you’re in the mood for cheering and getting into the game then the Cauldron is for you,” Coppinger said.

“Here we go here we go here we gooooo,” the fans chanted. The Sporting KC soccer team, otherwise known as “the famous SKC”, outfitted in their sky blue uniforms, stride onto their home field in preparation for their game against Real Salt Lake. Sporting made the first touch on the ball. The Cauldron went berserk. With each move of the ball the fans hollered. As the game rolled on, Coppinger noticed the advantages and disadvantages of watching from the Cauldron.

“When you watch from the suite, you can really see the whole game,” Coppinger said. “But in the Cauldron, you can see the players really close. I did miss being able to sit down during the game, though.”

“Shot shot shots shot shot shots shotsshots shot shot shots EVERYBODY.” In the heat of it all, it was Sporting’s turn to take a corner kick with the ball at midfielder Graham Zusi’s feet. Everyone in the Cauldron froze and anxiously waited as Zusi placed the ball in the small arc at the corner. He raised his hand. Shot. The ball sailed into the air, met defender Aurelien Collin’s sweat-beaded forehead, and whizzed into the net. Instantly, all the fans in the Cauldron leaped into the air in excitement. Screaming. Laughing. Cheering. Relief. A legion of blue confetti attacked the players and the Cauldron. The confetti carried satisfaction and the knowledge that the goal counted.

“It was crazy,” Coppinger said. “Everyone was jumping up and hugging each other, and we knew we were on our way to victory in the 6-0 season.”

“All I need now is for them to just blow the whistle.” The ball spent the remainder of the game in Sporting’s territory. The fans restlessly stooped in the Cauldron. Waiting for the whistle. Hoping for the win. Hoping for 6-0. In the final seconds of the game, the Cauldron was a mosh of navy jersey-clad fans. Blue and white flags rippled. The beat of uneasy drums fluctuated with every move of the ball. A feeling of pride swept over the fans. The whistle blew. They won. The score was 1-0 over Real Salt Lake. Sporting KC became only the second team in Major League Soccer history to win six straight matches. “We love ya, we love ya, we love ya! And where we go we’ll follow, we’ll follow, we’ll follow, Cause we support SKC, SKC, SKC, And that’s the way we like it, we like it, we like it.”