The nonstop chanting and singing, the rhythmic beating of a drum and the waving of flags bring a flair and passion that is unique in American sport.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to properly transmit that atmosphere when there are only 18,000 people in a football mausoleum designed to hold 60,000.

As engaged as the Screaming Eagles, La Barra Brava and La Norte were during Saturday's game between D.C. United and the Colorado Rapids, they got kind of lost in the vastness of old Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.

But the crowd at RFK would have been near capacity for the stadium that will house the Philadelphia franchise which

will begin MLS play in 2010. However, the kind of energy contained in a stadium designed to exploit it should effectively bring the soccer experience to the Philadelphia region.

The initial designs for the 18,500-seat stadium can be seen at MLSPhilly2010.com, and are those of a European-style open-roof stadium. The awnings down the length of the two main sideline seating areas are designed to force the noise generated back into the crowd and over the pitch.

"It's going to be a lot more intense," said Bryan James, the president of the Sons of Ben, who traveled to RFK with about 200 others who have placed

season-ticket deposits for the Philadelphia team. "Being a fan of Philadelphia soccer is almost going to be like a full-time job.

"[Soccer] is not a spectator sport. It's a participation sport."

For American fans conditioned to think that an outdoor sport has to be played in a 45,000-seat stadium or bigger to be successful, it's difficult to envision how professional soccer in a stadium with fewer than than 20,000 capacity can thrive.

The truth of the matter is that the vast majority of professional soccer teams across the globe play in stadiums that hold fewer than 25,000. Only a handful of clubs, like Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, sell out football-sized cathedrals on a game-by-game basis.

MLS is on a consistent growth path because it realized bigger does not necessarily translate into better. There is an addictive effect to being among a sellout crowd of charged-up sports fans, whether 80,000 or 20,000.

The passion created at soccer matches throughout Europe and South America has been romantically described as a religious experience.

Despite the fact that this stadium will be located on the Delaware River, there will be no partings of water. But the idea is to recreate the atmosphere seen overseas at soccer matches.

"I don't think it's a blatant ripoff," James said when asked about the European- and Latin-

influenced chanting and flag-

waving that is now part of the MLS culture. "I think it's just the

natural evolution of being a fan.

"You don't wait for a basehit

or a first down to get into it. Instead of waiting to yell, 'Charge!' after a horn blows, you are engaged for a full 90 minutes of people trying to pick up the team, themselves, and the people around them."

At about 5 p.m. Saturday, two buses rolled into Lot 7 of RFK Stadium carrying fans of MLS Philadelphia. Others had driven to the tailgate barbecue sponsored by the club.

"It's real important for us to make as many efforts as we can to reach out to our fan base," said Tom Veit, president of a consulting group working with MLS Philadelphia. "Philadelphia fans have been so responsive already.

"We already have 5,000 seat depositors who have no idea what it's going to cost, no idea where their seats are going to be, no idea who's on the team,

no idea of anything other than they've bought a place in line.

"For them to give us that kind of commitment, we've got to step out and do things in response."

Ironically, the next event, an international friendly between the Olympic champion U.S. women's team and Ireland on Sept. 13, will again take place at a football stadium, although Lincoln Financial Field is 1,000 times more pleasant than RFK.

Again, it might take imagination to understand how the energy generated from the crowd will resonate in a facility designed to unleash its full potential.

"The beauty of the game is that regardless of the score and regardless of the crowd, you've got people engaged for the full 90 minutes," James said. "From kickoff to the end of the game, you know you've got about 2 hours to bring your team home, so you can give all of your energy to that." *

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