Of course, everything went upside down last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The withdrawals, however, continued until it became clear Major League Soccer was not going to have fans in the stands for any of their Matches for the rest of 2020. If I recall correctly, the automatic withdrawals stopped after it was decided that the cost of my season ticket for the 2020 season would stay the same for the 2021 season. Whatever money that had been taken out for my 2020 ticket would be kept in my account as a credit; resuming back in August 2020, I would have the balance of the amount I still owed divided by 12 automatically withdrawn until I paid in full for my 2021 ticket. (That didn't happen at first; there was a snafu whereby I paid my old, "normal" monthly installment instead of the credit-reduced one. But it all got straightened out, no worries.) In that sense I was kind of lucky; the MLS season stopped two Weeks in, and it just so happened that the Loons were on the road for the first two Games of the season, so there was no prorated price that needed to be subtracted because I attended a Game.
Anyway, MNUFC assumed (or, more likely, hoped) that the 2021 season would be completely back to normal. Nope; the beginning of the season was still played with a very small number of fans. Because of that, automatic withdrawals were frozen once again, until circumstances were such that Allianz Field attendance could come back to 100% capacity beginning with the contest against expansion side Austin FC on June 23. At that point, however, the organization gave STHs like me a chance to opt out. In that case, all the money withdrawn from my accounts would remain as a credit and be applied to the 2022 season, when we should be able to get this pandemic hell behind us. (If one didn't want to opt out, United FC would take the whole credit, start the automatic withdrawals back up again [at least I'm assuming], and give you the remaining, uh, 14 home Games for 2021 as if it were a full season, and then you'd just start paying for 2022 in August 2021.)
I opted out. Part of me is still skittish about attending mass-crowd events, even if it is outside; I am in particular freaking out over what I hear from some experts about a resurgence in coronavirus cases starting in the fall. Part of me has planned for things to do besides going to soccer Matches. As an STH you kind of need to build your life around the team; without Games to go to last Year, I have to say it was liberating to be able to do other things, and I naturally looked forward to doing other things throughout the summer and fall without paying any attention to the fact that I have a season ticket with a sports team in town. And, part of me didn't like that we would be paying the full price of our ticket for only 14 Matches when it's usually, I think, 18. Yes, a pandemic forces you into making decisions that are unprecedented and may in fact be completely made up. I still don't like it. So I am going to keep the money they already took from me and have them pay next Year's ticket with it.
However ... I still would like to go to a couple Games. And beginning yesterday/Wednesday afternoon until 11:59 p.m. last/Wednesday night, I and other STHs were given a window whereby we could purchase tickets for the first half of what remains of the season on an individual basis. We could buy up to ten tickets regardless of how many STHs we have, and you can sit anywhere and not just where your season ticket is.
That works for me. In fact, I am going to think of the 2021 season as an experiment. My season ticket is the cheapest one, and it sits high above Allianz at one end of the pitch (namely the one closest to the supporters section, aka the Wonderwall). It's not bad, but in summer evenings the sun aims its beams right on my side of the stadium, and I freakin' bake. As long as I don't have to pay for a season's worth of tickets, I think I would like to sit on the other, shady side of The Nest -- both to beat the heat and to see what it's like on that side, from which the players come and where the box seats and suites are.
There are several Games in the fall I figure I can't attend because I will be watching my alma mater's football Games. But that still left about, oh, ten or so Matches I could go to. And then I saw the individual prices for those elite seats, and then I thought maybe I could go to, oh, three or four this Year. I texted my friend; she said I could tag along with her this season if she has an extra ticket. She was pitchside but now is in a section right above the players' tunnel.
My exclusive window compelled me to bite the bullet, select a couple dates, and select a couple seats (not the same one) to purchase. At the payment window there is an option of using your credit card. However, I was told in the e-mail about the possibility of opting out that I could use the credit I have on my account to buy those seats. And I did. Now, one ticket is close to the pitch on the shady/elite side of the stadium. The other is what I might move my season ticket to if I get a larger, steadier income; it's located on the sunny/poor side, upper level, but right at the half-line and I think I am low enough where I can see both ends of the field without any obstructions.
I don't remember exact amounts. But, I had about, uh, $350 in credit. Those two seats alone cost about $150. So, instead of using that bulk amount to pay for next Year's ticket, I used up, what, 40-5% of it for two Games? When many of the Matches will be shown on free TV? And when it's possible, or at least theoretical, that I could buy them for cheaper once they hit the scalper websites?
Shoot. Maybe I'm a fool. And maybe I shouldn't think about this so much.
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