News that Minnesota United's new soccer home was coming to St. Paul's Midway area convinced David Zeller to buy a house within walking distance. Gameday hassles since Allianz Field opened in April have spurred Cooper Heine to flee.
To Zeller and other team supporters, Allianz Field is transforming the surrounding area into an appealing destination. Heine? Not only is it impossible to park near his apartment building during games, he said, but drunken and rowdy fans regularly stumble through his Merriam Park neighborhood.
"We're moving because of it," said Heine, a baseball fan who lives a third of a mile from Allianz Field.
Minnesota United has played 12 games at its new St. Paul Midway home — about halfway through the home portion of its schedule — and many neighbors fall into one of two groups: Those delighted with the venue, the team and the energy of nearly 20,000 fans pouring into an area once on the brink of blight, and those seething over gameday spikes in traffic, street-parking woes and noise.
Which group neighbors fall into seems to correlate with their proximity to the stadium, their love of soccer and whether fans snatch up all the parking spots on their block.
Lisa Nelson, who became a soccer fan soon after United moved to Midway, lives half a mile west of the stadium.
"It's been great," said the attendee of all but one home game so far. "I walk there."
She's seen no parking or traffic troubles in her immediate neighborhood. Most cars are gone within an hour after the games have ended, Nelson said.