Yes, I was one of the lucky 22,006 who were present for the unveiling of CMGI Field in Foxborough for the New England Revolution soccer team’s home opener Saturday night. No, I wasn’t up in the high and lofty levels of the press box, but was among the masses, like youse guys, courtesy of my reasonably priced season tickets.

Living in Wrentham — which borders Foxborough — for the last five years, it has always been somewhat frustrating for me to live so close to the Patriots’ home field but never to get to attend games, thanks to my lack of season-ticket-holder friends and the length of the waiting list for season tickets: 32,000-plus at last glance. Once the plans for the new stadium became a reality, I was determined to find a way in, by hook or by crook. I finally decided to go in with three other guys on a pair of Revolution season tickets, which will allow me to make the five-mile trip to CMGI at least eight times a year, even though I will still have to watch the World Champion Pats this fall on the tube.

I have watched as the new complex rose from the ground over the last few years, slowly taking shape as a spectacular monolith in such direct contrast to the former Foxboro Stadium that one could compare the new and the old by placing Michelangelo’s David side-by-side with the old Saturday Night Live’s Mr. Bill.

Not much is left of the old stadium, save for one block of concrete that I believe was sections 109-209-309 on the west side, which for some mystifying reason was spared from the wrecking ball. The new stadium sits about a quarter-mile behind where the old stadium stood and is simply spectacular to view from afar.

Those who will drive in to the area for the first time this summer will notice slightly different traffic configurations on Route 1, including a traffic light and underpass that now exists right outside the former main entrance to the facility. There are many, many more paved parking lots surrounding CMGI than were available at the old stadium, including "Center Circle" lots that supposedly allow for easier access in and out of the stadium for season-ticket holders and presumably luxury-box tenants — those who pay for those privileges.

I will say up front that I understand that Saturday’s event was viewed as a "soft opening" of the facility, which I guess means that things aren’t quite done yet, and inconveniences should be forgiven until the kinks are worked out in time for football season. Since they lack experience with a state-of-the-art complex, the powers that be can be forgiven for not having anticipated all contingencies when the first crowds arrived Saturday.

Nonetheless, I’ll go ahead and point out some early problems that need to be addressed by management in order to make future CMGI experiences more fulfilling for those who pass through the turnstiles.

First of all, I really believed that traffic tie-ups and access would not be a problem at the new stadium, but they were, in spite of the fact that the cars numbered only about a third of those that will ultimately converge on the area for Patriots’ games. If there are special Center Circle lots, why was there no signage to direct people to them? Not to bore you with all the details, but cars heading into the lots a half-hour before the game’s start were barely moving, and parking-lot attendants seemed a bit slow and overwhelmed. Even worse, on the way out, incomplete traffic reconfigurations led to a 45-minute wait for a one-mile southbound trip.

Those bookend irritations somewhat tarnished the experience that night, but the facility itself is magnificent. I had seen it a few months back during a guided tour that allowed us to select our season-ticket locations, but at the time it was a mud bowl surrounding the stadium, and the concourses were incomplete.

On Saturday, heading from the parking lot to the stadium, we noticed a lot of garbage cans overflowing with empty beer bottles from tailgaters. Having more receptacles available and recycling all those containers could perhaps help the Pats sign another free-agent tight end this season. There was security at the entrances; though lines were fairly long, we moved quickly. Once we entered the gates, we saw that the only way up to the seats was the kind of zigzag ramps that are more than helpful to handicapped patrons, but seemingly add miles of travel for those who are not. Escalators would have been a nice alternative, but perhaps they are not feasible for winter conditions. A local bank has already bought the naming rights to the ramps.

By the time you finally do reach the seating levels, though, fans accustomed to Fenway or the former Foxboro Stadium will be impressed by the width of the concourse, as well as the variety of menu items. Each concession stand has a New England flavor, with monikers including Boston Common, Berkshire Sausage, Nantucket Sound, Granite State Grill, Freeport Fryer, and Federal Hill. The names don’t necessarily indicate the individual foodstuffs sold there, but they all have similar items available. Among the food options: hamburgers/cheeseburgers ($6), cheese-steak subs ($6), French fries (Large 3.50), popcorn ($4.50/3.50), pretzels ($3.25), and the "patriot meatball sub" ($6). In all, things are expensive, but nothing that should surprise you. For those who are surprised, however, there are ATMs available — although apparently not enough, as 20 people waited in line for one at halftime, including a fan dressed in full colonial-minuteman regalia. During the game, he sat behind the goal with three other armed colonists who fired off their muskets whenever the Revolution scored.

There is also a McDonald’s at the south side of the stadium, where you can get a quarter-pounder (or, in Pulp Fiction terms, a royale with cheese) for $3.50.

For adult beverages, all I saw at the concessions were Coors Light 16-ounce drafts, sold for $6, although there were roving concessionaires who sold 16-ounce plastic bottles of Coors or Bud for the same price. They do not venture into the stands — in fact, nothing seems to be sold there — but the rovers wander the concourse and offer the beer drinker an alternative to waiting in line at the concessions behind some goof ordering a smorgasbord of food. At any rate, offering the 16-ounce sizes seems smart, because one of those pretty much lasts the entire 45-minute half of one regulation soccer match, thereby eliminating a lot of the annoying traffic in and out of the rows during the action.

Once you’re at your seat, you’ll marvel at the beautiful field, the fact that nearly every seat faces the center of the field, and that each has a cup-holder attached to the seat in front of you. In fact, along with room for your beverage, there’s one slot to store a pen, and another presumably for every fan’s game-time pal, a cell phone.

For Revolution games, CMGI is limiting seating to the stadium’s lower bowl, in a horseshoe shape, which means that 10 sections of prime sideline seating will be covered with tarps. I’m not sure whether people would prefer to sit in the end-zone seats rather than those field seats, but someone in power made the decision to do it that way, save for a few doubleheaders this summer. (Maybe it has something to do with not opening all the concession stands on the west side of the stadium. It’s a mystery.) There are TV monitors throughout the concourse, with sound, so little will be missed if you have to leave your seat. And speaking of seats, the aluminum benches of CMGI’s predecessor are long gone, and everyone gets his or her own relatively comfortable backed chair.

There are huge jumbotrons on each end of the field, which offer live game footage along with key replays. Other than goal, penalty, or substitution announcements, there are very few PA interruptions during the game, which is a nice diversion from the pounding one takes from the FleetCenter marketing wizards during a typical game. The CMGI scoreboard operator tried to sneak in one in-game commercial during play at the 30-minute mark, but the ad (for UBid.com) was roundly booed by the crowd.

One of the hallmarks for the new field will be the lighthouse that greets folks at the north entrance, but it remains unfinished and unlit, a skeletal structure that may not be ready until this fall.

All in all, New England football, soccer, and concert fans are in for a real surprise when they make their first venture to CMGI Field this summer. We have reportedly gone from the worst facility in the NFL to the best, and the Kraft family’s hard-earned money has gone to good use. It took us 40 years to get really proud of our football team, and now we can take pride in its home field as well. A few kinks still need to be worked out, because long lines to the concessions and restrooms, parking back-ups, and Route 1 traffic congestion ought not be a problem for a crowd of 22,000, especially when nearly three times that many folks will trek to CMGI this fall. Nonetheless, we have been given a special gift here; compared to where we were, it ain’t the same ballpark, it ain’t the same league, it ain’t even the same sport.

Just wait till you see it.

Sporting Eye runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com.