Gol!!!
So some things about a Latin American futbol (soccer) game I expected — huge stadiums, excellent play, those loud horns sounding all the time. But just about everything else was way more than I expected. From the sheer celebration upon scoring (twice on Thursday’s game), to the absolute silence when the other team scored (also twice on Thursday), to the ecstatic energy of thousands of jumping, thumping, screaming, dancing, waving, jeering fans (and that was just for the national anthem…), the energy and excitement were possibly more than I could have ever imagined.
An official Juniorista, thanks to our neighbor At the game – Go Tiburones! (Sharks)
So our team is Athlético Junior, Barranquilla’s home team, and a pretty good one at that (only allowing for “pretty good” would have gotten me shot at the game). The game was the first round of the Copa Libertadores (an all South American tournament) against Team Racing (said RAH-sing) from Uruguay. It will continue until August, and the hopes (as always) are high. Sadly, much like those precious Cubs, Junior can often wrench defeat out of the jaws of victory. Still, we managed to gain the 2-2 tie in penalty time, which was pretty sweet, and left everyone feeling like an outright win. On to Montevideo!
(You can get quick updates on the 2010 Copa progress here.)
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That is one awesome hat. As you know, it’s all about the look!
Do you have season tickets? Are the games or matches sold out? Can the average Colombian afford to attend the games? And, what is the favorite game time snack food?
is it ever cold there? looks like perpetual summer!!!
loving the hat!
Viva la futbol! Sounds *awesome*. I wish more in the U.S. shared the same passion for the game as the rest of the world. Hope your journey continues to be a blessed and rich experience!
Sounds great, I know Todd will be jealous!
Beth – No, no season tickets. I am sure they have some, but we just got tickets for the night. Some of the matches are sold out, though ours was not. Part of the reason is that it was a 6pm game and most folks still have to work until then or a little later. 8pm games are more likely to be sold out. As for average Colombian…that’s a harder one. Many people could not choose to spend even a little money just to go to a futbol game they could watch on tv or listen to on the radio, but there are “cheap seats” – though people don’t sit down in them much! The north and south end of the stadiums had people standing the whole time...and jumping at least 3/4 of it.
I also must admit that we didn’t eat any food there, but there were always people passing by with plantain chips, potato chips (made out of real potatoes), hot dogs, oh yes and beer. I think beer might be the favorite game time snack food…
And no. It is NEVER cold here. I have twice felt chilly when outside at night in lots of wind. I evidently like going from one extreme to another…
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