Thursday, October 18
Tonight
we watched Sao Paulo FC take on Atletico Goianiense at the Morumbi
Stadium in Sao Paulo. I enjoy basketball; I really enjoy American
football but I LOVE futebol [soccer]! Like most great futebol games, the
energy in the stadium was electric; the pitch was perfect and the
players entertaining. The highlights of the night were watching Luis
Fabiano take and miss a penalty kick and the crowd still embracing
their hero. I would be
lying if I did not say I felt like the stadium came to a complete
standstill when he missed, and then for almost a full minute after, the entire stadium cheered in
perfect harmony "LUIS FABIANO!! LUIS FABIANO!! LUIS FABIANO!!" Maybe it’s just me, but I felt like both the referee and the
opposing team were in awe of the loyalty that filled the air because
the game did not restart until Fabiano humbly, or shamefully waved and
clapped to the crowd in appreciation of their grace and kindness.
Luis
Fabiano is one of the most decorated Brazilian strikers of my
generation and it was clear that his team loves him. Come rain, come
shine, they’ll stand by their own (tonight, even, they stood by him).
On
another note, watch out for a kid name Lucas Moura (#7 of Sao Paulo). I
believe he is one of the next stars to emerge from Brazil and will be
playing in Europe very soon. He was a joy to watch.
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| Fabiano playing, preparing for his penalty kick, and missing the goal |
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| The crowd at the entrance to the match and the fans cheering during the match |
The
period following the game was also very interesting. I guess soccer in
Brazil, or Sao Paulo specifically, can be pretty intense because with
the amount of armed officers, police cars, flashing lights and
officer-mounted horses, one would have assumed a riot was about to
ensue. All in all, it was a great night! A big thank you goes out to
Rafael (pronounced Ha-fa-el) and Laura for the invite and for being such
great hosts tonight and throughout our entire stay in Sao Paulo thus
far.
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| L-R: Ravy, Me, Rafael, Uma, and Rachel. I had to wear my jersey on top of my jacket as my jacket turned out to be the opposing team's colors! |
