One day, I got a call from Emily. She was at school and said she just found out about an opportunity to go to a Fútbol game that upcoming weekend. Being a big sports fan, but not knowing much about Mexican Fútbol, I of course said yes, without knowing any of the details. I quickly rushed over to her school, with the money for the 5 of us to go.
We soon found out, It was not just any game, but a big game between 2 of the best teams in Mexico, and huge rivals, the Guadalajara Chivas vs Club America from Mexico DF. For American Football fans, I would compare it to a big Packers vs. Bears game.
Sunday morning we got on a bus, and headed for Guadalajara. It was a 5 hour ride, and I have to admit, I was a little concerned, the bus was mostly filled with America Fans (the away team). It was an amazing site pulling into Guadalajara, the fans for both teams were crazy! Flags and yelling and cheering everywhere! The city was filled with excitement!
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| Walking in to Estadio Omnilife |
I would say at least 70% of the fans were wearing team jerseys. For my comparison, it seemed like even more team spirit than a Packer or Badger game! Not wanting to be left out of the excitement, the boys talked us into buying them Chivas jerseys in the parking lot.
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| Chivas Fan! |
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| Standing room only section |
The fans were non stop. From the drive in, to the parking lot, to the stadium, to the way out, their excitement and energy was amazing. The wave wasn't needed to keep this crowd involved! We were seated 2 sections away from the visitors section, which was worth the price of admission itself! Singing, chanting and cheering the whole time, this group would make the student section at a Badgers game seem uninterested! Here is a little clip of them. Understand, it was like this for the whole game!
Here is a little taste of the action...
Not sure if I was able to truly capture it, but the security was amazing! The riot gear they were wearing looked like RoboCop, and they were everywhere! The Visitors had a separate entrance and exit, and as you see below, they are escorted out, to keep the fans separated, and keep the peace. For all of the spirit, everyone was wonderfully behaved. Not a single problem.
This experience has made big FMF fans out of most of our family. And to top it off, the home town Chivas won 3-0! One more experience here that will have a lasting impact on us.
Going to the game sounds like a wonderful experience. I got to go to a similar futbol game during my time in Spain and it is very difficult to describe the energy. Nothing like games in the states.
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