Where better to watch your team play in the Round of 16 than in Salvador, the birthplace of Carnival, where the party never seems to cease. We were up against the red, yellow and black of Belgium. It was fun to be back in the US supporters section and we painted our faces again. Our hope was to get the attention of the film crew to appear on TV, but we did attract the attention of other fans who wanted to take pictures with us. Chris also hoped to start The Wave. We tried and got our section going but it stopped at the next section full of Belgium supporters.
A few Brasilians coming to support Belgium sat infront of us. We were able to convert 2 of them to cheer on the US and Chris made a bet with the stubborn Belgium supporter that if the US wins, he gets her Fuleco mascot cap and if Belgium loses she gets his stars and stripes head band. We taught them to say some of our chants. They caught on quick to ‘Timmy Howard’ as we kept celebrating his spectacular goal keeping. By game’s end he saved 17 goals, a World Cup record! But it wasn’t enough as Belgium advanced into the Quarter Finals winning 2-1. Playing fair, Chris handed over his headband to our lost Brasilian Belgium supporter. The little rivalry did add some fun to the game and helped ease the pain of the loss. We were proud of our team and glad we could be here to see them play their best performance in The World Cup. We still got to celebrate though because there was another Brasilian festival for Bahia’s Independence of slaves. Case in point, Brasil has many more holidays than the US.
Street Parade – http://youtu.be/erYGhAD4-cU
Samba School – http://youtu.be/jeDOZO8SDgE
Chris and I started our trip south towards Rio but took a detour and as fate would have it found ourselves on a military outpost on an island. In broken English and struggling with Portuguese we had to pay up and agree to their terms that practically signed our lives away. No need to alarm yourselves though as this was a Scuba Diving Excursion to Arquipelago de Abrohlos.
Our first evening there, Brasil played Colombia in the Quarter Finals, so we disembarked the Catamaran to watch the game on the main island that served as a miitary post. Shortly after the start of the match, a guard lead us on a tour of the lighthouse. I was hesitant at first because I knew it would be a good match with Colombia having a strong team. I stayed to watch more of the game until Brasil scored, then ran up to catch the group and announce the score. We returned just before the end of the 1st half with the score still 1-0. We enjoyed the 2nd half of play munching on popcorn and drinking Guarana. Brasil won 3-1 and we returned to the catamaran for a night dive.
I crashed a Mexican fiesta my first night in Recife, Pernambuco in northeast Brasil. They were celebrating their victory over Croatia and advancing into the knockout round. 7 of us piled into their rental car, which had flat, but we drove on slowly. The celebration was augmented by the Brasilians celebrating the Festival San Jaoa El Bautisto. We offered toasts ‘pa’riba, pa’bajo, pa’centro y pa’dentro’ until the tequila bottle hit the floor – party foul! ‘Ay, yai yai yai, canta no llore!’, because we continued partying with Cachaca drinking Caipirinhas! I strung up my hammock at their Air BnB for a night’s rest.
The Mexicans I partied with had travel plans the next day, so I joined up with some US fans from DC to explore the Old City and watch the Uruguai x Italy knockout match at Fan Fest. Uruguai literally ate up Italy and advanced to the quarter finals. Later that evening I met Chris at the airport to meet up with Daniela who arranged our stay with Andrea in a friend’s apartment.
The morning of gameday was chilly and raining, but we decided to go get some exercise and run along the beach anyway. Turns out it was a good warm up for our race to the start of our final group match versus Germany. It took 2 hours to travel the long distance through flooded streets and packed buses and metro cars to Estadio Pernambuco, which seemed to be located in the middle of nowhere, one stop from the end of the Metro line. Then we boarded a shuttle for another 15 minute ride, only to be dropped off a mile away. We managed to weave our way through the crowds and in lines to our seats just in time for the first kick.
The rain continued to fall and affected the pace of the game with neither Germany or the USA scoring in the first half. This time our seats were located in a general section, so it was not as exciting as being able to join in the chants with the US supporters section during the Portugal match in Manaus. Germany scored early in the second half and controlled the game during the remainder. The USA had a lucky break in the final minutes to try and tie, but did not get the ball into the back of the net. The game ended 1-0 and we waited anxiously for the results from the Portugal x Ghana match to decide our fate to advance or go home. Portugal won 2-1 and we roared back to life. We may have lost the battle against Germany but we won the Group war to advance into the Round of 16. Later that evening, Daniela celbrated with us at a Rodizio Churrascaria.
Chris and I joined new friends, Andrea and Meli in Pipa, a small beach town near Natal known for its tranquil beaches and wild night parties. There were tense moments on the beach though, when the Brasil x Chile knockout match entered penalty kicks. Everyone got out of the water and crowded around the TV. It was great to see the reactions from the Brasilians during each shot. Chile found the back of the net 4 times and Brasil 5 times. I could hear the entire nation breath a sigh of relief, though I think that was just the sound of the waves!
On our way back from Pipa we had to wait a couple hours for a transfer bus. What better way to kill those couple than by watching more futebol. We found a bar to watch Mexico x Holland. Both teams were having an impressive World Cup. Mexico kept a 1-0 lead for nearly the entire game until Holland tied late in the match. A penalty was called during stoppage time and the shot was good, 2-1 Holland. My heart broke and I cried for Mexico, to have held the lead for so long and lose in the final minutes. However, being knocked out did not deter the Mexican fans’ spirits as I would see many of them having fun and wearing their colors with pride throughout the remainder of the Cup.
Charles Miller introduced the game of Footbol to Brasil at the end of the 19th Century and its popularity spread quickly. Futebol, as it is written in Portuguese, is a source of pride for a country where babies seem to be born with a soccer ball. Brasil has the most passionate fans and the most futebol clubs in the world. Caio took me to visit The Futebol Museum in Sao Paulo, I learned that the impacts of Futebol, goes beyond sport and is deeply engrained in Brasil’s culture.
The time of Futebol’s rise in popularity was also the rise of Brasil’s Democratic Government, centered in Rio de Janeiro. Flamengo , the most popular futebol club in Rio de Janeiro modeled there club with a president and other seats to balance the power and allow members to voice their opinions. The club celebrates their founding on November 15, which is also the national holiday of the Day of the Republic of Brasil, when Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca deposed the Emperor of Brasil establishing a Republic in 1889. President J. Kubitschek led the effort to build Brasilia, a new city that was heralded for its modern architecture designed by Oscar Niemeyer. Construction was completed in 1960 by and it became the center of governement in Brasil, linking the Brasil´s more remote territories. In the 1980s, the futebol stars from Club Corinthians, Sao Paulo´s most popular club, motivated their fans to vote for the state elections by wearing kits etched with the words ´Dia 15 Vote´, helping oust 2 decades of military dictatorship. Futebol legends have been elected to seats of government, most recently Romario seeking a seat in Congress.
if you zoom in and look closely you can see some of the modern architecture style used by Niemeyer in the towers, catedral and museum.
Brasil first hosted The World Cup in 1950 and put all its effort into making it an extraordinary event, including constructing Maracana, The Temple of Soccer, with capacity to hold 200,000 standing-room only, where they hoped to celebrate their team’s 3rd title. Those hopes were crushed though in the final game with Uruguai defeating Brasil in the final minutes 2-1. Futebol became an even stronger influence on the country after this heartbreak.
Brasil national anthem – http://youtu.be/e9__ALEI95o
Pantube gets the fans involved – http://youtu.be/hPrJP9phSwI
Brasil futbol dancers – http://youtu.be/I0XS_6EWYpM
Brasil futbol music – http://youtu.be/qNUeXgJh5lY
A fortunate match schedule allowed me to fly through Brasilia enroute to Recife on the day Brasil played their final group match versus Cameroon. Like Manaus and The Amazon, I had the opportunity to visit and tour Brasilia during my trip 6 years ago, so I could focus on experiencing country’s center cultural pride in the country’s central place of government.
I did not meet up with Caio but I met up with these chicas!
But let us not forget the Cameroon fans
I was to meet with my foreign exchange brother, Caio, before the game but we could not locate each other in the sea of yellow/green and red/green. It didn’t help that both of us were wearing Brasil’s yellow/green jersey! I walked around to see The National Stadium and watch fans perform live music and dance before the start, then watched the game at a nearby square. The fans on hand were all cheering on Brasil. I could also hear the sounds from the stadium and see the fireworks after Brasil’s goals, winning 4-1. I should have learned by now that I needn’t to have rushed to the airport to catch my flight to Recife, because it was purposely delayed for the purpose of fans coming from the game.
Celebrating a gol – http://youtu.be/kgDpdLC-wfM
Cameroon fans – http://youtu.be/b9tAlKB-j4g
More decked out Brasilian fans
Chris and I baked 2 apple pies to thank our gracious hosts and in the spirit of The World Cup shaped the top crusts as the US and Brasilian flags. Jesica drove us as close to the stadium as she could and we walked the rest of the way each with 2 cold ones after buying a vendor’s ‘promocao’ of 2 Brahma beers for 5 Reis, que legal!
The newly constructed Estadio Amazona was state-of-the-art and a gem inside and out. And I’m not just saying that because the construction company Jesica works for built it! It was in the international spotlight, impressing fans inside the stadium and spectators on TV as host to 4 world class matches. In sharing the opinion of many Brasilians, the money spent might have been better served on other public infrastructure projects. I hope corruption can be curtailed and such projects can be realized with the money generated from tourism. But I digress, this issue will be a issue discussed internationally at the BRICS conference, domestically in the presidential elections later this year and preparations for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
After touring the stadium, we found our section and painted our faces in red, white and blue, I as Captain America and Chris as The Ultimate Warrior. We along with the US supporter section around us gave a standing ovation as our boys were introduced onto the field and sung our hearts out for the national anthem. http://youtu.be/SUccBkrZr4w We remained standing during the duration of the game singing, chanting, yelling and screaming. The match was a whirlwind of emotion. Portugal scored first, which silenced us for a while already feeling defeated. We regained hope and continued to cheer our boys on in unison. Though it was to no avail as the first half ended Portugal 1 – US 0.
The wave at Estadio Amazona http://youtu.be/Ev3jv4F2QKU
A rejuvenated US squad stormed the field in the second half and scored once to tie. http://youtu.be/3_Diwa42bjk
Our spirits were high and we now truly ‘believed that we will win’! http://youtu.be/tlnMh0Y36e4
Then our boys scored again taking a 2-1 lead! http://youtu.be/C7j7AcvKXtI
Our celebration had the whole stadium vibrating going into 5 minutes of stoppage time. The feeling and atmosphere in the final minute of play is undescribeable on this world stage. With a 2-1 victory seemingly secured, the US lost control of the ball at mid field. Christiano Rinaldo received the ball and ran downfield making a beautiful pass between 2 US defenders to —- who kicked in the tying goal, ending the game. We stood motionless, in shock of what just unfolded. We were stunned in silence, now only hearing an echo of our screams, translated by the celebrating Portugal supporters. After several minutes of disbelief, we reunited in chanting ‘USA, USA, USA!’, supporting our team after the hard fought game. USA and Portugal supporters offered each other a ‘Handshake for peace’, promoted by FIFA.
This was our first experience at a World Cup match. It was remarkeable being able to support your country through thick and thin. That is the beauty of sport, especially at the FIFA World Cup with this year’s theme, ‘All in one rythm’. Soccer is unscripted and people from the world over travel to one place to show respect for each other’s national pride without losing sight that it is a game played with heart. As Brasil’s chant goes, ‘Soy Brasiliero com muito orgulho com muito amor’.
The Schwiet Life 