A good friend and former colleague of mine is a big football fan, and posted this on Facebook upon his return to the US today. Thought it wa a great read from a colonial... ++++++++++++++++++++ Having completed the journey for attending my 6th World Cup, I wanted to take a moment to reflect upon the experience this most recent adventure in Brasil has afforded me. A very special thanks to my old and new friends in Brasil who helped educate me on the country and assisted me in prior visits and this visit. The people make a country and Brasil is in good shape with their contributors!!!!!! NOTE: This may be lengthy but I hope it will be a worthwhile read. 1. USA Soccer has indeed taken a giant step forward not only in the teamsâ success but with the awareness and passion of the fans. Although I was 4,600 miles away, I felt the PASSION and EXCITEMENT as I viewed pictures of unprecedented viewing parties in Chicago, Indy, Kansas City, Dallas, Seattle, etc⦠not to mention the social media I devoured including within just my small circle of friends⦠This is amazing â well done USA!!!! 2. Traveling with first time World Cup attendees â my brother-in-law Jose and good friend Carlos â was priceless much more than for them making it easy for me with their Spanish skills. Seeing the raw enthusiasm as we approached the first game we attended (Germany/Ghana) to the granddaddy of them all for both of them â attending the Mexico/Croatia game â I saw the fire in their eyes and felt the passion in their hearts as we rendezvoused after the Mexico game. The memories and emotions from that single evening are lifetime memories etched in their brains that will never be forgotten and will spur on future memories to be created craving those emotions that one can only feel having been there. 3. As it has been with the prior World Cups, this event is more than just watching the matches, it is about being immersed in an environment that is unparalleled to anything I have ever experienced in the USA in terms of magnitude and volume. I come for my fix of the Passion. You feel it in everyone that is there â each one of us have made sacrifices to come support our team and each one of us has an inspiring story. Meeting people with this common mentality / desire is one of the free rewards of attending the World Cup. Although you may not have met a lifetime friend, you have met people that will inspire your own future ambitions or make you appreciate more what you have. 4. Although Brasil had many apparent shortcomings from a preparedness standpoint which I will admit created some frustration for me at times, I had to keep in perspective what I like to tell people â regardless of whether an experience is good or bad, you have created lifelong memories which would not exist if you did not go. With that in mind, I was able to see a lot more of Brasil â Salvador, Fortaleza, Natal and Recife. Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro spoil you with the modern capabilities and appearance but you get a more true experience in the smaller cities and towns. And our experience in these smaller cities left us curious to see more of the areas that we did not have time to visit. 5. From a personal perspective, I will confess that the Mexico game experience was truly amazing but as it has been for me at each of my World Cups, seeing the homeland boys play elicits the most emotion and passion. My only USA match viewing was against Germany and while this game was not the stellar display that we witnessed against Portugal, it was still a fantastic experience especially since I was seated amidst the sea of Germans. But this is one of the amazing things about the matches, the camaraderie amongst the fans. Many of the Germans were very amicable to taking photos with the lone American supporter and showed me sympathy for what they predicted would be an American loss. We definitely had some nice predictive dialogue as well as good constructive post game analysis. We even met a couple that are huge Bayern Munich supporters and live in Dortmund so they are willing to assist us in procuring Bayern Munich or BVB tickets if we ever make it to Germany. Priceless. If you have read this far, I thank you. And again, I want to thank you all for the keen interest in my adventure and until 2018 when we converge on Mother Russia, I wish you all well.
Thats a good read Willy - certainly seems as if our football is finally making an impact in USA, which can only be good for the sport - read today that they are planning to bid for 2026, ad already have some big backing amongst FIFA.
Mark's now traveled to six consecutive World Cups, and joined me at an away game (Palace v QPR) a few seasons back on a cold Tuesday evening. He loves his football, even if the terminology suffers now and then from Americanization....
