Re: [nas] Azteca Pilgrimege

And mine - as I was there too in 97....fantastic trip, highly
recommended.

Steve
=======
Hey all,

It was an encouraging result, one that I won't rehash.....

Instead, I'd like to give my feelings/experiences of being fortunate
enough to attend the US-Mexico game.  Not only was it my first game in
Mexico (of course), it was also my first Cap.

Note to Chris Allen - I hope you got to make it!!

I hardly slept Saturday night, even though I was dog-tired from flying
to Mexico early Saturday, and staying out late that night with the
people I'd be working with.  The Day of the Dead celebrations lasted
long into the night.

Sunday morning arrived, and a quick breakfast at 9:15 had us ready to go
to the Stadium by 9:30 (12:00pm kickoff).  In all, there were 9 in our
group - 4 Americans, 4 Mexicans, and a Columbian.  The drive down was a,
uh, interesting one.  Almost every other car on the road had a passenger
flying a Mexican flag out window.  The roads were packed, and horns were
blowing in a celebretory manner.  I ended up in the Spanish-speaking car
among our group, and mis compadres were pretty surprised at my
enthusiasm for the game.  Ironically, one asked me about Jeff Agoos, and
I only shook my head, claiming he was a disaster.  After finding a place
to park, we started our walk down the streets to the Stadium.  

Vendors everywhere sold Mexican flags, horns, and other assorted
trinkets bearing the familiar colors of El Tri.

The street was typical Mexico, and the neighborhood was pretty dirty -
the traffic jam was incredible.  Finally, we turned a corner, and from a
packed parking lot, there it was - Estadio Azteca.  Magnificent and
beautiful were the first words that came to my mind.  By this point, I
had a goofy grin on my face walking towards the Estadio.

I've been to many football games, and have done some pretty good
tailgating before Cleveland Browns games, but this scene blew the doors
off that.  People were everywhere, chanting, dancing, singing, and
drinking.  My boss wanted us to take in Mexican culture while in the
city, and this WAS Mexico.

An hour before the match began, we were still outside, and could hear
the raucous noise already coming within the Estadio.  Finally
inside......

The tunnels were dark and dank.  The Stadium, built in the 60's, has not
been upgraded/renovated too much.  I wondered if it had actually ever
been cleaned.  Our tickets were in the lowest section, down on the field
level.  But that's about it - from there, it's General Admission, take
your seats where you can find them.  

My first glimpse coming out of the tunnel to the aisleway overwhelmed
me.  It was already packed with well over 100,000 people.  The energy
overflowed like boiling water, and the emotion was hot and thick.
Mexican flags flew everywhere.  I couldn't believe how enormous the
stadium was.

Up to the seats, and my first look at the full crowd and the pitch.
Tres palabras: THIS IS FUTBOL.

The crowd was standing and singing and dancing, and our little band made
our way behind one of the goals - where all the action took place.  Ah,
cement seats and metal railings...

The PA announcer was barely audible, though I found it quite interesting
that he said "Bienvenidos a El Estadio Azteca" given the name
change.....oh well.

15 minutes before the game, and the Estadio was simply a cauldron of
emotion.  It would be hard not to be moved by this site.  Mexico.  A
national holiday.  The national team.  Estadio Azteca.  Against their
bitter rivals.

I've often taken the US National Anthem for granted at sporting events,
but hearing the Mexican anthem, with 115,000 people all singing was very
moving.  They played a recorded US anthem afterwards which was
completely drowned out.  Fireworks exploded inside.  Huge flags covering
whole sections were unveiled and the match I've been waiting for 4
months finally began.

A frantic first half peaked when Agoos collected the red card, for no
apparent reason from our vantage point.  The Mexican fans sensed real
blood when he had to walk off the field, right in front of us, where the
players entered.  Let the shredding of Estadios Unidos begin....

A minute later, Dooley ?, unleashed a shot the hit the bar, and
trickled, in what seemed like slow motion across the open goal.  I held
my breath waiting and hoping a US player would drive it home.  That
seemed to scare the Mexican fans a little bit.......

Afterwards, it felt like the US simply gave up on winning, which is hard
to criticize, and allowed the Mexicans to press forward.

Mexico Mexico!
RAH! RAH! RAH!

......was the chant.

Fast forward to 10 minutes left in the game, and the Mexicans are
furiously whistling shots past the goal, almost into our lap, and I'm
<very quietly> praying for the ref to end the game.  The site of Friedal
holding his head after the header missed by 6 inches to the left told
you all you needed to know...

Fuera Bora! Fuera Bora!

All in all, the fans were very well behaved, and I got pretty good
treatment from the people around me.  We joked with each other - it
helped that I thought the US would get drilled 4-0.  It was almost like
a funeral procession on the way out. A couple people I didn't know said
"you're welcome for the point", and I just shrugged my shoulders.

In a sadistic way, I almost wish Mexico had scored in those closing
minutes, just to experience what that was like.

A very good day - I got a Mexican team jersey for $5 from a vender, and
a silly green inflatable hat upon entering the stadium.  I HIGHLY
recommend anyone who has a chance to go to Azteca to do so.  We were
treated well, and I was pleasantly surprised with how non-violent the
energy was.

I'm supposed to fly back to Ohio on Friday night, but I'm contemplating
staying till Sunday night to try and catch the Mex-CR match at Azteca
(yeah, I know I'll miss US-Can.....but hey.....)

Anybody else who was lucky enough to be there, please share your
experience!!
---
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