If I haven't written it before I'll say it now or if I have written it, I'll do it again: Honduras is a football mad country. If you haven't seen the pictures and video from the Honduras National Team game a few weeks back, I highly recommend them.
The point is that for someone as football mad as these Hondurans there's not a moment that goes by were I can't not get my football fix. Football on TV? Yep... there's a whole channel for it in Spanish, another one that fills about 20 of 24 hours with football, and both ESPN and ESPN2 down here cover the football world (with a few Beisbol de Grandes Ligas and Futbol Americano in between). Football in the park? Pick up games are found everywhere. Dirt pitches, rock pitches, goat manicured pitches, pitches with indoor grass that is outdoors, pavement pitches... you name, we've got it. Live football? San Pedro Sula has two football teams, Marathon and Real Espana, and their always playing at Estadio Olympico (and in fact they're playing each other there this weekend... unfortunately I can't go).
I did manage to catch another game at Estadio Olympico this week. On Tuesday I got word that the Major League Soccer's very own DC United would be playing Marathon the next day and so myself, along with a few other curious folks went to go see how an American team was welcomed in Honduras.
The stadium wasn't even close to being as full as the national team game, but it was a pretty electric atmosphere. We sat in the "sol" section which my (wealthy) students were later shocked that I went (and survived) in there with "those people." It wasn't even close to being scary... I had a family with two, very young daughters sitting behind me.
DC United was totally out-classed and frankly I was embarrassed by their performance, but it was fun to watch as the fans jeered every time DC touched the ball or their keeper held it for too long. I went hoping to root for the American side, but they gave me nothing to cheer about, my fellow seventh grade teacher Sava and another teacher Elle were both Marathon partisans, and Luke was just there, I think, for the beer.
All in all, another awesome football-related cultural experience. And even though I got absolutely no work done on a Wednesday work night, we did have this beaut to show for our evening:
1 comments :
Speaking of Futbol....The Fire have put together a Brian McBride 3-pack. Jessi and I paid about $50 more for three games (including the Galaxy, NY Red Bulls, and a TBD Playoff game) that Ticketmaster was charging for tickets to the game against the Galaxy.
Anyways, sorry I missed your call yesterday, we were driving back from Duluth. I've tried calling a few times but that same thing keeps happening. I'll try again tomorrow night after practice. Hope everything is going well down there for you guys.
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