Goo00OO00oollllll!!!

One of the things I really wanted to do while I was here was go to a soccer game. Brazil is obviously known for its futebol, so I had to see firsthand what the fuss is all about. The game itself, at least to me, doesn't seem any different from an RSL game. But what is completely different....the fans. They are CRAZY for soccer. They're loud and obnoxious, they'll sing when they do well and they'll turn on their own team and cuss out the players in unison if they start to suck it up. (Not to mention the often violent rivalries between cities...) Jazz fans have nothing on Brazilian soccer fans! haha

The first game I went to was between a small local team and one of the most followed teams in Brazil - Flamengo, a team from Rio. I went with some people from Azul since it was close to the office. The funny thing was there were literally no home fans - the entire stadium was filled with Flamengo jerseys. Sadly they all made the trip for nothing, 'cause they got embarassed 2-0.

The second game I went to was the extremely popular São Paulo Futebol Clube. They're the frontrunners in the Brazil Cup and were fighting to stay in 1st place. We arrived early, but so did the entire city it seemed. There were songs, chants, street vendors selling everything from flags to shirts, and there were even some riot police on hand in case things got ugly. I hadn't seen a crowd like that since the Inauguration! SPFC won 2-0.

Check out the video to see the cultural experience that is Brazilian soccer...