Soccer Fever

Soccer is not a sport that I watched or knew much about.   I tried out for soccer at age 5 and remember not liking all the running and ended up crying on the field after 1 lap!   My mom picked me up and carried me to the car; partially to stop my crying, but mostly so I didn’t dirty my cleats that she wanted to return. Wow, the mindset of a single mom!  Looking back, I wish I gave soccer a chance and also wished my mom pushed me to not give up. 

I never gave much thought to soccer until our trip to Costa Rica last year.  After exploring Costa Rica, we ended our trip in the capitol, San Jose, so we could be close to the airport.  On our way to our hotel, we noticed red soccer jersey’s and the country’s flag being sold on every street corner, and locals walking thru traffic, between cars to sell this merchandise.  It wasn’t until our driver told us that a critical soccer game was occurring later that night between Costa Rica and USA.  We got so excited, we started planning where could watch the match to root on USA, and even contemplated looking for tickets to the game.   We decided to go to a restaurant for dinner, suggested by the hotel host, and watch the game while eating.   The restaurant welcomed us “Americans” and offered a free shot for every goal that the USA made.  Sounded fun.  Then we learned how passionate Costa Rica was about soccer.   It’s their livelihood, their everything!  Seeing how much passion they had made me tingle inside.  We decided to eat and leave the restaurant just before the game started…taking shot in front of these grand fans seemed a tad rude, especially since we lacked the same soccer passion.  

Walking a couple blocks back to our hotel to watch the game, we instantly knew when Costa Rica made a goal.  Every car in the town had their radio at full volume, you could hear the announcers yelling “GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLL…” as if it were coming thru a public PA system, car horns were honking for minutes on end, and store owners were jumping and high-fiving.  It was like we were at the stadium.  The excitement was infectious.  We knew this country scored against ours, but how could we resist celebrating the joy with the country we were in?!?  It left a lasting impression on us both.  Costa Rica did win the match, advancing them as a qualifier in the World Cup. Here is a video and article recapping the game and showing the Tico's celebrating.

Now, as the World Cup approached, we found ourselves watching many games and really enjoying the sport.  It was great to watch USA play, to see how far Costa Rica made it, and to watch Germany win!  I never watched the World Cup in the past, but really enjoyed the comradery it brings and happy that Costa Rica introduced it to us!

Reminiscing thru Germany trip photos from 2003 - the new World Cup Champs!

Germany celebrating their win