Arturo Perez
The Trip
Soccer is a very popular sport around the world. Its name varies depending what part of the world you are in. For example if you are in Latin America its called futbol unlike in England and Europe where is called football or “the beautiful game”. I really like soccer and I share this passion with many of my friends we could talk about it for hours. One thing that I really wanted to do is go to a real official match, and this summer I had the chance to do so.
It was the quarter final of the CONCACAFF Gold Cup and it was Mexico against Granada, a Caribbean team, and the semi final where schedule to be in Chicago, a place not very far from Appleton. The obvious happened and Mexico moved on to the semis to play Costa Rica. I texted my friend telling him that we should go to Chicago to the game. Everything started as a joke, I wasn’t serious about it, but he did not take it like that. It was a big deal to him maybe a bigger deal than it was to me. We had two days to find tickets for this game. We drove all around town first someone told us that we could be able to find some at Macy’s, so we went, but with no luck. Then someone told us that Copps could get some for us, still no luck. We called people to try to get some information on where to get tickets. Ticket Master was the answer now all we had to do was to get a hold of a credit card. So we went home and tried to convince our parents to let us borrow a credit card I had no luck with my dad but my friend got one from his mom. We were saved! He called ticket master and in a matter of minutes we had tickets.
Game day arrived and we were pumped. Now it was three of us, the driver; Saul, the GPS guy; Horacio and me the guy sleeping in the back seat. So we went on the road and we couldn’t wait to get there. After taking a wrong turn in Milwaukee and another one in downtown Chicago we were finally there! The atmosphere outside the stadium was amazing. Chicago, a city where there is a big population of Mexican decent people, Mexico was playing as locals. Game started and 65 000 people were cheering for the same team. It was absolutely crazy. The game was a close match and it went to a penalty shoot out it was intense. It was the fifth shot for Costa Rica and they missed. Then it was Mexico’s turn if they made it, they would win. Carlos Vela, someone who plays on Arsenal, one of the biggest clubs England and the world would not miss. He made the shot and the stadium went crazy.
Sometimes people think too much before doing something. This wasn’t the case wit my friends and I when we decided to go to the match in Chicago. This choice gave me the chance to experience a real soccer match really is and feel how intense it can get.