MIAMI. This was the most passionate and emotionally invested World Cup crowd I’ve seen so far.
It was also the most emotionally invested press stand I’ve seen so far.
I can understand why though.
Some horror-filled memories were still brought up when the press bus rolled out onto Dan Marino Boulevard in front of Hard Rock Stadium.
After all, it was a little over a year since you, several times, had to go out of your way during the hours of darkness in Miami Gardens to find a ride home and an Uber car after club team World Cup matches last year.
So this was from a less enlightened episode of my sports journalist life when I didn’t understand how important and flexible media shuttles can actually be at this type of event in this type of city.
But this time I am much better prepared – at least in that aspect.
Worth the effort to see Argentina
When 34 degrees of humid sun hit you right after getting off the bus, you were reminded and realized that Miami is actually a much warmer place than Los Angeles was. This at the same time as I was not very grateful at the time for the security guard who nicked my sun protection factor at the Los Angeles airport last night.
Or was it at the San Jose airport yesterday morning?
So, I hardly remember anymore.
What I do know is that I flew a so-called “red eye flight” across the entire continent during the night, which also only included interrupted periods of sleep.
But the flight was completed.
All to see Lionel Messi’s Argentina take on the World Cup’s biggest banger so far, little Cape Verde.
I figured it would be worth the effort to see Argentina on their (sort of) home turf in Miami in front of a crazy crowd.
That was it. But there was something completely different that made this absolutely unforgettable.
Also available in national team colours
While I have less fond memories of the Uber search from the Club World Cup, I have all the more fond memories of the Argentine fans and what they accomplished in the stands in Miami last year. After all, the Boca Juniors fans more or less carried the new tournament before exiting too early for the new tournament concept’s own good.
After experiencing Friday’s sea of light blue and white in the stands, I dare say that they have something completely different from most, even in a national team context.
Even when you had to trudge up to the press stand seats, you were greeted by singing, dancing and joy in more or less every nook, corner and aisle of the arena.
This was something different from the matches you had been to before this championship.
Hard Rock Stadium has had to cover the sponsor nameplate with Fifa colours. Photo: Makoto Asahara
Ignored Beckham on screen
Regardless of what one thinks of the organizer’s very bombastic and American style choice regarding arena framing, music selection in the speakers and driving schedule, I still have a certain understanding that the USA arranges the whole thing in the way they are used to framing and packaging sports.
But here everything further became just a moment of disturbance. For every single attempt at energy injection from the big screen and speaker system (which in some matches actually helped build the mood) only became a shrill disturbance to the Argentine grandstand chant. Even when the Beckhams were zoomed in on the arena screen, it didn’t manage to make the Argentinian fans look away from the pitch.
Everyone was totally invested.
Journalists in the press stands too.
Everyone stood up
After all, I have never been in a press gallery where so many completely throw objectivity aside. Where you actually have to stand up after each goal to be able to see what is happening on the pitch (because everyone else has already stood up).
When Argentina scored, it wasn’t just Argentine accredited people who stood up and cheered.
Nor was it only Argentine accrediteds that did so when Cape Verde did so.
Because yes – they did ban me. Goal, then.
American in tears
That they took this to extra time with a phenomenal second half must just be sensational so it sings about it.
But when Lisandro Martinez thunders there 2-1 for Argentina at the start of extra time, seemingly calming the nerves of many South American journalists, the feeling is that we will get 30 minutes of extra time transport.
Or not.
Sidny Lopes Cabral’s goal was impossible to defend against. As unexpected as it was absolutely phenomenal.
An American journalist in front of me even bursts into tears – without actually having anything to do with Cape Verde at all.
– I just think they are so incredibly well organised, he says with red-rimmed eyes. In his case then of tears and not the night flight as for undersigned.
Every now and then, the feeling is stronger than ever that we may be about to witness the biggest scandal in World Cup history, perhaps even in the entire history of football.
Scenes in the press stand at the 2-2 goal. Despondent Argentines and teary-eyed Americans. Photo: Makoto Asahara
From one chaos to another
Then comes the 3-2. The Argentine journalistic jubilation knows no bounds.
Cape Verde push for the 3-3. The Argentine journalistic nervousness knows no bounds.
One stands and shouts at the referee. Another just stands with his hands over his head.
Then comes the final signal.
Euphoria. Cheers. CHAOS. Surely some tears here and there too.
With swift steps I run from the chaos towards another chaos. Down towards a mixed zone that is already completely overflowing with Argentinian microphones, bodies and backpacks.
Argentinian, mixed zone. Photo: Makoto Asahara
Lionel Messi is talking, but trying to record it in fan noise and Argentine victory chants outside is as impossible as getting the awl in the air for a question.
He then high-fives a whole line of journalists (?) on the way out to the dressing rooms.
Job is done. For the entire Argentine people – even if it was deep inside.
We get to enjoy Argentinean displays of emotion in yet another round.
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