Gooooooolllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In my next life, I want to be a soccer hooligan. Wait -- I take that back. I want to be a South American futbol player. Millions of fans adore them. Plus -- they get to wear cleats, cute striped knee-high socks, and slide across the grass. (I love it when they slide, or when they all line up in front of the goal in a wall of men.)

There are two soccer teams in Buenos Aires -- Boca Juniors and River Plate. I was told that Boca fans are more gritty compared to the bourgeoisie who root for River Plate. I took that to mean the Boca crowd would be rowdier. So, with that, I went to a soccer game last night at La Bombonera (tr: The Chocolate Box), the Boca Juniors' stadium.

We got to the stadium about the same time as Boca arrived. They pulled up into a bus, and then throngs of fans threw an impromptu mini-ticker tape parade while the players exited their tour bus. Awesome!

Our seats for the game were in the upper deck, where the rows of seats ascend in a super steep angle. It took about a good 45 minutes before I wasn't freaking out about how high up we were and how easy it would be to tumble down the steps to my death.

I recovered, and watched the game. The soccer was cool, but it was more interesting to see how excited the fans were. One whole end of the stadium is reserved for the die-hard fans. They jumped up and down the entire game -- over two hours. Also, they have their own drum section that lead the many ballads that the fans sing to the team. The singing went on non-stop for the whole game, too. As far as I can tell, most of the songs were something like: We sing, Boca, We love you even more, Come what may. I was told not to be surprised if the stadium started shaking from all the jumping, but that never happened.

Interestingly, there is a separate section just for the visiting teams' fans -- it is separated from the rest of the seats in the stadium by a twelve-foot wall covered with barbed wire, and a line of policemen. Also, when the game is over, the visitor fans have a separate entrance, and everyone is held at the bottom of the stadium while the visitors leave.

I didn't see any brawls between fans of the two different teams, but I was amused at how people here approach injuries on the field. Probably 3 or 4 Arsenal players fell down during the game and didn't get up until the medics came out. Unlike the US, where everyone claps when an injured person is taken off the field, the Boca fans jeered (by whistling, if you can believe it) and then sang a song that went something like: Let's go, Let's play, Get your faking arse off the freakin' field. Okay, well maybe not that last part. But that was the sentiment, if not the literal translation.

It's really amazing to see how passionate the fans are.

Also of note: at the game, they serve the usual hot dogs and hamburgers, but also something called Choripan. It's basically a delicious Chorizo (sausage) sandwich, all for the grand total of roughly $1.30. But, they do not sell beer in the stadium. I guess everyone is rowdy enough without the cerveza. That's probably okay, though, since Argentine beer isn't that good. At half time, we all joined the mob of people trying to get a Choripan. There are no lines, just a mass of several dozen people surrounding a woman at the grill and waving small-bills around. (Small bills, by the way, are horded, here. I have no idea why having change is such a big deal, but it is. You seriously plan your day trying to figure out ways to acquire more small bills, short of resorting to prostitution or street miming.)

In the end, Boca tied with Arsenal 1-1. I found the tie very unsatisfying -- someone should win, dammit. (It would have been the perfect time for goal kicks and the wall of men.) The guide who took us to the game was much more zen about it. He said that it was not a loss, and that they would have the opportunity to come out and play again. His reaction surprised me a little, since he's kind of a super fan, with Boca tattoos and Boca paraphernalia from 15 years ago that he superstitiously wears to every game lest Boca may lose. But, I guess it's like the songs they sing about Boca -- Boca fans have an unconditional love for their team.