Love and Soccer

Let's face it, America. We just don't watch soccer. Maybe I'm wrong (doubtful...) but soccer is pretty much only used as an introductory sport for little ones. Kind of like how everyone should have a basic knowledge of the piano before trying another instrument, everyone plays soccer before going on to the sport they actually want to play. That, and those little ones look so cute in their soccer uniforms. So, unless a major game like the World Cup is on, a hot, famous Bristish player comes to play in America or our niece/nephew/kid are playing, we as a nation tend to be pretty uninterested in soccer. If you say otherwise you're either lying, saying it only because you watched the World Cup last time it was on or you're part of a small percentage of actual fans.

The last time Hubs watched a game as a matter of fact was when he last played in one at the age of five. Poor guy got bored and into a fight. With one of his teammates. So when we were invited to go watch a game with one of Hubs' co-workers, I was the only one excited about it. Hubs has his own theories about soccer, none of which I will share with you today.

It started off great. Our friend came over and we pre-gamed with some snacks and drinks, since we didn't think alcohol was served at the stadium. Which is crazy because you always here about crazy soccer fans killing people over bad calls, good calls, losses, victories, bad hot dogs, ect. To think that there's not booze readily available at the event means that people just really feel that strongly about the game of soccer. (and how hot dogs should be made)

By the time we left, we knew we'd be a little late, so we walk/ran as fast as we could to the metro station. When we got off the metro, we couldn't help but notice the crazy amount of military men and women in full on SWAT gear. I'm talking helmets, those sticks they beat you with, protective armor over their chest, the whole deal. And I'm serious, there are HUNDREDS of them! So we ask our friend about it and he says that because of a riot that killed a lot of people after a soccer game, they've really tightened up security on game days. We were a bit confused, surely this riot would have been televised, right? Well it was. When it happened twenty years ago. It's like the old Russian proverb... "Fool me once, shame on you...Fool me twice, I F***ing KILL you!!"

As we got closer to the coliseum, we started to hear it. The dull roar of fans. Fans who spend their entire lifetimes dedicated to their team. Generations of lifetimes. And the coliseum is open, so I really felt like I was headed to an ancient stand-off in the Roman Coliseum. I was a bit surprised when we got in and the players weren't wrestling lions.

Inside fit 75,000 people and I'd say we were at about 50,000 at least. Whats even more impressive are the fans. In America, we have to post all the words to the one-line chants and have some kind of clapping noise so that we can all keep the beat correctly. But here, the fans just know the chants. And they keep their own beat. AND they manage to lead the chanting and clapping with all 50,000 people at the same time. There's no prompter telling them to start chant #3, they just do it. And it. sounds. awesome. Our friend was excited about the crowd doing the wave, which seemed more like child's play after a taste of all the fans could do.

And getting a goal. Wow. We were pretty excited about that. (see the money shot Hubs took with the camera of the goal. as it's happening...) Nothing like seeing 50,000 crazy fans going ballistic all at the same time. Until they start waving those team scarves and you get repeatedly hit in the face by the fan in front of you. That's kind of a shock. But only to Hubs and me apparently.

Back to the military. They're still everywhere. They're lining the field between the field and the fans and we both wondered if they actually thought that they would be able to stop a rabid crowd from rushing the field. I think it's mainly there for the random naked streaker, which apparently is still a problem in Russian professional soccer.

And on the way home, they were everywhere. In fact, they lined the way to the metro. First time we had to wait in a giant line to get into the metro and certainly the most intimidating. A few were on horses and one even nipped at Hubs. I can't help but laugh a little at that one, since I was following, saw the whole thing and laughed then too. Luckily, he has this awesome thick wool coat that protected his handsome arm. That coat now has some horse slobber dried into it. Not funny but so funny.

On the way home we stopped at our favorite, El Cantina for some drinks and food and ended up closing the night with a rockin' cover band, fajitas and margaritas. Just like home.

We are so blessed to have these kinds of experiences. What started out as a soccer game (meh) ended up being this crazy combination of outrageous, hilarious and memorable. We had so much fun and it kept us giggling about horse nips, scarf slaps and getting "Ground Control to Major Tom" stuck in our head throughout the week following.





Cheers to expanding our ideas of fun and enjoying it through and through. Dahvi Spartak!