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Saprissa vs. Pachuca
This evening the three of us went to a soccer match with a group of 25 friends (20 North Americans and 5 Central Americans). We watched as the local club, Saprissa (of San Jose, Costa Rica) played against Pachuca (of Mexico). This was the championship of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Champions Cup is the annual tournament that determines the best soccer club from all the countries from Canada, south to Panama.
The game ended in a 1-1 tie. Both teams now head to Mexico next week to determine the champion of North and Central America. The winner goes on to Tokyo, Japan for a world championship tournament with five other clubs. Saprissa dominated the first half, but, only managed a 0-0 tie at halftime. After an early second half goal by Pachuca, Saprissa came back with a very late goal to tie it.
The sellout crowd of 22,000 fans were crazy as usual. Watching soccer games in Central America is an amazing cultural experience. We have grown to love the game and especially the spectacle. Latin soccer fans with their songs, passion and colorful behavior are half the fun. The amazingly inexpensive tickets and homemade concession food make it an event not to be missed.
Posted on April 24, 2008