PART 1: JAN’S ON TV IN COSTA RICA
Wednesday morning, Amy was still in shock from the proposal the night before. However, the next stage of our vacation -- our game at storied Saprissa Stadium in San Jose -- was about to begin.
We caught an early morning flight on another small regional plane from Quepos to San Jose.
You can barely call the Quepos airport an airport. It’s basically a small hanger where you check in. In one corner, there’s a snack bar. On the other side sits a fooseball table.
While we were waiting for our plane to fly in, the snack bar TV was showing footage of the U.S. National Team. For an instant, they showed a shot of U.S. fans from a recent game in D.C. JAN WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PICTURE. Mike, Amy and I screamed and ran over to Jan, who wasn't paying attention to tell her she was just on TV. The 15 or so other people in the airport must have thought we were loco. After that bit of excitement, Mike and I played a spirited game of fooseball. He won on the last ball.
Once we were in San Jose, we rested and blogged. (And, headed over to the team hotel for this bit of fun). Amy also managed to snag some beefcake pics of Landon Donovan lounging by the pool. She can show those to you if you want.
PART 2: PLANNING AN ESCAPE ROUTE
The next order of business: How were we going to get to and from the game?
Now, I can be a bit of a worrier -- especially when stepping into an away stadium as a U.S. fan. During our trip, we’d heard different things about the environment in Saprissa. Some folks told us to watch our backs. Other told us we’d have no problem. I figured things would be OK. I just wanted our escape route planned -- especially if we somehow won the game.
When we got to the hotel, the folks who run OleOle Travel -- U.S. Soccer’s official travel company -- offered to take us to and from the stadium for $50 each. Mike quickly talked me out of this. The stadium is only 2km from the hotel. $200 to transport the four seemed insane.
So, we arranged for the hotel van to take us and pick us up. Total cost: $20! Roundtrip! Awesome!
PART 3: AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN CENTRAL AMERICA?
We decided to head over about 3 1/2 hours before kickoff to take in some of the local atmosphere. Outside the stadium, the city was buzzing. Street vendors were selling flags and jerseys were everywhere. Every three steps, someone offered to sell us tickets. (Who knows if they were real?)
We spent a few minutes trying to find a bar that a friend of Mike’s had mentioned, but no one seemed to have heard of it. A few people light-heartedly taunted us, but most just let us be as we wandered the streets.
We gave up and walked toward Saprissa. From the outside, it looks like a prison. Old, rusty metal and barbed wire are everywhere. To get close, we had to cross through security -- the guards were just making sure we had tickets. In Spanish, Saprissa stadium is nicknamed, la cueva del monstrous (the cave of the monster) -- a reference to the purple dragon insignia of the team that plays there (and is also called Saprissa.)
Past the checkpoint, the crowd thinned and bit and fewer street vendors bothered us. Just across from the stadium, there was small bar. Mike pushed his way inside, ordering us a pair of cervezas and bottled water for the women. Again, most folks either gave us a brief nod or ignored us completely. There wasn’t even a bit of hostility.
Outside the bar, we drank and took in the scene. We struck a conversation with two affluent twentysomething Ticos who were drinking nearby. Apparently, they rent a luxury box during Saprissa’s club matches and got this game for free.
We talked futbol with them for a bit before the conversation turned to another type of football -- the American kind. Turns out, the NFL is gaining popularity in Costa Rica. The guys said the Super Bowl is becoming a huge deal there.
And then, a real shocker: Turns out one these Ticos plays quarterback in a Costa Rican league. Crazy. I had no idea people were playing American football in Costa Rica.
PART 4: DUDE, WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS?
At that point, it was about an hour and half before kickoff and the stadium lines were already getting long so we queued up with the rest of the Ticos.
Once we got to the front of the line, I was the first one in. I showed my ticket was quickly searched by security and walked inside.
I turned around. All my friends were gone.
Apparently, the Tico security guards didn’t want to let Amy’s $400 camera into the stadium. (The don’t allow cameras because they worry that fans could take out the batteries and throw them at players -- or away fans!)
So, Mike, Jan and Amy briefly stepped out of line.
Inside, I didn’t know what was going on. I figured we had gone to the wrong entrance and that guards that let me in hadn’t spotted the mistake. I asked an usher if I was in the right place and she insisted that I was.
Outside, Mike stuffed Amy’s camera -- and his own -- down the front of his pants. They stepped back into line. This time, a different guard basically just waved them in.
Reunited, we climbed a long stairway to the top of Saprissa and our section.
PART 5: LOCO TICOS
Again, there was no venom from fans inside the stadium. I’ve gotten more grief as a Vikings fan at Ford Field. Still, as we approached kickoff. The stadium got louder and louder. Behind each goal, a mass of fans bounced -- literally bounced -- as they sang. It was probably the most energized pre-game atmosphere I’ve ever witnessed.
We were among the first Americans to arrive. After a brief chat with Stephen Goff, the Washington Post’s soccer writer, we found seats in the front row of the section reserved for USA fans. Many of the other Americans who soon joined us seemed to be college students studying in Costa Rica. But there were some hard-core fans like us, including a few faces we recognized.
Only during the U.S. National Anthem did the Ticos sit quietly. The rest of the time, the stadium buzzed like a hornets nest.
At kickoff, it was as loud as a rock concert.
There doesn’t seem much point in recounting the game. If you like the U.S. National team, you watched the game. It was not close. Ever. We were dominated from the beginning to the end.
By the end of the game, we were all exhausted. We wandered back to our van, congratulating some of the Ticos as we walked. The van was right where the driver said it would be. He gave us a sympathetic look. After eventually, squeezing out of our parking space into traffic, the driver deftly weaved us through the back roads of San Jose, somehow missing most of the stadium traffic.
Starving, we grabbed some food and drink at the hotel bar and discuss our disastrous performance with some fellow Americans.
PART 6: NEXT STOP: CHICAGO!
It’s now Saturday morning in Chicago. After finally arriving in around, 5 p.m. last night, Amy and I found an urgent care facility to take another look at her jellyfish sting. They gave her more medicine. She tells me it feels a lot better today.
After the doc, we met up with Marcel for a nice dinner. Unfortunately, the long travel day took it's toll and we crashed early.
Game day has come yet again. We need to look better tonight. We need to win.
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