Like many U.S. soccer fans, I was able to watch the World Cup
hosted by the U.S. in 1994. I got to attend a quarterfinal match
between the Netherlands and Brazil at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas,
Texas. It was the first chance to see the Brazilian soccer fans in person, and after not only watching the Brazilian team, but also their fan supporters, I can proclaim the Brazilian soccer fans as the best soccer fans in the World.
In the summer of 1994, I was enrolled in the University of Colorado graduate physics program in Boulder, Colorado. I asked my soccer player/coach to attend a quarterfinal match with me in Texas. We bought a pair of cheap airline tickets from Denver to Houston. My friend was under the weather so stayed at the hotel the first day while I spent the day touring the NASA Johnson Space Center. The next day we rented a car and made the four hour drive to Dallas. It was the first time I was exposed to the Brazilian soccer fans. They were all decked out in their yellow and green colors. They were in a festive mood, screaming and banging their drums as they marched through the streets. There was a contingent of Netherlands soccer fans wearing orange, as the Cotton Bowl was filled to capacity.
The quarterfinal match between Brazil and the Netherlands, which occurred on July 9, 1994 in Dallas, was the most exciting quarterfinal match of the tournament. In the 24 team finals, Brazil won their Group B after beating Russia, Cameroon, and tying Sweden. The Netherlands advanced in Group F by beating Saudi Arabia, losing to Belgium, then beating Morocco. In the round of 16, the Netherlands beat Ireland 2-0 and Brazil beat the U.S. 1-0. In the actual quarterfinal game (capacity of 63,500 at the Cotton Bowl), the first half was scoreless. Romario of Brazil scored the first goal in the 53rd minute and Bebeto scored for Brazil in the 63rd minute. But Dennis Bergkamp of the Netherlands scored in the 64th minute, and Winter of the Netherlands scored the equalizer goal in the 76th minute. All the Brazilian fans were on the edge of their seats until Branco scored in the 81st minute. The Brazilian fans let out a huge sigh of relief and celebrated in the streets minutes later as Brazil beat the Netherlands 3-2 in an exciting quarterfinal match. Brazil would go on to defeat Sweden 1-0 in the semi-finals and beat Italy in the scoreless final 3-2 on penalty kicks to become the first team to win the World Cup four times. Watching the Brazilian fan supporters up close in the 1994 quarterfinals match made me proclaim the Brazilian soccer fans to be the best soccer fans in the World.
In the summer of 1994, I was enrolled in the University of Colorado graduate physics program in Boulder, Colorado. I asked my soccer player/coach to attend a quarterfinal match with me in Texas. We bought a pair of cheap airline tickets from Denver to Houston. My friend was under the weather so stayed at the hotel the first day while I spent the day touring the NASA Johnson Space Center. The next day we rented a car and made the four hour drive to Dallas. It was the first time I was exposed to the Brazilian soccer fans. They were all decked out in their yellow and green colors. They were in a festive mood, screaming and banging their drums as they marched through the streets. There was a contingent of Netherlands soccer fans wearing orange, as the Cotton Bowl was filled to capacity.
The quarterfinal match between Brazil and the Netherlands, which occurred on July 9, 1994 in Dallas, was the most exciting quarterfinal match of the tournament. In the 24 team finals, Brazil won their Group B after beating Russia, Cameroon, and tying Sweden. The Netherlands advanced in Group F by beating Saudi Arabia, losing to Belgium, then beating Morocco. In the round of 16, the Netherlands beat Ireland 2-0 and Brazil beat the U.S. 1-0. In the actual quarterfinal game (capacity of 63,500 at the Cotton Bowl), the first half was scoreless. Romario of Brazil scored the first goal in the 53rd minute and Bebeto scored for Brazil in the 63rd minute. But Dennis Bergkamp of the Netherlands scored in the 64th minute, and Winter of the Netherlands scored the equalizer goal in the 76th minute. All the Brazilian fans were on the edge of their seats until Branco scored in the 81st minute. The Brazilian fans let out a huge sigh of relief and celebrated in the streets minutes later as Brazil beat the Netherlands 3-2 in an exciting quarterfinal match. Brazil would go on to defeat Sweden 1-0 in the semi-finals and beat Italy in the scoreless final 3-2 on penalty kicks to become the first team to win the World Cup four times. Watching the Brazilian fan supporters up close in the 1994 quarterfinals match made me proclaim the Brazilian soccer fans to be the best soccer fans in the World.
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