Despite the fact that the San Francisco Giants were thousands of miles away, Oracle Park was eerily quiet on Tuesday night.
Real Madrid, the defending UEFA Champions League champions, and Club América, one of Mexico’s most successful teams in history, played in front of 40,630 screaming fans during a Soccer Champions Tour 2022 encounter at the Giants’ stadium.
Regardless of who scored, the entire crowd erupted when the ball found its way into the net.
Oracle Park was devoid of the boisterous energy that had been present in previous years when the Giants were successful. An orange-and-black security guard tackled a fan who dashed across the field after the 2-2 draw to symbolize the night’s enthusiasm.
One look at the patched soccer field and Ronaldo Guzman knew it would be a high-scoring contest. He was hoping for a three-goal margin of victory for Real Madrid.
In addition to playing soccer throughout his childhood, Guzman has been a die-hard fan of Real Madrid since he was a young boy. When Real Madrid played Inter Milan at UC Berkeley in 2014, it was the first time he had ever seen them in action.
As a soccer fan, Guzman appreciates the development of the sport in the United States, but “soccer out here in the U.S. isn’t very excellent,” he remarked. In my opinion, Real Madrid is a level above any other team I’ve ever seen or played against.” The ability to see that is priceless.”
It’s possible Kevin Luna, a lifetime Club América fan, was one of the loudest fans in the stadium, even though the club’s bleacher section was waving bright yellow pom poms and enormous flags.
She said: “It all depends on how many beers he has,” Cathryn Giomatti told Luna. There’s been one or two beers, and things get very raucous. A few beers and a lot of noise.”
Luna, a 25-year-old Club America fan, made the four-hour drive from Fresno on Tuesday to see his team play. Luna is no stranger to long drives, since he frequently attends Club America’s friendly in Los Angeles and San Diego.
Santana Urias, a native of Vallejo, didn’t care about the outcome of Tuesday’s match. This was his first live soccer match, and despite not rooting for either team, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see it in person.
Urias smiled as he said, “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Eduardo Gomez, Urias’s friend who first exposed him to the world of professional soccer over a year ago, sat next to him in a jam-packed lower bowl. Gomez grew up playing soccer as well, and he’s been to a couple games in Los Angeles for fun.
Gomez called them “professional teams we look up to.” “Having something to watch in San Francisco is cool.”