As any part of a South American journey, it wouldn’t have been complete had I not made it to a futball game at some point. Today was to be the day. With luck, I’d met Rob and Jessie on the train to Huancayo and Rob being a big soccer fan was on a mission to collect as many jerseys as possible during his stay in South America. This of course meant one thing, it was time to go see the Sport Huancayo Rojo Matadors. With a little difficulty and the help of a $1 taxi ride we were in front of the stadium just before game time. Picking up our green home jerseys from a sidewalk vendor and $4 tickets from a woman in front of the gate, we made our way up the ramp towards the grandstands. Immediately finding seats near midfield, we were stopped before settling in by a security guard who ran after us waving his hands in the air to gain our attention. Being the only gringos to enter the stadium he wanted to put us in the ’V.I.P.’ area. Not knowing if he was doing this to be kind or for our safety, we agreed and were seated ¾ of the way up the stands under an awning that nearly blocked the view of the field.

Realizing that the crowd was really quite tame and there was of course no reason for us to be in the ‘safe zone’, Rob took off in search of a better spot to get some photos. In a sense the afternoon felt like we were there to watch a popular high school football team take on the local rival. Vendors sold popular local dishes prepared and served on the spot, hot and steaming fried rice, ceviche and burgers, all a fresh twist on ballpark food in the U.S. The action was pretty slow and at halftime, neither team had scored. Jessie and I spotted Rob on the opposite side of the field sitting next to a line of security guards, one of whom we found out just wanted to practice his English. During halftime we all met up and re-located to the ‘rowdy’ section where men and boys alike made as much noise with horns and explosives (with added assistance from the local moonshine) while team chants were shouted with as much force as possible. Flags and banners with the team colors waved all around us.

The two grandstands were complete opposites and it felt as though we were in with the bad crowd or in more practical terms, the side that was just more into the spirit of the game, to put it lightly. I imagine we were the only gringos to take in a game for the entire season and were a big hit with all, having several people come up to meet us and see where we were from, including the team mascot. The game itself ended in a 0-0 tie with little to no action, though Huancayo was able to push the ball forward more than the Lima team. As a goal of my travels and this trip in particular, today pushed me beyond my usual limits. It was a very real moment and one I’ll take away from this trip as a highlight.