Boca Juniors Fans Steal the Show in Nashville

Fantastic fan support for Argentine giants, despite failure to advance

The South American fans have been the biggest boon to this year’s new and expanded Club World Cup. Fans from Brazil of teams like Flamengo, Palmeiras, Botafogo and from Argentina for River Plate have all made their presence felt. But it has been the Boca Juniors fans from Argentina that have stolen the show thus far. They turned out in droves for two games in Miami (55,574 against Benfica and 63,587 against Bayern Munich). They took over the beaches, the parking lot, and even a Wal-Mart. And in Nashville on Tuesday afternoon, they made Geodis Park look like La Bombonera.

Coming into the game against Auckland City, Boca needed to win and they needed to win big. They had a -1 goal difference and just one point from their first two games. The team ahead of them, Benfica, had four points and a +6 goal difference. So not only did Boca need to win by a lot, they needed Benfica to lose.

Unfortunately for many of the blue and yellow fans, Benfica was able to beat Bayern Munich in Charlotte rendering the result of this game in Nashville moot. The goal update at Geodis Park drew audible groans from the 16,899 Boca fans in attendance. The team, too, seemed to begin to slow down after a blistering start that saw a number of quality chances the first 15 minutes. They did get a first half goal off a corner kick, which was given as an own-goal off Auckland City keeper Nathan Garrow.

But less than ten minutes into the second half Auckland struck back through Christian Gray and whatever faint hopes Boca still had of making it through to the next round disappeared as the game finished 1-1.

But just as they had done the first two games of the tournament, the Boca Juniors fans brought the noise and support for their team. The ribbon around the front row of the upper deck of the stadium was covered entirely with the banner of the Boca fans. Many of the Nashville locals could be heard remarking that Geodis Park (the largest soccer-specific stadium in the country) had never been so loud. Beer vendors on the concourse appeared to be in awe at the length of the lines and the appetite for the golden ale. Even during a lightning delay during the second half, most of the Boca fans behind the goal steadfastly refused to seek shelter on the concourse as they were instructed and instead stayed in their seats and kept up a steady stream of noise and energy.

The team may be heading home after just three games but there’s no doubt that the Boca Juniors fans were the stars of the show at the Club World Cup. If this event is to continue in the future, there’s no doubt that both FIFA and local organizers of wherever the tournament is hosted will be hoping that Boca Juniors qualify.