Saprissa Fútbol Game

The 25th of July is a national holiday in Costa Rica. It is to celebrate Costa Rica's annexation of the Nicaraguan province, Guanacaste, in 1824. Nobody works, most of the stores close, and everyone enjoys themselves for the holiday. Lucky for me, this meant that I didn't have my class.
To take advantage of our free day, Tor, Jess, Julia, Julia's host sister and brother, and I went to a professional soccer game. The game was at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa (I get the impression that the Ticos are very proud of the stadium). The two teams playing were both Costa Rican. Saprissa, the home team, is a very popular team. Soli is a huge Saprissa fan; therefore, by default, I too am a Saprissa fan. Their colors were purple and white, but after a change in team ownership this past year, the colors were changed to maroon and white. The mascot is a maroon monster/dragon. The opposing team was Pérez Zeledón. Their colors are blue and white.
Saprissa won the game 3-1.
The crowd was indescribable. Aside from the usual clapping, yelling, and cheering of sports fans, I had no idea what to expect. I've seen enthusiastic soccer fans on T.V. before, but experiencing the excitement of crazy soccer fans in real life is a completely different story. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever heard "son of a b****" yelled so much in my life. Even the 12 year olds were participating. When the fan weren't yelling profanities, they were chanting or singing the Saprissa team song. At one point after Saprissa scored at goal from a penalty kick, the fans behind the goal rushed toward the field; many of them climbed the tall fence separating the fans from the field.
The game was a great cultural experience. The excitement of the game was intense. It almost rivals that of a KU basketball game. And that says A LOT.

Old Saprissa

New Saprissa

Saprissa Mascot