Germany: Munich

Munich, Germany: allianz arena
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I finally made it to the World Cup - and it was all it's cracked up to be.  Almost impossible to describe in words...

I began by checking out the huge FanFest, held at the Olympiapark (home of the 1972 Munich Olympics).  I was amazed by the fact that, no matter where I looked, at official and non-official World Cup souvenir stores, I could not find anything for the U.S. team.  Nothing!!  Every other country, no problem.  It wasn't difficult finding a Togo jersey or an Ivory Coast hat, but nothing for the U.S.  Conspiracy??  I don't know, I just found it quite weird.  When I asked at the official store, they told me they never received any US jerseys or scarves..hmmmmmmm

The World Cup - Simply Amazing

Munich, Germany: exterior of allianz arena
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Well, Munich was filled with Americans - tons and tons of them.  I don't know if everyone had tickets, but it was quite the impressive showing by the Yanks.  What completely stunned me was how passionate people were about the game I was going to.  As luck would have it, both teams I was going to watch - Serbia-Montenegro and Ivory Coast - had already been eliminated, so, essentially, this match was pointless.

However, all day long, there were fans of both teams in the streets of Munich, waving flags, singing, and generally getting rowdy.  I took off for the super futuristic Allianz Arena two hours before gametime.  Big mistake.  I should have left earlier.  Train after train went by me, completely packed.  You could not squeeze one more person on any of the trains, it was incredible.  I finally got to the arena about 20 minutes before kickoff (after heavy security precautions).

Munich, Germany: interior of allianz arena
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The place was electric - I was sitting in the Serbia section, where I met the two Americans who got me the ticket (both who formerly played in the US National Team program).  The arena was truly a work of art - a wonderful pitch with a stunning exterior that changed colors according to the team playing that day (the main home team is Bayern Munchen).  Inside the stadium, amazingly, the only beer allowed was Budweiser, since they were the main sponsor.  Can you imagine travelling all the way to Germany, where there are countless excellent beers, and having to drink Budweiser at the World Cup?  It is safe to say the locals were not pleased.  Also, you had to use MasterCard, as they were a sponsor too...no Visa anywhere.

Munich, Germany: serbia-montenegro vs. ivory coast at the world cup
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Before the match, during the national anthems, it is customary to see all the players singing their anthem.  However, with Serbia-Montenegro (which dodesn't even exist anymore), it is interesting...no one sings the lyrics; in fact, the fans whistle at the song (their form of booing) and the players ignore it.  I was told they do this because the song dates from their military past that no one was really proud of.  Don't know how true this was, but it seemed to make sense.

The match was intense from the start - it's hard to describe how passionate these fans were, and I still can't believe how this was all over a pointless match.  Serbia went up two goals early, and then proceeded to give up three goals to Ivory Coast (including two penalties) to lose the game.  The Serbians in my section didn't look like they were going to Hofbrauhaus after the game.  I would be careful if I was a member of the Serbian national team.  After the match ended, 66,000 people poured into the public transportation system...not fun at all.  We missed several trains, and then felt like we were being crushed at a mass rock concert when we finally made it on the subway.  I eventually made it back to the good ol' tent for some drinking around the campfire, and a good night's sleep on the hard wooden floor.