Roughly 2800 miles is far to travel for a soccer game. For Ecuador‘s Kenny Katana, though, no distance could keep him from seeing his favorite team compete.
“We had to be here; this is everything,” he said. “Supporting our team, supporting our country means everything.”
A sea of bright yellow merchandise descended upon the City of Brotherly Love, as Ecuador got set to participate in Philadelphia’s first-ever World Cup game. They will take on Cote D’Ivoire in one of five matches to be held in the city.
Ecuador’s fans significantly outnumbered their opponents around the city, with it hard to find a single orange jersey representing Ivory Coast. That advantage was reflected at Lincoln Financial Field as well, as the fan base’s vibrant colors appeared to fill almost every seat.
“The culture is amazing around here,” local Ecuador fan Kenny Rojas said. “Everyone is here to soak this in, and make history.”
A Sunday afternoon in June is generally a relatively quiet time for Center City, Philadelphia, with the Philadelphia Eagles in their offseason and the Phillies often on the road.
The heart of the city vibrated with passion on this particular day, however, as fans made their way to celebrate their team. The team’s traditional chant, “Vamos Ecuadoriamos,” could be heard from the streets down to the city’s transportation, where supporters shook the subway car as their dancing and singing echoed throughout.
“It means a lot for us to be here, given we are such a small country,” Ecuador fans Andrea and Juan Paredes, who came from New Jersey, said. “We want to teach the world a little bit about culture, about football, alongside family and friends.”
That same energy extended to the parking lots outside of Lincoln Financial Field, where a large number of fans set up tents and participated in traditional tailgating outside the stadium.
Alongside the typical hamburgers and hot dogs of American tailgates, all different kinds of grilled meats sizzled on portable grills, mostly different cuts of steak.
Loud reggaeton music blasted from car speakers, as fans joyously passed around plates.
Isabella Martillo and her family have passed down Ecuadorian soccer fandom through generations: She was joined by her father Walter, mother Vanessa, and her grandparents, all avid supporters of the team.
The group pointed to the team’s growth over the year as a large reason for the turnout.
“The World Cup is about bringing people together, and Ecuador is a team that has really evolved over the years,” Isabella said. “We’re showing that we’re a team to watch out for.”
It’s a theme local fan John Pastor echoed. He explained that one night after celebrating the New York Knicks’ NBA Finals win, he had travelled from New York to Philadelphia, just for this experience.
“The music, the food, this is such an incredible ambience,” he said. “We’ve shown up for our team, and hopefully they will show up for us.”
While Ivory Coast backers were mostly outnumbered in the stadium lots, those who came out still expressed a great deal of pride.
It’s incredibly rare to hear anyone describe a 12-hour drive as “awesome.” But for Ivory Coast fans Fred and Farrah Amon from South Carolina, the travel was more than worth it.
“This is the first time we’ve made it since 2014, so we had to be here,” Fred said. “It’s so amazing to get to celebrate our country.”
One of the more unlikely discoveries around the stadium tailgates was a group of Ivory Coast fans in disguise. David Pete and his friends were attending the game as fans of the Elephants, despite secretly being fans of Germany. The group was hoping for a tie to help Germany advance, but acknowledged that they were enjoying the different fandom for the day.
“It’s been fun to embrace a different team, a different culture,” Pete said.
The fans admitted they were definitely outnumbered. But they still hoped they would be heard where it really matters: on the pitch.
“We just have to be louder, for the people who couldn’t make it here today,” Anon said.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Ivory Coast, Ecuador fans bring World Cup culture to Philadelphia
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