Mexico v. Iceland 'Futbol' Fiesta in Charlotte

They tied with a final score of 0 to 0. Amazing. Yesterday I got the tip in the late afternoon from St. Lissa that something was going down at Bank of America Stadium. I couldn't help it, I had to go. After locking up my bike off of Mint Street I melded into the crowd of thousands of Spanish Mexican Soccer fans there to support their national team in its game against Iceland. That's right, international soccer came to The Jar yesterday and the outcome was undeniable human transfer. I wish I had had a 4 track digital recorder to capture the sounds that I was hearing. Celebratory Street Music created with drums, horns, tambourines, and voice mouth belting out anthems in happy unison. As I worked through the crowd the energy had to be the most real that I had ever witnessed Uptown in relation to spectator sport. No NASCAR, NFL, NBA or Collegiate Games have ever brought such spiritual vitality to the streets. I caught myself thinking at one point when I could not see anything orientating me to Charlotte that I was in Zona Rosa in Mexico City, a familiar memory of travels past. Okay, enough of my banter onto the images witnessing the most authentic national celebration that I can recall in the Jar.

I saw thousands of Spanish Mexicans partying in the streets cheering for their National Team. After hours of searching I finally found the only Iceland fans in North Carolina, they were happy to oblige me by posing for this picture.

This is image is interesting to me.

While I was crouched down making this picture of the on coming procession someone from the side threw cold water on me. I felt it hit my back, head and equipment. Somehow I could only laugh inside of myself with a feeling of release and memories of freezing water over my head from the dripping Cedar boughs in Tlachichuca at midnight Easter Vigil Mass in 2005.