We decided to take advantage of the city-to-city bus transportation that was available by riding from Jozi to Rustenburg in what should have been called the Mexican supporters' bus. The running joke after any small contretemps was that the driver was from Uruguay.
Rusty is a small town rich from platinum mining and boasts a small tourist attraction you might have heard of called Sun City (think Las Vegas meets Disneyland). The locals gained a 20% share of the mining and built this small cozy stadium for the World Cup. The weather is nice and the Mexican contingent is far more numerous and boisterous than Uruguayans. Unfortunately, the tide as turned against Mexico as Uruguay has gained the South African support. Turns out the Bufana Bufana path to the second round needs a big loss from Mexico. So much for the South Africa -Mexico love affair.
Our seats are right on the center pitch and we're baffled at how we were able to score these tickets. We are definitely in the Mexico rowdy zone. The party is on in the stands with chants, dancing, and the obligatory vuvu belching. The game is pretty tame with Mexico dominating possession and Uruguay lurking dangerously on the counter. It's really fun to focus on Diego Forlan and see him put in a day's work; an inspiration to all average folks of what hard work can accomplish. The party in the stands goes up a few notches when South Africa goes up 2-0 against France.
Right before halftime a Mexican supporter runs across the field and he is completely ignored until he reaches the other end of the field and-- BAM!!!-- body slammed from his blind side by the security forces. Don't mess with a country that hails a rich rugby tradition. He should have taken his clothes off to make it more memorable.
Mexico concedes a wonderful goal to Luiz Suarez who up until now I hadn't even noticed he was on the field. After numerous calls from the fans, Chicharrito finally comes on but he's a bust. The coach needs to start him and needs to find someone else to start for Salcido, the weak link on this team. Despite numerous opportunities for scoring, Mexico can't get it done. The Mexican crowd is wild nonetheless; countless attempts to start a Mexican Wave go unsuccessful but a certain profane cheer is a hit and now even small South African children are yelling with the crowd, "Ahhhhhh...Puto!"
The game ends without an equalizer, but it doesn't stop the large Mexican contingent from making a ruckus as the Mexicans make it to the next round. Another beautiful day in World Cup Land, even the weather was beautiful for us this day. We stay late in the stadium, taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the evening sky. But, soon enough only the partying Uruguayans in one far corner of the stadium are all that remain so we depart for our party bus back to Jozi.
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