Fans of Argentinian club Boca Juniors take over South Florida during the Club World Cup
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Boca Juniors plays two of its three group-stage games of the Club World Cup in South Florida, and the Argentinian club's traveling fans have made their presence known.
In the club's first game of the tournament, a 2-2 draw against Benfica, the announced attendance of 55,574 at Hard Rock Stadium was mostly Boca fans. Supporters of the club have been highly visible in Miami-Dade County, gathering on the beach in the thousands and singing in local Walmarts.
Sammy Icarina has supported Boca Juniors his whole life.
'I am a Boca fanatic. I'm 76 now, so imagine how long I've been a fan for. The minute the tickets came out I bought them,' Icarina told the Associated Press.
The enthusiasm Boca has brought to the Club World Cup is known to those who love the team.
'It is always like this,' said Daniel Mata, who traveled from Argentina to watch.
Silvana Gomez goes to Boca's home stadium in Buenos Aires, the Bombonera, frequently and says the traveling support is typical and expected.
'It's like this, always. Whether we go to Japan, Rio de Janeiro, wherever Boca plays we are always there,' Gomez said.
Miami-Dade police have been present and heavily equipped at the stadium's multiple checkpoints. New procedures have not posed any problem for the passionate Boca Juniors fans and no incidents have been reported at the venue.
'For now I think (the security) is five stars, everything has been good, the police, the security, everything,' Icarina said.
Only Boca Juniors and one of the top clubs in the world, Real Madrid, have sold out their group-stage matches.
On the sporting side, Boca Juniors and their continental counterparts have fared well against European and global powerhouses. There are six South American teams in this Club World Cup and they have all brought tens of thousands of fans to their games.
Ahead of Boca Juniors' Friday night match against Bayern Munich, South American clubs were undefeated in the expanded Club World Cup with wins against European powers Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea and ties against Borussia Dortmund, Benfica and Porto.
Although Boca has not won in five games, its fans will be vocal no matter what.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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