Soccer cultures clashed outside MetLife Stadium, but the mixture suggested that this tournament just might work
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Sergio Furnari calls his car the "Siuuuu machine." It's a bit on the nose, a chunky pickup truck painted in the colors of the Portuguese flag. The real attraction, though, is what's on the back: a 6-foot high, frighteningly life-like replica of Cristiano Ronaldo, bulging thigh muscles, one finger to his lips silencing a crowd that's not actually there and not actually watching him.
"He deserves a serious monument for the next generation. It is for the next generation," Furnari told GOAL, remarkably straight faced. "We will understand CR7 in a different way from a 3-year-old or a 5-year-old or 15-year-old. He is the superman of life."
Anywhere else, and it would be an eyesore, a mere novelty. But here, at MetLife Stadium, a few hours before kickoff of the first New York fixture of the Club World Cup, it made a frightening amount of sense. Passersby laughed and took pictures.
Men, women, children, old and young, all clad in Palmeiras and Porto kits, recreated Ronaldo's celebration, as if in tribute. There was a football match to be played here on Sunday night – one of nine Club World Cup matches to be held at MetLife over tournament, including both semifinals and the July 13 final. But for a moment, Furnari was the main event.
It was a microcosm of the day.
There was Ronaldo, the name everyone knows. But in front of him, were fans of both teams in the match – strangely jovial, almost frighteningly kind to each other. A fierce, full-blooded affair this was not. Instead, in the hours leading up, it felt like an optimistic celebration of what football might be in the United States, a confusing world in which GOATs, struggling Portuguese teams and exciting Palmeiras sides all collide – all in service to an expanded 32-team Club World Cup.
This was day two of the month-long tournament, and this wasn't the soccer you know. But it's the one America can offer in this summer of soccer, and that might just be enough.
Getty'The group isn't so bad'
The four Palmeiras fans on the train were feeling pretty optimistic about their chances. The Brazilian side are in what seems to be a relatively kind group for a team that can kindly be considered outsiders. They would seem to be favorites against both Egyptian giants Al Ahly and MLS representative Inter Miami.
Before the game, they insisted that they have what it takes to beat Porto.
"The group isn't so bad," one Palmerias fan who had traveled from Brazil for the tournament insisted.
And there certainly seemed to be a widespread belief that such a result could happen – at least prior to kick off. A Porto fan spokesperson told GOAL, word on the street was that Palmeiras fans would outnumber Porto supporters, 70-30 percentage-wise. A walk around the stadium and scope of public transport on the train over suggested that it was more like 99-1.
Still, what few Porto fans showed up seemed to be making the most of it. Their attendance was more sparse, but perhaps more familial. There were barbecues and beers and soccer balls, kids kicking with dads, while moms watched from lawn chairs.
Porto have been poor of late domestically, and went trophy-less last season. They have not won the Portuguese top flight – a league they are expected to dominate – since 2022. But the team have made it clear they want to amend that. Midfielder Stephen Eustaquio, who is skipping at least the start of Canada's Gold Cup campaign for the tournament, emphasized that.
"We want to play good football," he told the FIFA website. "We want to show the fans that we're growing and that we're playing well, but at the same time, the W is very, very important. And I think for a tournament like this, if you start winning, you get yourself in a good spot in the group, you get your confidence high as well, and it's just massively important."
Fans certainly seemed to believe, with some coming from Portugal, as well as Belgium and Canada, to offer support.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesA different kind of Churrasco
But the best pre-match scenes weren't found in the parking lot, on light-rail cars or even in the stadium. Part of that is on FIFA, who have inexplicably banned tailgating at many of the CWC games in the U.S. this summer – removing a crucial hallmark of South American football culture.
Instead, Palmeiras fans made the lengthy trek through an echoey tunnel just outside the stadium, stretching their legs up a slight incline from the concrete of the parking lot to the shiny, manufactured interior of the American Dream Mall. Two hours before kickoff, there were a few green shirts here and there – mostly because some had to cut through the mall due to the nightmarish parking situation at the stadium.
But crowds built steadily. By 4:30 p.m., 90 minutes before kickoff, it was a flood of green, with the delightful cacophony of voices from all over the world mingling. Then, suddenly, music. A man took a temporary stage wearing a mask, and waved a Palmeiras flag in the air. With that, the manufactured, shiny building erupted. Hands in the air, fans of all ages shouting.
A few baffled parents, there, presumably, to take kids on a large indoor rollercoaster, sprinted out of the place. What remained was otherwise a party scene, fans belting every word of every song, the floor rumbling under the weight of Palmeiras anticipation. There was no grilled meat or beer to be found – yet – but the Brazilian contingent had turned a hub of American commercialism into their own kind of Churrasco.
Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream nowGettyCurating the right atmosphere
Whistles erupted from the Palmeiras end as the Porto goalkeepers strolled out to warm up. The Brazilian fan section looked as compelling as it possibly could for a club that usually plays its home football 4,778 miles away. They sang their songs and waved their flags, a quarter of the lower concourse of MetLife – a surprisingly pleasant venue for a soccer match – a compelling mixture of green and white, with banners adorning the seats closest to the pitch.
There are some strange similarities between this venue and Allianz Parque. They were built around the same time, both refurbished versions of iconic venues. And the Palmeiras fans treated this place as if it were their own, screaming, chanting and whistling at all of the right times, berating the referee when calls went against them and cheering in approval when winger Joaquin Piquerez made a Porto defender look silly early on.
They had taken over Times Square by the thousands Saturday night. And they attacked this occasion with similar zeal.
"It was like playing at home," head coach Abel Ferreira said.
But the Porto contingent did their bit too, a thin strip of blue and white bumping from the get-go. Porto have tried to revive their American presence after a fallow period, Paul Silva, a member of Porto New Jersey, told GOAL.
It has been challenging, given the results on the pitch. They are the third-best team in Portugal at the moment, which doesn't leave much room for excitement. Their numbers might not have been massive but the enthusiasm couldn't be knocked.
GettyTwo sides settle for a draw
The CWC opener, held Saturday night, was a scoreless draw that simmered throughout but never quite took off. FIFA had made a real show of the whole thing, with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami hosting Al Ahly, but the spectacle on the pitch never quite matched the enthusiasm of federation president Gianni Infantino in the weeks leading up to the tournament.
That was followed by two blowouts, Bayern Munich and PSG rolling past Auckland City and Atletico Madrid by a combined score of 14-0 on Sunday.
The early days of this tournament needed a , a back-and-forth encounter to capture the imagination – and perhaps show that this could someday, somehow become something teams want to win. Palmeiras were certainly up for it. The South American sides are perhaps the most compelling storyline to be found here, their undoubted urge to prove they can cut it with European talent a driving factor.
And they poked and prodded for most of the first half. Estevao, due to sign for Chelsea after the tournament, was the main attraction and went on some wonderful weaving runs between the lines. But they created from all over the pitch. A fine double save from Porto's reserve goalkeeper Claudio Ramos kept them out on the stroke of half time.
Porto also offered some ideas. Striker Samu caused all sorts of problems, the powerful No. 9 pulling the Palmeiras defense this way and that. He is linked with a move to a bigger European club this summer, and it was clear to see why; he is bigger, faster and stronger than every defender that takes him on. But Palmeiras, too, held their own, with veteran goalkeeper Weverton providing important saves off set pieces to keep the game level at the break.
"What wins matches is goals, but we didn't get scored on either," Estevao said after the game.
The game became less of a spectacle in the latter stages as both teams rotated. Cheers turned to groans. Palmeiras skewed a couple of good chances, and their presence waned after Estevao was removed on 65 minutes.
"We came here to show that we are Palmerias. We have excellent players, we know what we are capable of," Estevao said. "We were able to impose our level of play, we were really offensive. But we have to improve next time."
Porto fans fell relatively quiet as the apathy of a scoreless draw emerged. They stayed until the end, but flooded out in their thousands as the final whistle blew.
