For Jamaica and Venezuela fans, soccer match at Soldier Field a lucky treat – Chicago Tribune
Tinley Park parents Dave and Lisbeth Becvar have deep roots in Venezuela: Dave spent seven years living in the country, and Lisbeth was born and raised there.
The couple has been searching for ways to instill their love of Venezuela in their young children, 5-year-old Christopher and 2-year-old Davy. So when news came out that the Venezuela-Jamaica match of the Copa America Centenario would take place at Soldier Field, the Becvars felt they were handed a perfect opportunity.
The family arrived for Sunday’s game dressed in shades of burgundy — the color of the country’s national team — and a small Venezuelan flag was fashioned into a cape that cascaded over Christopher’s little shoulders and flowed to the ground.
“It’s nice for the team to finally come to Chicago,” Dave said. “The kids get to enjoy part of Venezuela right here. As kids living in the U.S., they need to realize their Venezuelan culture.”
The Copa America Centenario began Friday with Team USA losing to Colombia in California. Sunday’s match between Jamaica and Venezuela was the first of three games to be held at Soldier Field this week.
The U.S. battles Costa Rica on Tuesday, and five-time world player of the year Lionel Messi and top-ranked Argentina take on Panama Friday.
But fans streaming through the doors of Soldier Field on Sunday weren’t split into groups of Jamaican green or Venezuelan burgundy; instead, members of the crowd donned soccer jerseys and flags from across South America. Some fans said they believed this was due to excitement over the tournament being held outside South America for the first time.
While not all spectators were devoted to a particular team, they looked forward to the thrill of live soccer games. That was the case for Tony Alarcon, whose family, dressed in green Mexican soccer jerseys, traveled from Mexico City to watch the three Chicago games.
“We’re most excited for Argentina versus Panama,” Alarcon said with a grin. “We heard Messi’s coming!”
Toronto resident Dwight Reid said it was a fortunate coincidence that the team of his native country, Jamaica, was playing in Chicago, the host city closest to the Canadian border. Still, Reid’s journey to Chicago consisted of a nearly eight-hour drive.
His family, a clan of 10, including his 82-year-old father who lives in Chicago, were all clad in bright yellow and green and posed for photos outside the stadium. Born and raised in Jamaica, Reid is a longtime fan of the team and has seen them play in Miami, Washington, Toronto and Trinidad.
“The strength of our defense is good. I have concerns with the offense,” he said. “But they’ll keep the game if they make goals. It will be very exciting.”
Venezuelan native Rossana Mogollon moved to the Chicago area two years ago and had family from Venezuela visiting, just in time for them to see their home team play in her adopted city.
“We never thought they were going to play here,” she said with a laugh.
She was just as excited to see so many Venezuelans in one place as she was to see the team play, she said.
“The feeling you get when you see a lot of Venezuelans, sitting together — it’s fun,” she said. “Even if we lose or if we win, being around Venezuelans? We always enjoy that.”
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