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South American soccer fans bring an energy and passion to sporting events that doesn’t exist in the United States. I’m trying to think of the best crowds in all of U.S. sports and the closest I can come up with is NFL and college football.
Does anyone remember that one iconic clip of the Penn State white out game where Michigan had to call a timeout on the first play because it was too loud?
I’d love to see a noise comparison between that crowd and the River Plate fans during Tuesday’s Copa Libertadores match against Internacional. Penn State whiteouts have been known to reach up to 122 decibels.
Another prime example is Arrowhead Stadium reaching a noise level of 142.2 decibels back in 2014.
I’m sure this noise from the River Plate fans had to have been close to that.
River Plate fans vs. Internacional
More than 86,000 River Plate fans supporting their team and making Monumental bounce against Internacional yesterday, for the first leg of the Libertadores round of 16; Watch & enjoy!
— (@thecasualultra) August 3, 2023
What an unreal atmosphere at the Estadio Monumental in Argentina. River Plate would go on to win the first leg of the Round of 16 matchup 2-1.
The stadium has been undergoing renovations to add more seats, thus the increase in noise level. By 2024 it’s expected to hold up to 84,567 people which makes it the largest stadium in South America.
Right in the thick of Tuesday night’s deafening affair was United States men’s national team midfielder Johnny Cardoso.
Johnny plays for Internacional and had a great game despite the raucous home support from River Plate.
The 21-year-old, who has seven appearances for the USMNT, played the full 90 minutes. During the game he completed 26 of his 32 passes, recorded three clearances, won all three of his attempted tackles and had two successful dribbles.
We’ll see what kind of noise the Internacional fans will make for the return leg in Brazil on Tuesday.
