Drum-Damn I thought it would be harder to get the BOMBO inside the stadium.. Me and a fellow norteno were waiting for other nortenos to arrive from LAX. I kept wondering whoa how the --- are we going to get the drum, drumsticks and luggage inside the stadium. So I said --- it we are going in no matter what. So we pickup up the drum and sticks and walked in (but also distracted the ticket guy by talking about weather. I still can't beleive how easy it was. Next time Im going to plan better just in case. Players Drunk-We had a crazy night transporting El Bombo in LA (Thanks to the andy and his friend you guys really helped us alot) But are flight ended up being overbooked or thats what I remember.. but as we had to wait for our plane we stayed at the marriot lobby. Me and my fellow norteno fell asleep and when we woke up I was like is that Olsen, yep all the players had come back home and they were hanging out right in front of us. It was like a dream. Cab-The cab driver was so nice, what other cab driver would offer us a ride around town at 4am. We definetly hooked him up with a big tip. EL BOMBO almost dead- The worst thing about the trip was the return when we waiting for EL Bombo to arrive all I saw was guys bringing us a Drum that was totally dismantled. I thought that was the end of El Bombo but luckily I was able to fiz it right at the airport. It does however have a big dent that will always remind us of our LA trip. LA NORTE 2005
I am finally recovering from the trip to LA. I will never forget Sunday November 14 of 2004. I started the day early, 3:00AM leaving Frederick, MD towards Silver Spring to meet the rest of the Norteños that were making the trip to the west coast. Our plane left BWI @ 6:30AM ET and we arrived to LAX @ 11:30AM PT. We had made reservations to rent a van but unfortunately we did not realize AVIS did not accept Debit cards. We were going nuts because the game was starting in less than 50 minutes and we were still near the airport. We got a taxi and we talked the driver to take us to HDC ASAP, we offered him a good tip as long as we'll make it before quick off. Salvatore, who joined us in Atlanta, told the driver I was one of the players from DCU and that it was crucial for him to rush to the stadium because the team was waiting for me. We pretended we're speaking (over the cell) with Kevin Payne asking him to delay the start of the game. Next thing we noticed, the driver was going over 85 miles per hour, we loved it. After some crazy turns we made to HDC, 5 minutes before the game started. Once inside the stadium... What can I say? 96 97 99 04 - Somos campeones otra vez Thanks NORTENOS, Barra Bravas, Screaming Eagles and DC UNITED for giving me another unforgettable soccer experience in the U.S. DC UNITED es un sentimiento que no puedo parar!
In the stands at the HDC I was standing next to this guy who was beating a drum with beer bottles. I mean this guy was whaling away. I spent an entire half of the game petrifed that those bottles were going to break, eviscerating the drummer and blinding innocent bystanders (me!) I found out hours later that those stupid bottles were plastic. I was worried for no good reason. Oh well, I guess it took my mind off the nerve-wracking goings-on on the field.
OK, this is a DC United Post Of The Year candidate right here. What a fantastic story. So which one of you vatos was the player?
You've got to send that story in to MLS Wrap next season. I guaran-damn-tee you will win the jersey or whatever they'll be pimping in 2005. An apt illustration of: Where there's a will, there's a way!! GM