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Sometimes in life, you get offered an opportunity that is almost too good to be true. Such was the case a few months ago for Mandatory editors Gary Dudak and Max Miller, when the fine folks with
DegreeSoccer.com contacted them and asked if they'd like to take a trip to Brazil to follow the U.S. Men's Soccer Team during the World Cup. After their jaws were picked up off the floor, they obviously said yes, and began to prepare for the trip of a lifetime.
The itinerary for Gary and Max was to arrive in Brazil on June 18, where they'd join the Degree team (which included sweepstakes winners who would be along for the journey, as well) and follow the USMNT around the country, attending games two and three of their group play. So, after completing some paperwork, receiving several travel vaccinations, and mentally preparing for the unknown of Brazil, the Brazil Trip Buddies (as they came to be known) were ready to depart from LA and fly to Sao Paulo. Let the fun begin! (For more, follow Degree Men on Twitter
@DegreeMen)
SAO PAULO (Days 1 and 2)
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Gary and Max arrived Wednesday afternoon in the largest city in the southern hemisphere, and were ready to take Brazil by storm. Unfortunately, 4 p.m. on a Wednesday in Sao Paulo means a lot of traffic, so it took
a while for them to arrive at their hotel. Nevertheless, they made it safe and sound, and the adventure was officially on.
Day one pretty much consisted of meeting folks, a nice dinner and getting acquainted with the city (and the hotel bartender), but day two was where the action was. On Thursday morning, the Brazil Trip Buddies got to attend a USMNT practice and press conference at the Sao Paulo FC practice facility. The team was coming off a big first match victory over Ghana, so there was a lot of excitement in the air. They would also get to meet team captain Clint Dempsey. Here are their thoughts on their time in Sao Paulo.
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GARY: The city is so huge, I still have no idea where any of the places we went to were in relation to our hotel. But I would eventually learn that this would be the norm for me in Brazil. Hanging out at the USMNT's practice facility was very cool, but I was especially in awe watching Tim Howard and the goalies practice. They would drop-kick missile-like soccer shots at one another standing literally 20 feet apart and catch them before they hit their face. I would have had a broken nose and possibly been placed in a coma after one shot. However, the highlight of the day was definitely meeting Clint Dempsey and getting him to sign my chest (photo right). He was a very cool dude, and I'm glad he had a successful World Cup performance overall. I'm also never washing that jersey.
MAX: Touring the training facility was an experience I'll never forget. Getting to see the team fresh off a win against Ghana as they practiced for the upcoming match against Portugal was amazing. And Clint couldn't have been a more cordial guy. He came off as confident, determined, and was incredibly thankful for the support from fans. However, he then spent most of the time telling everyone what a big fan of Mandatory he was. (That last part's not true. He didn't even say the word "mandatory." Not even like, "This practice is mandatory.")
MANAUS (Days 3-6)
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Bright and early on Friday morning, it was time to head to the jungle. As you may know, Manaus is the capital and largest city of the state of Amazonas. The U.S. Soccer Team was scheduled to take on Portugal in only the second game ever played at Manaus' new Arena da Amazônia on Sunday, and Gary and Max would have great seats for the game. Before that, though, they also got to explore the jungle city and take an Amazon tour that was like nothing they had ever done before.
GARY: The Manaus portion of our trip was definitely my favorite, which is funny, because heading in it was the city I was most worried about killing me. I had pretty much convinced myself that I was going to get bit by a poisonous spider or snake, or would get lost in the rainforest and be ![usa v portugal world cup tickets]()
murdered by a tribe of indigenous Amazonians. None of that came even close to being true, and our Saturday boat tour to the "Meeting of Waters" (where the Rio Negro meets the Amazon River) and into the jungle was incredible. I saw a real monkey in a tree for heaven's sake! Then, we attended a USA rally that night with the American Outlaws, a dedicated and rabid group of U.S. Soccer supporters, which is where I did my best chanting ("I believe that we will win!") and subsequent dancing. This all culminated with a late-night trip to a local Manaus karaoke bar, which really brought the group together.
Sunday's game vs. Portugal was the icing on the cake. I had never been to a live soccer match before, so for this to be my first was surreal. The new stadium was remarkable-looking inside and out (despite complaints about the grass not being ready), and the game was magical. Interestingly, the closest I came to dying on this trip was when I nearly choked on my hot dog after Jermaine Jones scored to tie the game. When Dempsey put the U.S. ahead in the final minutes, I almost passed out from cheering so hard. Yes, Portugal's goal in the final seconds to end the game in a draw was a bummer, but it was still an extraordinary experience. And just to show you how pumped up everybody was before the game, here's a short video of CNN trying to do a report on it before giving up because it was too loud.
MAX: Gary nailed it. Manaus was the best part of the trip. The tour on the boats into the Amazon was the first time upon our arrival in Brazil that I truly felt that I was in a very different place than the one I grew up in. The closest I had come before that was watching the movie "Anaconda" 237 times during my childhood. In fact, during the entire boat trip, Gary and I did so many impressions of Jon Voight's terrible accent from that movie that the rest of the group wanted to toss us overboard. Luckily they didn't, because I really wanted to see a World Cup game and it ended up being one of the most exciting sporting events I've ever been to.
RECIFE (Days 7-10)
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Before they even really had time to recover from the emotional roller coaster that was the USA/Portugal game, it was time for a trek to the beach city of Recife where the U.S. was scheduled to take on Germany. Someone should've told the Brazil Trip Buddies what a weather forecast was because this beach city was about to unleash a serious downpour. But a little rain wasn't about to stop the heroes of this story.
GARY: After leaving the heat and humidity of Manaus, I was looking forward to the sun and beaches of Recife. Unfortunately, the tidbit of info everyone kept telling us ("It's actually win![gary and max with creepy brazil statues]()
ter in Brazil right now") finally became relevant, as it was their rainy season. It didn't matter too much on Tuesday, though, as we were able to head south of Recife about an hour to a beautiful little beach tourist destination called Porto de Galinhas. The sun was out most of the day, which was lovely, and when it did rain we had plenty of Caipirinhas (Brazil's national cocktail) to keep us happy. Wednesday was a free day to explore the city and shop for souvenirs, which led to our discovery of the very creepy statues you can see here on the right. We also ate dinner at Restaurante Mingus, one of the finest joints in Recife. This all built up to Thursday's rainy game against Germany, which ended in a celebration even though the U.S. lost because they still advanced to the knockout round. All thing considered, it was a pretty awesome way to conclude our trip.
MAX: Look, I'm not going to pretend that I didn't complain about the rain the day of the match at first like the little spoiled Southern California brat that I am, but it actually made the match against Germany even more exciting than it already was. I mean, there was a guy wearing nothing but an American flag speedo. If that doesn't motivate you to support your country through any type of weather, I don't know what does. We tossed on some cheap ponchos, got up on our feet, and cheered on the team until our throats hurt. It was a hell of a match and effort by a team who managed to advance despite many counting them out before the tournament even began.
We want to thank DegreeSoccer.com and their amazing team - Sarah, Khara, Nicole, Ethan, Nancy, Jason, Brian and company - for everything they did to make this trip happen. And a shout-out to all of our travel companions who kept the journey entertaining at all times. This trip was an experience that we'll never forget. Enjoy some more of our favorite photos from Brazil below.
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murdered by a tribe of indigenous Amazonians. None of that came even close to being true, and our Saturday boat tour to the "Meeting of Waters" (where the Rio Negro meets the Amazon River) and into the jungle was incredible. I saw a real monkey in a tree for heaven's sake! Then, we attended a USA rally that night with the 
ter in Brazil right now") finally became relevant, as it was their rainy season. It didn't matter too much on Tuesday, though, as we were able to head south of Recife about an hour to a beautiful little beach tourist destination called Porto de Galinhas. The sun was out most of the day, which was lovely, and when it did rain we had plenty of Caipirinhas (Brazil's national cocktail) to keep us happy. Wednesday was a free day to explore the city and shop for souvenirs, which led to our discovery of the very creepy statues you can see here on the right. We also ate dinner at Restaurante Mingus, one of the finest joints in Recife. This all built up to Thursday's rainy game against Germany, which ended in a celebration even though the U.S. lost because they still advanced to the knockout round. All thing considered, it was a pretty awesome way to conclude our trip.
