'Love the atmosphere' - Colombia fans bring carnival energy, transform a dreary draw with Canada into a raucous football fiesta

It all started some two hours before kick off. The 100-yard saunter from the train station to the stadium, which gradually reveals itself with every step, was littered with stalls and salespeople. Counterfeit kits were everywhere, priced to go. Business, for the most part, seemed pretty good.

Everything was layered with yellow, blue and red. Cars had flags spray-painted onto them. Banners flew every few paces or so. Every single gazebo, tent and canopy acknowledged that, in some way, this was Colombia's patch for the night.  

Yet there was a convivial vibe to it all. Parents partying with friends, their kids kicking balls around in front of the parked car. One boy, clad entirely in Colombia gear, nutmegged his brother over and over again, taunting him as he did so.

Multiple generations made their way to the ground. There were fathers and sons, mothers and daughters and grandparents. This was, for all of its rowdiness, a friendly zone. We are told, so often, that soccer is a sport of the youth in the U.S.. This place made it feel welcomingly old. 

Not that it made things any quieter. As the support was funneled towards the stadium, the volume only increased. A few children wore protective headphones as they marched with their families. Empty drinks cans were tossed into bins. One stumbling fan remarked in Spanglish that he might just "need another f*cking beer, hombre," as he dragged his way towards the entrance.  

Of course, there was an actual game against actual opponents to be played. Canada seemingly didn't send an official fan group to New Jersey for the friendly. The stadium was dotted with tiny pockets of red here and there. But what fans did show up made good account of themselves. 

A few traveled from Toronto.

"It's New York. Not a bad excuse for a vacation," one fan, wearing a Jonathan David Juventus kit, told GOAL.

Some locals were about too, and they promised to make some noise. 

"I'm gonna be making noise near the corner flag. I'm gonna be raising my flag. I love the atmosphere," another fan said.

Jesse Marsch's team weren't so bad, either. Les Rouges may have lost to Australia four days before, but they are an otherwise transformed side under the American manager, who insisted prior to the fixture that his team had a point to prove against an opponent that was playing in a Copa America final 15 months ago - especially as the 2026 World Cup draws near.

"The point is that this is a different Canada, right?" Marsch said ahead of Tuesday's game. "This is a talented Canada. This is a team that doesn’t fear anyone right now. We still have to maintain, internally, real hunger and a drive to continue to improve and be our best." 

They played like it in the early goings. Colombia pressure was inevitable, and the sheer noise of the bowl made the opening few minutes awkward. Yet Canada weathered it all the same. Colombia didn't get a shot off in the first half. And even if Canada didn't test Alvaro Montero for 25, there was a real mettle to their showing among a raucous, frenetic start. 

Still, Colombia were always a threat. Luis Diaz, now of Bayern Munich, is their star man and captain, and the fans knew it. The stadium erupted every time the winger touched the ball. The concept of "anticipation" doesn't really have a noise. Colombia fans somehow breathed it life. 

When he flamboyantly cushioned a 50-yard pass with his weaker foot, the stands purred. When he nutmegged a helpless fullback, there were screams. 

"I've coached in this stadium a lot. I've never felt such a visitor as today, tonight - we expected that," Marsch said after full time.

And there were constant reminders throughout the evening that this was their night. Every Colombian call was contested. Every Canadian foul was protested. Half time continued their grip on the occasion.

DJ Pope, a highly-regarded Reggaeton producer and artist, popped up for 10 minutes of agreeable noise that fans seemed vaguely interested in - in stark contrast to the standard ambivalence of American fans in these kinds of things. There was singing and dancing. The sea of yellow filled in at the right bits, when the mic was pointed. They jumped when asked. The thuds had just about subsided when the second half kicked off. 

Diaz really should have scored to open the period. All of the right pieces were there: the twist, the pass, the dart, the perfect ball, right into his path. But he poked wide, rolled onto the grass, and slammed the ground in frustration. It was his last act before being substituted from the action. The loudest noise of the night came from the sarcastic jeers after Canada had a goal ruled out. 

Marsch's men grew into the game as the minutes wore on. Colombia rotated, and turned to some of their reserves. March responded by introducing a series of rising talents - not least the excellent Jacob Shaffelburg, who offered real pace and verve on the wing.

Both sides traded chances, and the game that had simmered started to bubble with life. Colombia's Felipe Roman dragged wide in stoppage time, blowing the best chance of the evening in the final minutes of the fixture.

A scoreless draw seemed fair, in the end. Neither side had quite done enough. Diaz had his half-chances. Marsch couldn't quite draw a clinical moment out of an attack that still looks a little hesitant in the absence of Alphonso Davies - who is still recovering from an ACL tear. Marsch spoke of strong individual performances after the game, and they will certainly take plenty of heart from this.

The soccer, then, reinforced where both sides are. Canada are an improving outfit, the most complete side in CONCACAF, but still missing a final piece that will see them crack into the elite. Colombia can threaten in numerous ways, but they, too, are a finishing touch away from being genuine contenders next year, where they could find themselves playing near this stadium again in the World Cup. 

The perfect, lasting moment came in the dying embers of stoppage time. Colombia won a corner kick. Their fans rocked, pounded and shook the stadium. The anticipation rose. Centerbacks lumbered up into the box. All the pieces were in place. But the ball was overhit, and careened out of bounds.

Still, the noise remained. And even as the two teams marched off after what will go down as a drab draw, the noise echoed around a stadium that had little apparent clue that the whistle had blown. That sound, and the smells, will remain in the memory far longer than the scoreline.