World Cup kicks off in Arlington
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The Japanese and Dutch conquered Jerry World on Sunday. Photo: Aric Becker/AFP via Getty Images
The Orange Army — fans of the Netherlands national team — took over Arlington's cultural district on Sunday, turning the usual home of baseball and football into a sea of soccer fans.
- It was the start of a six-hour party that began near Choctaw Stadium and continued inside Dallas Stadium.
Why it matters: Soccer is uniting people across borders.
- South Korea and Mexico fans danced together in Guadalajara, Mexico, over the weekend, even though the teams are set to play each other on Thursday.
State of play: Roughly 69,000 people attended Dallas Stadium's first World Cup match on Sunday, just short of the stadium's 70,649 capacity for matches.
- Wearing blue, the Japan team's fans stood, clapped and chanted along the beat of a drum for most of the match. Some had painted their faces to resemble the Japanese flag.
- Fans of the Dutch team brought their own chants, bright orange gear and double-decker buses.
- The game ended in a 2-2 draw.
The intrigue: The match also attracted Mexico fans and their "No era penal" chants, referencing a 2014 loss to the Netherlands in the Round of 16.
What they're saying: "We don't have this big of a stadium in Japan. It's my first time at the World Cup, and it's amazing," Taiga Kato, a 21-year-old fan visiting North Texas for the first time, told Axios.
- Rita Berkvens, who moved to the U.S. from Holland in 1993, drove from East Texas to attend the orange fanwalk with her family. She planned to watch the game at Texas Live!
- "I love it — It unites people again. And then your heritage comes back," Berkvens said.
What's next: Dallas Stadium hosts England and Croatia on Wednesday.