CHARLESTON, SC (WCBD) – More than 7,000 miles separate the Lowcountry and Doha, Qatar, but a handful of Charleston soccer fans made the trip for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Blake and Bennett Easterling’s father and son journey
Blake Easterling has had an obsession with the FIFA World Cup since 2014 when he traveled to Brazil for the world’s biggest sporting event.
“I was in Brazil for the United States vs. Ghana and Mexico vs. Cameroon games in 2014,” said Blake Easterling. “I knew he was going to come back. It was just a US ranking issue. I was going to support them.”
His love for the game extended to his son, Bennett. The two love to watch soccer together, but they had never watched a World Cup match until this year.
“It really is about inspiring him and continuing to fuel his passion,” said Blake Easterling.
“That was my favorite part, watching the games and spending time with my dad,” Bennett Easterling said.
Blake and Bennet took part in several matches, stayed on a cruise ship docked in Doha, spent days wandering the local markets, and enjoyed a day trip to the desert.
His favorite soccer moment was during the US Men’s National Team game against Iran.
“(Christian) Pulisic when he scored against Iran; That’s when I thought we would win,” Bennett said.
“It was amazing to see that even though we had a lot of playing time left, I felt in my heart that this was the moment,” Blake said.
Charleston Battery head coach Ben Pirmann says it’s encouraging to see people in the Lowcountry enjoying soccer enough to travel to a World Cup.
“People wake up at four in the morning here in the United States and people fly to the other side of the world spending their hard-earned money. I think that shows that our sport is so unique,” Pirmann said.
After experiencing a soccer fan’s dream trip, Bennett says that one day he will work hard to play in a World Cup.
“I’m just going to train and play soccer with my friends,” Bennett said.
Christian Bueno’s quality time with his mother
Christian Rodríguez Bueno needed a trip to Mexico before leaving for Qatar.
“I went with my mom. My mom lives in Mexico. I had to go to Mexico, pick her up, take a flight to Miami, take another flight to New York, and then from New York to Doha. It was like a 28-hour flight,” Bueno said.
Once Bueno and his mother landed, soccer and more was on his itinerary.
“I tried to visit all the museums in Qatar,” Bueno said. “There are many parks. I would say that the city is probably divided into six neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has a skyscraper or something to visit”.
The atmosphere at the many games the two watched was passionate on the part of the foreign fans, but lacking among the Qatari supporters.
“Probably 93 percent of the Qatari population is from outside the country. There really wasn’t a real football presence in Qatar,” Bueno said. “The entire football presence was from other countries such as Argentina, Mexico and the United States.”
Bueno and his mother went to every game in the group stage in Mexico. But, at the USA vs. England game, Bueno was wearing a Charleston Battery jersey when he ran into two local fans, Blake and Bennett Easterling, and took a photo.
The atmosphere was great throughout the visit for Bueno and his mother.
“This is the first time that (the World Cup) has happened in a city. A lot of people were able to watch 15 games or 12 games. The football feeling from the fans was great. Everyone was very excited,” Bueno said.
The Journey and Suit of a Lifetime by Russell Watt
What started at a USA vs. Wales watch party in Mount Pleasant became a social media sensation.
Russell Watts chose to dress as former President Abraham Lincoln while in the Lowcountry and at matches in Qatar. After the first days of the tournament, Watts went to Doha and received a lot of publicity during the match between the United States and England.
“The England fans were coming. All the neutral fans came. It was like being a celebrity. Once a person started taking a photo, a line would develop. I ended up taking probably hundreds of pictures,” Watts said.
After some time dressed as the 16th president, he took to social media to see if any of the images had made the rounds on popular pages.
“I went on Instagram and found photos from different events of me that were fun to look at,” Watts said.
With or without her costume of choice, Watts says she’s met people from many different countries.
“It has been incredible. One of my favorite things to remember about the experience was how many different people we met from all over the world. Whether they were Saudis, Australians, Argentines and English,” Watts said.
