SÃO PAULO — The singing of the Brazilian national anthem before the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers kicked off Friday night was among the moments that resonated the most for players during their trip to Sao Paulo.
A massive Brazilian flag was unfurled on the field to match the American flag beside it. As the song neared its crescendo, the capacity crowd at Arena Corinthians joined in and gradually built up the intensity until the entire stadium was emoting in unison — a stirring scene unique to itself in the history of the NFL.
“Obviously I love my country, but when it was [Brazil’s] national anthem, I got chills,” said running back Saquon Barkley, who would go on to star in the first NFL game played in South America, scoring three touchdowns.
“If you ask anybody, we were like, ‘Wow, that was special.'”
It was the type of trip where memories were hard-earned. The Eagles had to travel 10 hours to get to Brazil from Philadelphia, and it took the Packers even longer from Green Bay.
Once through the gridlock traffic (think Los Angeles on its worst day) and at the stadium, the teams found the field to be different, and more challenging, than they are accustomed to. The turf, built for soccer matches, was slick and the top came off easy. There was plenty of slipping and sliding, which forced them to adjust on the fly and go with deeper cleats.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy, especially when you’re doing so while also being asked to perform at the highest level. Some players expressed apprehension beforehand and wondered why they were being sent to a place so far away and holding so many unknowns.
That concern largely dissipated as they spent time in Sao Paulo. The locals endeared themselves to players and coaches. The Eagles spent time with a Brazilian youth football team following Thursday’s walkthrough at the stadium and led them through drills. A steel drum band was there, and it didn’t take long before some Eagles players started drumming themselves while others formed a conga line.
The vibes in Brazil are immaculate pic.twitter.com/DFmF0Ed8sw
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 5, 2024
Local reporters did their best to ask their questions in English even though a Portuguese translator was at the ready — a show of effort the team publicly acknowledged. And the questions asked were much different than the nuts-and-bolts variety they typically get from the beat writers, generating equally unique answers.
“I’m a kid from East Houston that used to play this game in the streets — any piece of grass I could find, I would go throw the ball around and just enjoy the game, the love for the game,” said quarterback Jalen Hurts. “Just having the opportunity to come this far in this journey and to be where we are, my spirit is full of gratitude to be here.”
Chants broke out during the game that are normally reserved for soccer matches. The cadence of the crowd noise broke from the traditional — the cheering was virtually nonstop — though there were plenty of “Go, Pack! Go!” chants mixed in, along with the occasional Eagles fight song.
For the Eagles, the experience was enhanced by the fact that they won, clearly. It helped with the “long-ass flight” home, as Hurts put it to ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio. It also allowed them to positively reflect on their time there, knowing they had accomplished the main purpose of the trip, from their perspective.
“Brazil, thank you,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “It was a fun, fun, fun atmosphere. Felt like a playoff atmosphere. That was something incredible.
“Man, did Brazil get a great game tonight or what? I know we converted some people to be big-time football fans tonight.”