I'm not sure the boys could name five active NFL players, but they could probably rattle off the world's top soccer stars in about 30 seconds. So, it was only fitting that I made my first trip to Soldier Field after 18 years living in Chicago to see Lionel Messi and Friends take on the World. Messi is the biggest footballer in the world right now, playing for Barcelona and his home country of Argentina. He put together a group of stars to play a charity game in Chicago. Turns out, Messi's friends aren't all that tight with him and most of them bailed on us before the big event. So, what we actually saw was Messi, a few friends and a bunch of recent graduates from a great squad out of Northwestern University. We had seen those guys play Michigan last year in Evanston so I was OK with the change, but still thinking Messi could have offered us a few bucks back.
We were seated in the nosebleed section, but stopped here for a quick photo before exploring the stadium a little.
The boys were really excited to be sitting in "The UFO" section of Soldier Field.
We finally found our seats in the front row!
The boys waiting impatiently for some soccer.
A panorama from our seats as "The World" warms up on the field.
Our seats were obstructed by this stairway, but we slid a few spaces to the right and nobody chased us away, so it was all good.
One of the best moments came before the whistle when Tate noticed something was swooping down from the sky:
The boys were antsy for Messi to put on a show.
I have to think this one of the first times that a game at Soldier Field was not announced in English. Instead, the game was called en español, Los Amigos de Messi v. El Mundo. Tate, with his usual good humor and sensitivity asked everyone in a 25 foot radius: "why don't they speak English?"
Who knew the highlight would come early in the game and from such an unlikely source? Playing for "The World," Thierry Henry, a French star from the New York Red Bulls lobbed one to former Northwester standout Matt Eliason.
Eliason handled the pass with his chest and then connected on a perfect bicycle kick for a gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!
The boys react:
That was a great shot, but everyone came to see Messi, yes?
See Messi, there? He scored 4 altogether.
The boys were star struck.
Then, at 68:00, Messi decided he had had enough fun for one day and bid farewell to the crowd.
Maybe he had dinner reservations? From then on, it was Los Amigos sin Messi v. El Mundo de Northwestern Grads. But, since nobody was trying to feed Messi goals, it may have been the best soccer we saw all evening.
When the game ended, the girls were still shopping and we were in no hurry to leave, so we went exploring. We started with the top of the UFO.
The view was amazing.
Soldier Field in Panorama from the top of the UFO.
We paid a visit to the south side of the grandstands.
Then, the boys did some treasure hunting. Tate found $4 and some trash. Fisher found some treasures, too.
Tate said Soldier Field looked like a Greek Temple, so we visited the columns.
The evening skyline after the game.
The boys and the Chicago skyline.
Fisher listening for water in the fountain below.
Even though it was past 8:00, the boys had plenty of energy, so they raced across the field toward The Field.
I've never seen a rainbow in cirrus clouds with no rain and so late in the day, so I knew this was a special sign commemorating Boys Night Out!
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