Match created a buzz

FOXBOROUGH - It was a new experience for the New England Revolution, to look around at a crowd of 67,584 packed to the rafters at Gillette Stadium and listen to the boisterous crowd from first kick to final tick.

But the Revolution were watching Wednesday night's soccer game from the stands. Many of the players took a busman's holiday to watch Brazil beat Mexico, 3-1, before the largest crowd to watch a soccer game at Gillette. Yesterday at practice, the players were still buzzing about the excitement generated by two of the world's top teams.

"It was unbelievable, from the time we got there 30 minutes before the game," said midfielder Shalrie Joseph, a native of Grenada who has played more than 10 international matches for his national team. "It was one of those atmospheres that as a soccer player you'd love to play in.

"It gives you warm feelings all over. Some of the guys told me about what it was like here five years ago [when 61,316 watched Carlos Ruiz give the Los Angeles Galaxy a 1-0 win over the Revolution in double overtime in the MLS Cup final]. It's great to have that kind of experience of world-class soccer. I'm a huge fan of Kaka and Ronaldinho - to see those guys play was definitely a treat. It's a soccer experience you tell your kids about."

It was not just the goal scorers for the world's top-ranked Brazilians who dazzled. The Brazilian team moved with the grace and quickness the Revolution were trying to find in their practice drills.

"I've been fortunate enough to see many international games, in the United States, Europe, South America, the Caribbean," said Revolution goalkeeper coach Gwynne Williams. "Always, whenever Brazil plays, it's a special occasion."

Some of the spectators were Brazilians who had traveled from New York and Florida, but thousands came from the Boston area.

"It hurts to see that there are so many loyal soccer fans in the area, fans that could come to the Revs games," Joseph said. "The fans that do come to the Revs games are loyal - we have the best fans in the league."

The Revolution have a consistent fan base of about 16,000, less than a quarter of the number that took in the Brazil-Mexico match.

"It was fun to watch," said defender Michael Parkhurst, a 23-year-old American who earned his first cap in June against Trinidad & Tobago in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

"It was a great atmosphere. We were saying it would be awesome to play on a weekly basis in front of a crowd like that. So obviously there are soccer fans around. Hopefully, with our results this season, and what we do in the playoffs, we can win some of those fans."

Parkhurst played before 92,650 at Los Angeles Coliseum last season, when the Revolution played Chivas USA in the first game of a doubleheader featuring FC Barcelona against Chivas Guadalajara.

"With a big crowd like that, when they're cheering for you, it's a huge boost," Parkhurst said.

Revolution defender Avery John is in his fourth year in MLS, he played in the Premier League in the Republic of Ireland for three years, and he has earned 79 caps for the Trinidad & Tobago national team, including the 2006 World Cup. Even with that history, he was thrilled to get the opportunity to see Brazil-Mexico.

"It was a good experience. It brought back memories of the World Cup for me," said John. "The stadium was full, the atmosphere was absolutely brilliant. The game was what was expected: There was trickery from Brazil, the Mexicans scored when they could, excellent goalkeeping on both ends, and you even got a fight. You can't complain.

"It was good to see Ronaldinho and Kaka in real life, to actually watch them, not on the telly but in real life, to see they really are that good. They [Brazil] just look like when they're ready, they take it up to the next level."