Much noise, few people, and less football: Seattle's Lumen Field, River's first home in the Club World Cup, lived up to its resounding reputation.

Seattle had its first match of the Club World Cup . At Lumen Field, the multi-purpose stadium where American football and soccer are played, the reigning American champions, Botafogo, made their debut against the home team Seattle Sounders . There was color but a lack of heat and passion in this match corresponding to the first matchday of Group B, which they share with PSG and Atlético de Madrid.

After the first match, it was clear how noisy Lumen Field is. Despite the stadium being less than half full of 72,000 people, every expression of the fans, every shout—especially the shout of a goal—every chant, every hit of the drums, which were few in number, sounded as if the stadium had more people in its stands. However, there were also several periods of silence, especially in the first half. According to FIFA, there were 30,151 spectators.

It was a lower number than the Sounders average at their MLS games, which averages 32,000 . And that's despite the fact that Botafogo fans were also present, albeit in small numbers, mostly located on a corner in an upper-class section.

Those who regularly attend this stadium say that the noise level at Lumen Field is a result of its design. Because it sits on a small lot compared to other stadiums, the structure is compacted. And the spectators are very close to the playing field. In turn, the curvature of the roof, along with the materials it's made of (metal and concrete), better reflects sound and makes it bounce back. Furthermore, it's shaped like a horseshoe, and one of the stands, the one facing the city, is shaped like a bird's beak.

The issue of sound is already a cult topic at Lumen Field. So much so that before the game, the decibel level was measured, which, logically, was below the record of 137.6 , set by the Seahawks against New Orleans in 2013.

The local NFL team usually has a full stadium. And the stadium seems designed specifically for the Seahawks, with the predominant color blue and the number 12, their identifying number, in the middle of one of the stands.

The pre-match pregame felt more like a World Cup, with mingling of jerseys and sharing of bars. Even the American ethos at this type of event was evident. Food and drinks before, during, and after the game, and plenty of entertainment. Inside and outside the stadium.

Botafogo and Sounders fans attended the after-party for fans of the Mariners, the baseball team that had defeated the Guardians. And it was literally a drinking party: they were toasting nonstop with tequila.

Meanwhile, some Botafogo fans were also excited. One of them donned a yellow wig shaped like the blond Goku's hair from Dragon Ball Z, the Japanese animated series, and imitated him by performing the "Kamehameha."

There were also families who arrived from Rio de Janeiro, and many fans were happily reminiscing about the final at the Monumental when they won the Americas for the first time in their history on November 30th of last year, after defeating Atlético Mineiro and qualifying for the Club World Cup.

“The Monumental is sacred ground for us,” they kept saying. For them, Alex Barboza (who played a good game and was booked in the second half), the former Argentine defender for River Plate, is a “king.” They miss Thiago Almada and give credit to Joaquín Correa and Álvaro Montoro , the two Argentines who arrived as reinforcements for the World Cup.

For the Sounders, the family atmosphere seems familiar. And even naive. In fact, the "barra" (fans) arrived with a banner that looked more like a peaceful demonstration than a stadium one, chanting "for the Sounders to win, we need to score a lot of goals." In the center of one of the lower stands, they unfurled a few flags on poles, and three or four people were in charge of playing the snare drum.

And what about Pepo de la Vega, the Argentine they have here? “It's okay,” they commented, as if to say he's a decent player but not much more. Although they like him and identify him with his “blonde hair.” In fact, they applauded him when he came on 25 minutes into the second half and stood up when he grabbed the first ball. He thrilled the Sounders fans until the end, but missed the equalizer in the final play of the match.

“I love Pepo because he's Argentinian,” said a woman in perfect Spanish. She was born in Seattle but lived in Almagro for more than six months. “I wanted to get to know Argentina and study the language,” she said. She also mentioned that she became a Racing fan because she was taken to see the stadium.

With more color than heat and less of a football atmosphere, the first match of the Club World Cup took place at Lumen Field. That noisy stadium now awaits River Plate.