After two days in the air and two days on the ground in Panama, it’s time for five observations from the road. For an international trip, this one was pretty smooth and accommodating once we finally got to our hotel. With that being said, we started our trip off with a bang.
1. Customs in Panama was interesting
I was trying to think of a good word to describe what happened once we landed in Panama, and a rush of them came to me: frustrating, horrendous, ridiculous, comical, laughable, etc. Apparently 8-10 flights all landed at the same time, and at customs in Panama, you can take two different paths to the entrance, the stairs or the escalator. Well, they lead to the exact same place, and you only have one way in. As you can imagine this creates a bottleneck and quite a line. Let’s just say we didn’t get through (or really move) for over an hour, and then we had to wait in a sea of people just to get out of the building. Luckily, our fearless leader and Team Administrator, Francisco Tobar, worked his magic and somehow got TSA to open a new line for us and saved us at least another hour or two after a long travel day.
2. Good things happen to good people
Conor Shanosky scored his first professional goal for D.C. United, and it happened to be the game-winner that guaranteed us the top overall seed in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. If you have spent any time around the team or the locker room you will know that Shanosky is one of the nicest and well liked guys on the team. It would be tough to find someone on the team who has a problem with him or a bad word to say about the guy. He’s a true professional, works hard everyday, enjoys what he does and treats everyone the way you should. Congrats to you, Shanosky, well deserved.
3. If you’re in Panama, go to the Panama Canal
This wasn’t planned, nor was it expected, but myself, Francisco Tobar (Team Administrator), Dan Deming (Assistant Equipment Manager) and Rory Molleda (Team Operations Coordinator) made a last second trip to the Panama Canal the night before our game. It was a spur of the moment that I am glad we pursued. It’s one thing to hear about it, but it’s another to see how it works in person. The raising and lowering of water levels in different sections of the canal to get boats to sea level (going to the Pacific Ocean) and above sea level (going to the bay to get to the Atlantic Ocean) is remarkable.
4. Our fans never cease to amaze
When you come out of the locker room in Panama City to chants of “D.C. United” and “Vamos United” you can’t help but be amazed by our
and love for this club. A midweek game in Panama isn’t what I would call easy to get to, yet our fans almost our numbered Tauro’s and were singing and cheering us to victory for 90 minutes. One fan even brought a Joe Willis jersey he had, to exchange for a game worn Joe Willis jersey. Yes, Joe Willis ended up trading for his own jersey, but that’s not the point. The point is our fans are as dedicated as they come and with them behind us the future will always be bright for D.C. United.
5. Panama City is worth a visit
The timing of this trip with MLS Cup Playoffs around the corner is less than ideal, but Panama City made you forget about that. From its beaches to the country side and the downtown skyline, the city opened us with open arms, and we were impressed. The views we had from all angles of our hotel were spectacular, the weather was sunny and warm and the ocean was a deep blue. Not exactly what you all want to be reading about as it was rainy and cold in D.C., but Panama City was much more than I think many of us expected.
