Somos El Oeste

Words: Groundspotters

Images: Groundspotters

Some games last ninety minutes. Others start much earlier and finish much later.

The match played on Sunday at Nuevo Francisco Urbano stadium falls into the latter category.

Because, yes, Deportivo Morón beat Almirante Brown. Because, yes, `El Gallo´ won a derby that people in `el Oeste´ -western part of Gran Buenos Aires- look forward to for weeks and remember for months.

Because, yes, there was an early goal, nerves, celebrations and a stand that kept singing long after the final whistle. But the story doesn’t end there.

The real story was in the stands. It was those fans who arrived with their hearts racing and left glancing at the league table once again. As if they didn’t want to get their hopes up too much, but got their hopes up all the same.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Stadio Nuevo Francisco Urbano.

Because Morón are top of the table. And that phrase, as simple as it is powerful, is enough to lift the spirits of an entire neighbourhood for a whole week.

Nuevo Francisco Urbano stadium knows all about dreams. It has seen them come to life, shatter and rise again. It has heard promises of promotion, lamentations and unforgettable celebrations.

It´s a relatively young stadium given the club’s immense history, but it has already learnt one fundamental lesson: Gallo’s fans never stop believing. Not even when there is no reason to, let alone when there is—and this team is giving them every reason to.

That’s why the derby was about so much more than just three points. It was a confirmation. A sign. One of those afternoons that fuel conversations in pubs, on street corners, in factories and in offices.

Because the West has that wonderful habit of experiencing football as an extension of life itself. That’s what Morón is all about.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón tifo.

Is the grandfather whom old Francisco Urbano knew. Is the father who taught him to sing their songs. He is the son who now looks at the league table and dares to imagine something that seemed a distant prospect just a few months ago: the top flight.

That word is cropping up more and more often in conversations. Still whispered, just in case. As if saying it too often might scare it away.

There’s still a long way to go. No one knows this better than Morón´s fans. The road to promotion is long, cruel and unpredictable. But football thrives on these things too: on allowing ourselves to dream before it’s time.

And as the first drops of rain began to fall on the Nuevo Francisco Urbana and the crowd slowly made their way home after beating one of their long-standing rivals, there was a feeling that was evident on every step, in every embrace and in every flag.

The feeling that El Gallo didn’t just win a derby. The feeling that, after a long time, Morón looked up again and finally found a dream that could come true.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón ink.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Malvinas sign.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Effigy.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón supporter.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón flags.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón display.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón smoke.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón smoke.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón support.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón smoke.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón flag.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Morón tifo.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Deportivo Morón vs Almirante Brown.

©Groundspotters/ Terrace Edition. Deportivo Morón support.

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