On Wednesday, Brazilian club Chapecoense was slated to play in the biggest match in the club’s history when it was scheduled to meet Atletico Nacional in Colombia in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final. It was to be the fairy tale ending to the Cinderella story of a club that was in the fourth division in 2009 and had climbed to the top tier by 2014.
However, that story turned tragic on Monday night when the club’s charter plane crashed in Colombia. Eighty-one people were on the plane. Only six survived, including three players.
It’s a heartbreaking story and a reminder of how fragile we are. At one moment, we can be on top of the world, as Chapecoense was when it won the two-legged semifinal clash with San Lorenzo on Wednesday. The next, it can all be taken away.
It’s a lesson we learned on February 6, 1958, when Manchester United’s plane crashed in Munich, killing 23 of the 44 passengers aboard.
It’s a reality all players, coaches and staffs take for granted every time they load into a plane for the next road trip. That won’t likely change entirely when the 2017 MLS season kicks off in March, but today and the next time we board a flight together, our thoughts will be with Chapecoense, their families and supporters.
Forca Chape.
