Well, \u201cvisit\u201d doesn\u2019t do it justice.<\/p>\n
It was a dance party.<\/p>\n
To an American fan, a celebration over a tie \u2014 and a scoreless one at that \u2014 might seem strange. But with a population of 158,000, Cura\u00e7ao is the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup.<\/p>\n
With a tie \u2014 regardless of the score \u2014 Cura\u00e7ao became the 74th team to record a point in the standings of a World Cup. The country located just north of Venezuela \u2014 with a population smaller than KC\u2019s \u2014 is the smallest in World Cup history to achieve that feat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means everything,\u201d Room said. \u201cIt feels like a victory for us, but no, it means a lot. It\u2019s the first point, and for the World Cup for us. So it\u2019s unreal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you know the journey where we come from, and we\u2019re now here, and today we showed we have real heart with the team, so it\u2019s an unbelievable feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
So was the party in the locker room. The King and Queen busted a few moves, to the delight of the players. They take pride in their joyful outlook on life.<\/p>\n
Seeing the Monarchs greet each player and then cut it up with them was an iconic moment on a momentous evening for Cura\u00e7ao. Reporters from the island said fans had taken to the streets back home to celebrate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing,\u201d Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s Tahith Chong said of the royal visit. \u201cI think we kind of knew before the game that they were coming to the game, so to have it at such a game that we pick up our first point ever in history, it was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related Stories from Kansas City Star<\/p>\n