Back to the Orlando City SC Newsfeed

Chapecoense Tragedy a Blow to the Entire Soccer World

What are you supposed to say (or write) when you can’t even comprehend the magnitude of an event?

We woke up Tuesday morning to the horrific news that the plane carrying upstart Brazilian side Chapecoense to the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana final had crashed near Medellin, Colombia, killing the vast majority of those aboard. My first thought, after the initial shock wore off of course, was of those who lost their lives and the friends and family they left behind.

That really hit home when photos were published on social media of team members who didn’t make the trip, sitting in their lockers, trying to make sense of how the players, trainers, and team staff members they had fought so hard with to become successful were suddenly gone and never coming back.