Originally posted on 12/01/2016:

Tragic, tragic news. I bet a lot of Brazilian Serie A and had watched a handful of Chapo games this year. They had great home support and a lot of good players that always made their home games fun to watch. I caught the last 15 minutes of the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana semi-final vs. San Lorenzo which they played in front of a full house at their stadium. In an odd twist, in the last minute of extra time with the teams tied on aggregate (and Chapo ready to advance on away goals) a San Lorenzo player got the ball at point blank range in front of the Chapo goal, and the goalkeeper Danilo made an amazing save with his leg that saw them through to the final, and the crowd cheered loudly. In a morbid reflection, if that shot had gone into the goal like it most assuredly looked like it would, Chapo would have never been on that plane to Colombia. Life is truly a strange journey, where sometimes inches determine life and death, and how sometimes things we celebrate at the time they happen actually end up being a curse, and some things we lament and/or regret at the time end up being a blessing.

With the exception of vacations, I can safely say that I have at least skimmed over soccer lines from leagues all over the world every day for the last 10 years. After I heard about this terrible accident, I just didn't feel like it at all. I don't know, it seems almost disrespectful to even care about what the lines are for at least a few days, if not more. My heart feels sad, because I know how enthusiastic and joyful this team was (having watched them numerous times), and I feel bad for all their faithful fans in the small town of Chapeco, who love this club.

God bless all the passengers who left us on that flight, and may all their families find some healing to deal with their immense loss.