South American fans light up Club World Cup, while some venues fall flat

MIAMI/NEW YORK :Partying South American fans may have set the Club World Cup alight but unfortunately for hosts the United States, that carnival-like atmosphere has not swept across the country as some matches are being contested in front of modest crowds.

FIFA had hoped the expanded version of the tournament featuring many of the world's top clubs would build enthusiasm for soccer in a country historically ambivalent to the beautiful game, as the U.S. prepares to co-host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico.

With some 1.5 million tickets sold only days into the tournament, a chasm remains between the "haves" and the "have-nots" of the host cities.

In just two games, Boca Juniors have taken Hard Rock Stadium by storm, turning it into their own 'Bombonera' outpost, filling it with a passion unmatched at this Club World Cup.

    The Boca fans made up the majority of the 55,574 spectators for the game against Benfica and it was a similar story among the 63,587 supporters present for Friday's 2-1 defeat by Bayern Munich.

    "I've had a long career and experienced a lot. There are times I want to be a player and tonight was one of those times," Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said after the Boca game.

    "They (the Boca Juniors fans) are special. The crowd was hostile in the best possible way ... that's what I love about football. Many fans would pay to watch that."

    The atmosphere created by the Boca fans, along with the presence of Inter Miami's Lionel Messi for the opening game of the tournament and the visit of Real Madrid, has made Miami Gardens the capital of soccer in the U.S. with an average attendance of 60,626.

Hard Rock Stadium, which has hosted the Super Bowl six times, has a capacity of nearly 66,000.

Messi,