Dutch and Swedish Supporters Walk Through Houston Heat to NRG Stadium Before World Cup Clash

Thousands of supporters of the Netherlands and Sweden made their way on foot across Houston to NRG Stadium ahead of a World Cup match that ended in a 5-1 win for the Dutch.

The Netherlands fans took part in their well-known "Oranje Fanwalk," led by the Orange Bus, which has been touring Texas for the past week. The bus was shipped from Europe to the Port of Galveston earlier this year, went to Dallas for the Netherlands' June 14 match against Japan, and then returned to southeast Texas. Aboard it, fans got into the mood with the team's unofficial hype song, Snollebollekes' "Links Rechts." Houstonians in the crowd hummed along to the melody even though the lyrics are in Dutch.

The Dutch march started outside Rice Stadium and covered about two miles along Greenbriar Drive. Residents of Rice Village cheered the walkers on, and firetrucks sprayed some of them with water to ease the heat. Many stopped at a Dutch Bros coffee shop across from the university. Paul van Duijvenvoorde, a Dutch traveler wearing an orange jersey and a curly orange wig, said it was the hottest fan walk he had ever joined. "This is crazy," he said. "I won't take my shirt off, but I'm soaked."

Costumes were a highlight. Some fans wore orange traffic-cone hats, one dressed as Fred Flintstone, and Paul Hirschel and Caroline Dessing, both from Rotterdam, came as orange versions of the Statue of Liberty. Dessing said Lady Liberty stands for democracy, freedom and international friendship, which she called important to Dutch football lovers.

Many marchers had traveled from abroad, but a large number were Houstonians seeking a taste of the global event. Some joined just for the walk and left when the crowd reached the stadium, while others, such as Noe Contreras, held tickets to the match. "Seeing all the cultural fusion that we're seeing here, it's amazing, honestly," Contreras said.

Elsewhere in the city, Swedish fans gathered at Helix Park in the Texas Medical Center, many in viking hats and yellow-and-blue jerseys. Their first order of business before the nearly two-mile walk was to hydrate. "I'm thirsty," said Emil Gerdim, who arrived in Houston on Thursday. "You can't drink beer on the streets. That's a shame." Sweden had opened the tournament with a 5-1 victory over Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 14, and Gerdim said that result gave the team confidence, though he suggested a draw against the Dutch would be a good outcome.

Nearly three hours before kickoff, Swedish fans lined the streets near Baylor-St. Luke's Medical Center on Old Spanish Trail and then marched toward the stadium, chanting to a beating drum. Ulrica Lindelof, who traveled with friends and family from Sweden, described Houston as welcoming. "I think everyone is very nice, very helpful," she said. Eric Strom, wearing a viking hat, joked: "Always got to be ready to go to battle."

Houston and Harris County first responders and public safety staff helped fans cope with the heat along the route. Officials from the county fire marshal's office sprayed water from a hose at several intersections, and a Little York Fire Rescue truck sprayed fans closer to the stadium. Shortly before 11 a.m., gray clouds appeared over the stadium and rain began to fall.

Angela Jackson, who watched the march from her apartment on Cambridge Street, said she has had no trouble with traffic or congestion during the World Cup. "They've done a good job," she said.