Abbeville's Luna in Brazil watching World Cup action

There are three billion people around the world watching the FIFA World Cup in Brazil this month. There is one Abbeville native, who is in Brazil attending the World Cup and who saw in person America beat Ghana 2-1 last week.
“I can’t even put into words how amazing it was to watch America beat Ghana. We attended the fanned-watch party at Copacabana Beach and surprisingly there were thousands of people from all over the world rooting for the USA,” said Sara Luna, 30, an Abbeville native, who is in Brazil this week, along with her boyfriend Scott Piglia.
“The biggest thrill for me (so far) was watching the US/Ghana game at the FIFA fan fest,” she added. “When we scored, the roars, cheers and chants, lasted for a very long time. It has been one of the best
experiences of my life and has converted me into a soccer fan.”
They are there for nine days to watch the World Cup and see the scenery. They were in Rio for five days, then Porto de Galinhas for four days and they will end the trip with a three-day stay in Recife.
America plays today, but Luna and her boyfriend will not be in the stadium for that match. They will be in the city of Porto watching the match on TV. They will, however, be attending the USA vs. Germany match on Thursday in Recife.
Before going to South America, Luna, 30, admits soccer was not her favorite sport.
“To be quite honest I was not a soccer fan and just came along for the ride,” Luna said. “Scott is a huge soccer fan; it’s been a dream of his to visit Brazil and attend the World Cup.”
Before arriving, Luna was “Apprehensive to visit Brazil during the World Cup knowing there will be millions of people and hearing it is dangerous.” While it has only been five days into their trip, Luna said, “I can say my experience has surpassed any expectations. The culture and vibe of the ‘football’ fans here are just amazing. We took a guided tour of the favela’s (Rio slums) and even played a short game of soccer with the local kids.”
Thus far, she has described the experience as, “Crazy but in a good way.”
It’s winter in Brazil today, but the two have managed to lay on the beach in the 75 degree weather. On Copacabana Beach in Rio, there were huge screens to watch the soccer matches. She said it seemed like all of the City of Rio got together to watch the Brazil game.
“You can’t help but feed off of the love, and passion everyone has for soccer,” she added. When the trip is over this week, she will head back to Houston where she now lives.