World Cup From the stadium to the bar stool, watch for our ongoing reports A L S O _T O D A Y Among the hooligans By Ethan Zindler World Cup scenes: Threat and theft among the hooligans in Lens, France T A B L E_T A L K Have you ever traveled somewhere that you absolutely hated? Share the wheres and whys of it in the Wanderlust area of Table Talk R E C E N T L Y Irredeemably wealthy in Patagonia By Mark Schatzker A bittersweet idyll in paradise (06/29/98) Mondo Weirdo Hooked on Thaipusam: An astonishing religious rite in Malaysia (06/26/98) Mondo Weirdo Going natural Wanderlust asks: What's your favorite nude beach? (06/26/98) Wide-eyed in Galápagos By Barry Lopez An award-winning writer explores the mind-stretching wonders and gut-wrenching terrors of an extraordinary land (06/25/98) USA vs. Iran (vs. Iran) By Ethan Zindler At this World Cup match, the action is in the stands (06/24/98) Browse the Wanderlust Postmark archives		Among the Colombians A Welshman watches the Colombia-England World Cup match from a Colombian bar in New York. ENGLAND'S TONY ADAMS, LEFT, CHALLENGES CARLOS VALDERRAMA OF COLOMBIA DURING FRIDAY'S WORLD CUP MATCH. ENGLAND WON, 2-0. BY MATTHEW YEOMANS | JACKSON HEIGHTS, N.Y. June 26: As you walk down Roosevelt Avenue, the world changes before your eyes. The round lettering of the many Korean restaurants and beauty boutiques that line the sides of this major artery of Queens dissolve around 75th Street into a claustrophobic assortment of cheap clothing stores, long-distance telephone booths and stark Latino restaurants, their windows steaming up from the heat of the empanadas and papas relleno prominently displayed to entice. Ecuadoreans, Argentines, Bolivians and, most recently, Mexicans have made Jackson Heights their home. But today, only one country matters. "Co-lom-bi-a, Co-lom-bi-a," is the cry from the cars as they crawl down Roosevelt Avenue; cumbia is the music that pounds from their car stereos, cranked to fever pitch to drown out the rumble of the elevated No. 7 subway train overhead. This afternoon only one country matters, because Colombia is about to play England in its final first-round game of the World Cup. If Colombia wins, it will advance. Anything less and it's going home. The police are taking no chances. Barricades have been erected for blocks along Roosevelt Avenue to hem in supporters and prevent a repeat of four years ago, when jubilant Colombian supporters, celebrating their team's victory over Argentina in a warm-up game on the eve of the 1994 World Cup, swelled into the streets and brought Jackson Heights to a standstill. Today, a phalanx of cops -- taking time out from implementing Mayor Giuliani's latest master plan -- patrols the streets. The 1994 World Cup was supposed to have been Colombia's year. Four years before, it had qualified for the Cup for only the second time in its history with a team of young stars, including clown-wigged midfield guru Carlos Valderrama, powerhouse striker Freddy Rincon and goalkeeper Rene "El Loco" Higuita. That year, Colombia made it to the second round. Three years later it trounced Argentina once more, this time 5-0, and arrived at USA '94 as the critic's favorites. Then it all went wrong. Rumors flew that key members of the team had been told not to play well by Colombian drug barons betting against the team; then Colombia lost 2-0 to the United States in that fateful game at the Rose Bowl in which defender Andreas Escobar scored a goal for the wrong side. Colombia was eliminated in the first round, and days after the team returned home, Escobar was gunned down outside a bar. Now, in 1998, after losing 1-0 to Romania and beating Tunisia by the same score, Colombia is under pressure once again. No more keenly is the pressure felt than in La Chibcha, a cavernous Colombian coastal restaurant on Roosevelt Avenue at 80th Street, complete with booths fitted into a multicolored Cheever "Ranchero" truck that is parked at the side of the bar. The crowd of some 300 is buzzing as the clock ticks down to kickoff. Stocky, fresh-faced young men talk feverishly about the drama about to unfold. Fathers and mothers bounce excited young children on their knees -- the kids' faces brightly painted in the yellow, blue and red of Colombia. Extra rows of seating line what would normally be the dance floor. All through La Chibcha, Colombian flags are raised and cheers go up as the local Univision television crew feeds live shots from the restaurant to the pregame show coming from Miami. As the DJ pumps out the intoxicating Vallenato beat of Colombian folk hero Carlos Vives, the crowd sings along and one man, his hair tied back in a brilliant yellow bandanna, gets up and exhorts his fellow fans to dance. N E X T+P A G E | A contrast among nations