By Michael Kahn and Nick Said
HOUSTON, June 27 (Reuters) - Sweltering temperatures and a long wait posed no problem for hundreds of Brazil fans who stood for hours in the sun on Saturday to welcome their favourite players to Houston as they arrived for their World Cup Round of 32 clash against Japan.
The five-times champions face Japan on Monday at Houston Stadium, providing expatriate and travelling Brazilians with the chance to see their heroes play live - even if it meant standing for hours in a growing
crowd for the team bus to arrive.
"I live here in Houston, it's been 10 years, but I am always in Brazil and now it's a happy opportunity to see my Brazilian friends and the Brazilian team in the World Cup, it's so good," said 58-year-old Valeria De Oliveira.
Many of the fans - who started arriving hours before the team bus pulled up to the hotel in downtown Houston - clutched Brazil jerseys and hats for the players to sign as supporters banged drums, sang and waited.
When the players finally emerged from the bus, delirious fans shouted out the names of their favourites as the team's biggest icons, including Neymar, Vinicius Jr and Alisson Becker, lingered to sign autographs and take selfies with a lucky few in the crowd.
"Neymar is my idol, ever since I was a kid. I fell in love with the sport in 2014 watching him play in the World Cup," said Gabriel Campos, a 19-year old Brazilian playing soccer at a university in Dallas.
News that the team bus would face delays coming from the airport failed to dampen the spirit of the crowd as some people held up umbrellas and others sought refuge in the shade under the trees to shield in temperatures hovering around 34 degrees Celsius.
The growing crowd had a large number of parents with children, including Cristiano Cardoso, who brought his kids for an up-close view of the players he predicts will do Brazil proud.
"I think Brazil started a little bit slow, not playing well, but they improved a lot and I am really confident that we can beat Japan on Monday," Cardoso said.
(Reporting by Michael Kahn, Editing by Ken Ferris)
