The Miami Dolphins and University of Miami Hurricanes may be the big football draws to Land Shark Stadium, but sometimes the size of the crowds has little correlation to the fan passion seen at lesser-populated events.

Such was the case on the night of November 18, as an announced crowd of 11,917 hooted and hollered for Los Catrachos - the colloquial name given to the men's national soccer team of Honduras.

While supporters for Honduras' opponent, Perú, were certainly visible in the crowd, they were vastly outnumbered by thousands of fervent attendees decked out in the national blue and white colors of the Central American nation.

Attracting nearly 12,000 to the stadium in northwest Miami-Dade County started less than one month ago. Promotional efforts were led by Kicks International, the operating arm of domestic Honduran team rightsholder Sponsport USA.

From the start, the match was created as a "celebration game" - giving South Florida's Honduran community the opportunity to salute the World Cup-bound team, says Tony Correa, director of international business for Kicks.

On October 14, Honduras defeated El Salvador 1-0 and then waited nervously as the U.S. battled Costa Rica. With a Costa Rica loss or tie to the Americans, Honduras would be given an automatic bid to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

With roughly 20 seconds left on the clock, Hondurans erupted in joyous glee as the U.S. team successfully landed a game-tying goal against the Ticos - giving Honduras its first World Cup appearance in 28 years.

In late October, Correa and his team went to work on staging the Miami game. The Honduran team's top brass discussed logical opponents, selecting Perú based on overall availability and rank of Honduras' regular opponents.

Meanwhile, Land Shark Stadium was secured as a game site after a previous Honduran match left thousands of fans outside much smaller Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Ticket prices ranged from $25 to $50. "We wanted this to be a high-end match for Honduran fans," says Correa.

Digicel, a mobile phone service provider that entered the Honduran market in November 2008, was signed on as presenting sponsor.

Kicks then placed advertising in highly targeted media, to maximize its ability to reach Hondurans and Peruvians in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. By working with such entities as Comcast Spotlight, commercials appeared on Centroamérica TV, Gol TV and Canal SUR Perú. "Trade for tickets" arrangements resulted in promotion of the match on local Spanish-language radio.

Additionally, local media including Telemundo and Univision affiliates, El Nuevo Herald and the major English-language daily newspapers and nationally distributed soccer television network Gol TV gave the match plenty of news coverage - and free publicity - in the days before the game.

"The atmosphere, with 12,000 on hand for a soccer game, bears no comparison to an NFL game," says Correa. "The passion among the fans makes it seem like there are 50,000 or 60,000 in attendance."

That being said, did the crowd meet Kicks' expectations? "Of course not," Correa admits. "But I'm the type of person that, if there were 30,000 people in attendance, would ask why we couldn't get 40,000. As far as finances are concerned, we'll be alright."

So will the Honduran squad and their fans, despite a play that cost them the game - widely considered a World Cup tune-up. In the 40th minute, Honduran player Emilio Izaguirre inadvertently headed a pass from a Peruvian player into his own net, giving Perú a 1-0 lead. Perú ended up defeating Honduras 2-1.

From a sports competition perspective, the loss to Perú is a disappointment, as they are considered the lesser of the two teams. But from a business perspective, the game was a success for Kicks by giving the 61,235 Hondurans who reside in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale DMA a slice of home.

The morning after the friendly, non-binding duel, the Miami Herald featured a huge photo and coverage of the match from acclaimed soccer reporter Michelle Kaufman.

"Fifteen years ago nobody would have cared what happened the day after the match," says Correa. "With respect to media coverage, this was one of our best events."