World Cup will put burgeoning US soccer culture to its biggest test
The “beautiful game’’ will shine in our beautiful country for the next month.For the second time in the 96-year history of the World Cup, the United States will serve as host — along with Canada and Mexico — in the 23rd edition of the largest sporting spectacle in the world.The games among the 48 teams will be played in 16 different venues across the three nations, beginning with the kickoff match, Mexico against South Africa in Mexico City at 3 p.m.Thursday.In all, 11 of the venues are in the U.S.
— Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.Three are in Mexico — Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.
And two are in Canada — Toronto and Vancouver.Locally, MetLife Stadium — known as New York New Jersey Stadium for the next five weeks — will host eight matches, beginning with Brazil against Morocco on Saturday and including one round of 32 match, one round of 16 match and the final July 19.This World Cup marks the first time that it’s been hosted by three nations, but make no mistake: This is very much about the U.S., and more specifically, about the U.S.men’s national team, which comes into this World Cup with the heaviest burden of expectation it has ever faced.The American team, which did not have to endure the daunting qualification process because the host nation gets a free pass, opens play against Paraguay in its first Group D match at 9 p.m.
Eastern time Friday in Los Angeles.Group matches against Australia and Türkiye will come next … followed hopefully by an unprecedented run through the elimination rounds.Times have changed for U.S.soccer since the last time the U.S.
hosted the World Cup, in 1994.The talent pool is deeper, thanks in part to Major League Soccer spawning, in large part, from that World Cup.There are now U.S.
players playing all over the globe on the biggest and best clubs in the world.America cares a lot more about soccer today than i...