TC Martin

World Cup Huge Success So Far  

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The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event on the planet.  To put it in American terms this the Super Bowl times 1,000.  Although the excitement is always anticipated, there are always worries every four years if everything will come off without a hitch.   There are always concerns from weather to politics and an assortment of issues with the somewhat corrupt organization that runs the world of soccer.  Will it mess up the greatest sports spectacle?

 

This Cup featured many concerns. First and foremost, being hosted by three different countries for the first time.  The United States, Mexico and Canada are sharing the duties with the Final being played in the Meadowlands on July 19th.  The ticket prices were crazy, as was the cost of nearly everything else associated with the tournament. The expanded 48-team field had introduced qualifiers of questionable merit. The heat of a North American summer seemed likely to present issues.

 

These concerns were usually raised with a caveat: It will probably be fine in the end. Now, with pool play in the books and the knockout stage approaching we can conclude: This World Cup has been not just fine but pretty great.

 

The matches have already delivered the moments that make the World Cup such a special event. Despite so many on-paper mismatches due to the expanded field, several of the minnows have refused to roll over.

 

Qatar pilfered a point from Switzerland with a late goal. Saudi Arabia managed a draw with Uruguay. The DR Congo did the same with mighty Portugal, one of the most talent-rich squads in the tournament. Cape Verde, an archipelago of 10 small islands off the coast of Africa, pulled off an insane draw with Spain, of all teams. The reigning European champions! And even though plucky Curacao eventually got blasted 7-1 by Germany, the team enjoyed a seminal moment when the scored their first ever goal to lead the 4-time champions.

 

The biggest highlight thus far is Lionel Messi at the age of 39, scoring five goals in the first two games to be the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.  He now has 18 goals in 28 career matches for Argentina.

 

The other stars have delivered also. France's Kylian Mbappe (two goals), Norway's Erling Haaland (two goals) and England's Harry Kane followed that up with two goals in his first match and the race for the Golden Boot is well and truly on.

 

So many games have been entertaining that it almost calls for an explanation. While skeptics assumed the format, which will see 32 teams advance from the group stage, would lead to many stale contests with participants simply aiming for a dull draw, the opposite has been true. Teams are going for it, perhaps because they're aware that single a loss wouldn't be catastrophic.

 

All of the fun has just about made up for the things that are consistently annoying about FIFA. There haven't been that many empty seats despite the full price gouging. The mandated "hydration" breaks - three minutes per half regardless of the weather are much more of an irritant. On Wednesday night in Toronto, where it was cool and rainy, the sight of play being whistled to a stop was greeted by loud boos. Fans have rightly figured out these stoppages for what they are: timeouts that allow for extra TV advertisements.

 

Overall, the World Cup has been exciting and for American fans who are relatively new to the sport they are seeing their country go to the knockout round.  Team USA is playing well and were one of the first teams to advance to the next round by winning their first two games.  If they can keep it up, it will have the nation watching more closely.