In 1994, the United States was the sole host of the World Cup. That World Cup had a plethora of memorable moments. Unfortunately, like many in my generation, I don’t know what those moments are, as I wasn’t born for another 11 years.
I do know that the United States Men’s National Team played in Michigan at the old Pontiac Silverdome.
However, 32 years and seven World Cups later, the world’s game is back in the States, along with their North American neighbors, Mexico and Canada. Over those three decades, much has changed in the sport and the world. There is no Pontiac Silverdome, nor is any game being played in Michigan. Besides that, players have more equipment to play longer and better, managers have become a bigger part of the game, and the world has seemingly become more divisive.
Yet, does this, among other factors, make this year’s tournament better?
Personally, the most recent edition of the World Cup replicates a 60-year-old Western story: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.
Like a doctor, we start with the bad first.
Just like in any World Cup, several teams with multiple world-class players do not play in cohesion.
Teams like Belgium, Algeria and Uruguay, who have premier players, can’t figure out how to use them to their full potential. Many of these ‘star’ players have been playing with their club teams for longer, and this could be the result of their system rather than their skills.
For example, Belgium and Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard had scored or assisted for his club 12 times in the equivalent of just over 22 games. However, for Belgium, even though he has created the most chances in the whole tournament, he has contributed to no goals. Belgium was ranked the 9th-best team in the world, yet it has not won a game against 29th-ranked Egypt and 20th-ranked Iran.
Many teams are also led by players who are, simply put, out of their prime. Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne, Croatia’s Luka Modric, and Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez are all examples of this. Their skills are palpable, but by the end of the game, they are clearly not the player they used to be.
Besides the underperforming teams and players, the visual experience can be extremely annoying.
Hydration breaks have been a complete disgrace to the game. Not because they are hydrating players, but because they are unnecessary for these games. There are four, arguably five, indoor venues that are hosting a total of 31 games in the tournament. Yet the only hydration break canceled was at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts due to a rain delay. Especially with FOX running advertisements during these breaks, it’s clear that it is a money grab. The advertisements themselves are not memorable and are sometimes completely AI-generated, which is personally unpleasant.
Yet hydration breaks and underperforming teams seem like the least of the problems of this World Cup.
Somehow, Ghana’s Thomas Partey is allowed to play in the World Cup.
Partey faces rape allegations in Britain from several women dating to his time playing for Arsenal from 2020-25. No verdict has been reached in his case, so I won’t assume his wrongdoing.
However, with the chance this is true, neither the Ghana Football Association, FIFA, nor the U.S. federal government has taken any action to at least suspend him pending the verdict. The only pushback against Partey came from a Canadian federal judge, who denied his visa for Ghana’s first game.
Someone in that range of legal trouble should have to wait at least for the verdict to come out to play on arguably the biggest stage in the world.
What makes it worse is that during his first game, some players from the English national team welcomed and embraced him. The only English player to outwardly refuse to shake his hand was Tottenham’s Djed Spence.
Even though Partey was allowed in the U.S., many fans aren’t allowed just because of the nation they support.
Even with the current conflict the U.S. has with Iran, it is unfair to the fans of the country, as they should not have to be punished for the actions of their governments, because at the end of the day, it is the world’s game.
In fact, the U.S has restricted entry for five World Cup nations, with three under full suspension.
Among the fully suspended are Iran, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
One notable Congolese fan is Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, also known as Lumumba Vea.
Nkuka Mboladinga stands higher than the rest of the fans on a platform for the entire game, his hand raised and elbow bent, resembling a statue of the assassinated Congolese leader, Patrice Lumumba.
He was present for all of the Congo’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign and most of their World Cup qualification. Yet, because his visa to the U.S. was not approved for the Congo’s first World Cup game, he missed their biggest result in recent history, which segues me to the positives of this competition.
The assumed gaps between the teams are much smaller now that many of these early results are in.
The Democratic Republic of Congo faced off against World Cup hopeful, Portugal, which was ranked 41 spots ahead in the most recent FIFA rankings. Despite being heavy underdogs and without their famous supporter, the Congolese shut down Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portuguese team, drawing 1-1 with a goal from Newcastle forward Yoane Wissa.
Many teams are surprising the European favorites.
Cape Verde shut out favorites Spain and drew with dark horse Uruguay; Japan drew with the Dutch, and Ecuador beat Germany to qualify in the almost final minutes of the campaign.
Even more surprising than those games is the performance by the host countries.
Mexico has usually been the best on the continent, but sweeping and shutting out their entire group was unexpected. Canada won a game and qualified for the knockout rounds for the first time in the nation’s history.
However, the most surprising has been the USA.
The team looks more than just competent; they look fun. The problem the USMNT had in the 2024 Copa America and the 2022 World Cup was that they looked like they were just trying to survive, and they never had control of their own destiny.
Now, with a new coach and a new mindset, the team looks fluid and threatening. Personally, I thought Paraguay would be a tough team to beat. Not only that thought, but also the expectation of disappointment completely disappeared after that first half.
Players like Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman are playing like the players the USMNT fan pages think they are. Other players like Tyler Adams, Chris Richards and Tim Ream are playing as a great supporting cast as well.
However, the best part of the U.S. isn’t coming from the manager or the players. It’s the fans, not because of the atmosphere they bring during the games, but rather outside of it.
Bostonians have welcomed the Scots with warm welcomes and cold beers. New York has been taken over by the Brazilians and the Norwegians, both expressing their cultures in chants and energy.
Even though the Midwest has almost no game venues, teams like Bosnia and Herzegovina have been welcomed by the biggest Bosnian population outside of Europe, in St. Louis, while the Algerian national team is engaging with the University of Kansas, having grass flags made by local artists, and the Jayhawk marching band learning the national anthem.
This is the reflection of what the World Cup means. Even with people supporting different nations and wanting to win it all, the most important part is that all these nations get to experience each culture represented.
That’s why it is so confusing that in a place like Traverse City, which is most popular among tourists during the World Cup, there’s almost no sense of that multiculturalism.
Obviously, having no games within a 400-mile radius doesn’t help, but Michigan itself has multiple national cultures. From the Netherlands, Mexico, Japan, France, to Canada, it’s here.
Does there need to be a campaign to get other nations to travel here? Are there already spots that show multiculturalism? I would love to know.