Phil Jay saw and appreciated most of the best his favorite sport has to offer.
The owner of Perfecto’s Caffe in North Andover, a Morocco native and dad to a Div. 1 soccer player had a lot of skin in the game of soccer over the last five weeks.
“I love the sport, everything about it,” said Jay, who played while growing up in Morocco and continued in men’s leagues after moving here in his late teens.
He, his wife Joanne, daughters Selma and Meena, and son Aydin all attended Morocco’s opener at MetLife Stadium, which also hosted yesterday’s World Cup finale, won by Spain, 2-1, over Argentina.
“This happened in 1994 when the USA last hosted, but I saw it even more so the last month, soccer is growing by leaps and bounds here,” said Jay. “That makes me happy. Obviously, I love the sport and it’s been part of my soul my entire life growing up. But I believe this was bigger this time around. This country got to see the best soccer can offer.”
Jay said he laughs when he hears football, baseball and basketball champions refer to themselves as “world champs.”
“When you beat L.A. or Kansas City in some finals, you really aren’t world champions,” said Jay. “When Spain beats France and Argentina, back to back, to win the World Cup, that’s a real world championship. That’s what I love about this sport and this tournament. It’s truly a world event.”
Jay said he was pulling for not only his home country, but he was also wearing the red, white and blue when USA played.
Being close to the sport, particularly due to his son growing up here and moving on to college soccer, he hopes that USA soccer officials took notes on what succeeds at the highest level.
“What I saw a few years ago, that needs improving at the youth level, is less structure and more freedom,” said Jay. “The coaching is good. I’m just not sure about the philosophy. Teaching young players to be better with the ball is important in my opinion.
“Allow a little more freedom while they’re young. You watch so many of the best players on the best teams, playing the game freely,” said Jay. “There are other areas, like defense, play in the midfield, etc., but allowing our kids to play with the ball will be huge.”
That’s a discussion for another day, but Jay believes the last five weeks have opened the eyes of USA Soccer and improvements in player development will be coming.
The best of the last five weeks, though, wasn’t necessarily the soccer, according to Jay.
It was the country opening its collective arms to the rest of the soccer world, embracing the fans and tourists unlike anything he had had expected.
“The Scots in Boston were fantastic,” said Jay. “I loved hearing that they ran out of alcohol at several establishments. I loved hearing that they thought America and the people of Boston were nicer than they expected.”
Jay also pointed to the Algerian team, which set up a home base in Lawrence, Kansas, and basically turned the city into an Algerian soccer hotbed.
“There were stories about grandmas treating players to apple pies and houses all over the city flying Algerian flags,” said Jay. “I’ve known that about the sport my entire life. But it’s great when we see it right in front of us. We really were great hosts and showed our true character.”
Jay said he wasn’t thrilled with the “dynamic pricing” for all games, which fluctuated ticket prices at different stadiums.
“I think $1,200 a ticket, which I believe was the average in Foxborough, is just too high,” said Jay. “This shouldn’t be a $20,000 vacation for one person for a week. That needs to be improved.”
But other than that, and some USA Soccer issues, Jay signs off the 2026 World Cup as a major success.
“It’s not easy here in the US. There is a lot of competition in pro sports and even college sports,” said Jay. “But we saw the best of what soccer can do for a country. Our sport will be better for this experience. USA Soccer will be better, too. I loved seeing so many people, average fans, talking soccer and watching most of the games. Listen, I love pro football, especially the Patriots, like everyone else. But this sport can really move you and take you places. I’m very happy with the 2026 World Cup.”