The first day of the N.Y./N.J. area’s foray for the FIFA World Cup “felt dead,” with everything for the Brazil-Morocco game feeling “efficient, lifeless and sanitized,” according to Tom Hindle of GOAL. Everything “ran smoothly for the masses.” There were plenty of helpful people around, but the “magic, energy and buzz of matchday … was lost in a sea of corporate interest, crowd control, and security perimeters.” MetLife Stadium -- N.Y./N.J. Stadium for the tournament -- is “an excellent place to tailgate.” FIFA has not banned tailgating outright. But the matchday setup “made it virtually impossible.” Fans on Saturday were “left with a long walk to complement a frustrating journey.” Traveling to the stadium felt “less like an adventure than a commute.” There was a “distinct lack of buzz, a draining of energy before supporters ever reached the stadium.” Brazil-Morocco was a “game that suited the day.” Hindle: “Nothing went wrong. Bare minimums were hit. But nothing about the day felt particularly special” (GOAL, 6/15).
BE PREPARED: In Philadelphia, Kerith Gabriel wrote the Brazil-Morocco game “went down as an unforgettable match.” Over 80,663 announced “mostly yellow-clad fans sang, cheered” watching this first game for both teams in Group C. For anyone there, it was “worth FIFA’s steep admission price.” It is safe to “anticipate that same passion will travel down I-95” for Brazil’s second group match against Haiti on Friday at Philadelphia Stadium (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/16).
GOOD SHOWING: In Seattle, David Gutman wrote Belgium-Egypt as “an event -- socially, culturally, one that put the eyes of the world on Seattle -- was impeccable.” The game was a “veritable sellout, despite ticket prices that border on the absurd.” Hundreds of people gathered in Pioneer Square, beneath a corridor of London plane trees, to “watch on a big screen the game taking place just a couple blocks south.” There were official watch parties on the Seattle waterfront and in Pacific Place mall, and smaller, unofficial parties in dozens of other places (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/15). In Seattle, Matt Calkins wrote the game was a “clear victory” for Seattle. In terms of one sporting event in this region grabbing the globe’s attention Monday’s group stage game “sits near the top” (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/15).
THE SCENES AROUND: In Seattle, Joseph O’Sullivan noted as the first men’s soccer game got underway at Seattle Stadium, temperatures at nearby Sea-Tac Airport rose to 90 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. That breaks a 1963 record of 88 degrees for the warmest on this date (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/15). In Seattle, Sofia Schwarzwalder noted there was a “small ‘designated protest zone’ set up outside” of Seattle’s first World Cup match on Monday. While the zone was not being used by protesters, additional zones were set up (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/15).
TAKING IT ALL IN: In N.Y., Rick Rojas wrote for Cape Verde fans, just making it to the game and going up against Spain, “felt like history in the making.” As the stadium in Atlanta began to clear, many Cape Verde fans “lingered in the stands, waving blue, red and white banners and draping themselves in the country’s flag.” They “jumped and cheered and wiped tears from their eyes” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/15).
TIGHTLY MANAGED: In Miami, Tyler Carmona noted there was no World Cup party waiting outside Miami Stadium on Monday. The scene in Miami Gardens was “tightly managed: police officers at major intersections, blocked roads, credential checks, security checkpoints, fans directed toward stadium entrances and nearby residents and businesses selling parking.” But in “small pockets around the stadium, the World Cup atmosphere still found a way to show up” (MIAMI HERALD, 6/15).
DIFFERENT VIBES: WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Coletta & Lovett wrote each host has “been telling a different story.” The U.S. has “emphasized security,” and Mexico has “showcased a culture of hospitality.” Canada has “focused on its arrival as a soccer nation.” Each country has its own mascot, and the branding in host cities is “focused little, if at all, on North America.” Even different host cities have their own marketing campaigns. When the U.S. flag was paraded onto the pitch during the World Cup opening ceremony in Mexico City last week, “jeers rained down from the crowd.” The “boos for the stars-and-stripes were even louder the following day,” at the opening game in Canada. The result is a tournament that has “often felt like three parallel World Cups rather than one shared event” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/15).
