Fans from a “kaleidoscope of cultural backgrounds have come together” on the streets of L.A. over the last week to “act out the kind of world -- and city -- they want to live in,” according to a front-page piece by Clara Harter of the L.A. TIMES. On the shuttle bus from downtown to Inglewood on Monday, there were “scores of people with Farsi-emblazoned shirts and crowds of grinning Kiwis as one would expect for the Iran-versus-New Zealand showdown that evening.” There were also “clusters of striped blue Argentina T-shirts, plenty of Team USA jerseys, and a loud group of fans chanting ‘Viva Mexico’ from the back of the bus.” Similar scenes played out on the Metro K Line as World Cup-goers from all over “traded stories of how they scored tickets, tips for navigating L.A.’s transit system, and wistful memories of tournaments past.” Despite concerns that ICE would perform immigration enforcement in crowds, that “has not been the case” so far. The shadow of the U.S. war with Iran and the anger many Iranian Americans feel over Iran’s current government “were also present in Inglewood on Monday.” Yet the atmosphere among the Iranians attending Monday night’s game “was one of cathartic celebration, where for a few hours they could set aside geopolitical tensions and unite over the simple love of soccer” (L.A. TIMES, 6/17).
FINDING COMMON GROUND: In Boston, Amin Touri wrote in the weeks before this World Cup, it was “easy to forget what this whole thing was about.” Two games in, the matches in Foxborough have “served up a reminder.” There are “real concerns about price-gouging, political tensions, and logistical nightmares.” But for a few hours, the fans that have come to Foxborough from as nearby as Bridgewater and as far away as Baghdad have “found joy, identity, and a little common ground” (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/17). In Boston, Lance Reynolds notes the World Cup has “restaurants and bars bouncing across Boston.” Some restaurateurs have said that the “business they’re seeing is ‘incomparable,’” while others are “scrambling to restock their beer supply” (BOSTON HERALD, 6/18).
PACKING THE HOUSE: In Dallas, a front-page piece by Ontiveros, Jahant & Meyers noted “near a thousand England and Croatia supporters stood shoulder to shoulder on both floors of Texas Live! in Arlington on Wednesday.” Fans “packed the venue, creating a mix of chants, songs and anticipation.” Along nearby Pennant Road, residents “transformed front yards and fences into makeshift souvenir stands” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/17). In Dallas, Kevin Sherrington wrote the biggest difference between Sunday’s opener between Japan and The Netherlands and Wednesday’s match between England and Croatia “was the decibel level generated by the 70,389 on hand.” A few “impromptu rounds of ‘God Save the King’ was pretty much the extent of it, whereas you couldn’t shut up Sunday’s crowd.” The 48-nation tournament has “already provided a little bit of something for everyone” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/17).
JUST WHAT WE NEEDED: D MAGAZINE’s Mike Piellucci writes the World Cup being played in Arlington “is, in a word, unnatural.” It is “unnatural -- and sometimes a little jarring -- to witness such an overt melding of old-world soccer rituals and American stadium sports schlock, like a fusion restaurant getting very extra about Philly cheesesteak eggrolls.” Piellucci: “The World Cup works in Arlington: because it’s the World Cup in Arlington. It’s here in all its spectacle, its intensity, its joy. It is what we waited on. It is anticipation fulfilled” (D MAGAZINE, 6/18).
NEW DAY, NEW STORY: THE ATHLETIC’s Michael Cox writes after the first round of group matches -- all 24 of them -- the “realistic conclusion is that the football has been as good as could reasonably be expected.” There have been “great games, great stories and great players underlining their place in history. Every day has given us something” (THE ATHLETIC, 6/18).
