US, foreign guests forged links during World Cup

Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday wasn’t the most entertaining match but still served as the culmination of a month-long celebration that spanned the North American continent. From Vancouver to Miami, Los Angeles to Mexico City, the three host nations collaborated to produce an experience that was as thrilling on the field as it was entertaining off it, according to the Tribune News Service.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, and some concerns leading up to the tournament were well placed. But the World Cup showed the United States at its best, a gracious and welcome host to millions of visitors who fell in love with the nation, and whose affection was warmly reciprocated.

This year’s World Cup featured 104 matches played in 16 cities across three countries. Over a little more than five weeks, some 6.8 million fans filled stadiums while an estimated 5.5 million watched games at fan fest events. Millions more watched at bars and restaurants or at home, making this by far the largest, most attended World Cup in history.

The US Men’s National Team entered the tournament on home soil, their first in 32 years, with ambition and hope. Winning the World Cup was a pipe dream, but there was belief, both within the team and across the country, that the players could seize their opportunity, lifted by raucous home crowds, and progress deep into the knockout rounds.

Two wins to open the group stage, against Paraguay and Australia, only ratcheted up the excitement. A meaningless loss to Turkey followed, before a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina shortly before Independence Day had Americans dreaming big.

Unfortunately, a Belgium squad — motivated in part by a decision, made at the behest of President Donald Trump, to reverse a red-card suspension of USMNT striker Folarin Balogun — had other plans. Its 4-1 win eliminated the United States in the Round of 16.

There was concern that Trump’s presence would be ubiquitous throughout the tournament and that he would co-opt the World Cup to advance his immigration policies or otherwise leverage the event for his own ends. But other than his intervention with Balogun’s suspension — which rankled the Belgian federation, the European football governing body and the sport’s many enthusiasts — Trump was noticeably absent prior to his attendance at Sunday’s final in New York.

That’s not to say the administration didn’t affect the event. Its treatment of the Iranian team, which was forced to stay in Mexico though its matches were played in the United States, and its decision to prohibit entry to Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, scores of international journalists and an untold number of fans were self-inflicted wounds.

And yet, in spite of those issues, the tournament that millions saw in person and millions more watched was a thing of beauty. The world fell in love with plucky Cape Verde, an African nation with roughly the same population as Virginia Beach that played both finalists toe-to-toe in earlier rounds. They were awed by the timeless magic of Argentine playmaker Lionel Messi, the brilliance of French striker Kylian Mbappé and the joyful, nearly unstoppable Norwegian goal scorer Erling Haaland.

But the takeaway from these last few weeks has been the United States’ warm embrace of its foreign guests: Scottish fans taking over Boston; Lawrence, Kansas, cheering Algeria, which chose the city for its training centre; seas of orange-clad Netherlands supporters filling up streets before their matches.

That appreciation goes both ways. Social media is awash with visitors gushing about their time in America, explaining how their perceptions of the United States were shattered in recent weeks as they experienced all that the country has to offer.

One hopes that mutual goodwill lasts long after the confetti is collected, the stadiums fall silent and the magic of the last month fades into memory. We should be proud of what transpired in this tournament, and the connections it forges between Americans and the larger world.