State of the Game

This World Cup felt all kinds of wrong from the start. The tournament is hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The first World Cup to be hosted by three countries and it showed. Vastly different experiences in each country. Glaring flaws in transporation and infrastructure made it difficult for so many fans around the country and the world to enjoy the tournament.

The “New Jersey / New York” Stadium (which is not in New York) is probably the epitome of everything wrong with the US hosting. No walkability, no reasonable public transporation, absurdly expensive tickets.

While the Mexicans are dancing with Koreans outside the Estadio Azteca, those in the US are paying over $1000 for a ticket, hundreds to and from the venue, and dozens on a snack and drink. FIFA’s laughing to the bank spending on the hosts’ dime.

Even the tournament itself was not immune to detrimental changes. This World Cup introduced a new format with 48 teams instead of 32. More games, more money, more chaos.

Luckily I wasn’t destined for Metlife Stadium and instead offered a free ticket to “Philadelphia Stadium” (where the Eagles play).

Ghana vs Croatia

rain-or-shine

My first WC match ever. Ghana vs Croatia. Decently high stakes as Ghana drawing or winning would land them directly in the knockouts.

Buddy and I were in the stands, drinking, chit-chatting and rooting for Ghana, especially in those glorious yellow jerseys. Look at this thing!

ghana

Ghana played okay in the first half but Croatia played slightly better, enough to take the lead before the end of the 1st half.

Something clearly clicked for Ghana for the start of the 2nd half as they came out energized. Pressuring. Creating chances.

They scored at the 73rd minute and the stadium erupted. Afrobeats played throughout the stadium which was such a vibe.

game

Now they just had to keep the lead for 17 minutes. Croatia looked a bit deflated but still slowly building up chances. Ghana kept taking chances which in turn gave Croatia a lot more to work with on the recovery and counter. Croatians scored again by the 83rd minute. Ghana had no answer but desperation and fell short of the final whistle.

energy

Still, it was a great matchup with plenty challenge to go around.

Allegiances

I am a supporter of La Furia Roja 🇪🇸. I am of (confirmed) Spanish descent so it was only natural. They are the reason I became an FC Barcelona fan many many moons ago (the tumultuous 2010 World Cup). In this tournament I see them being the victors but that does not stop me from supporting other teams along the way.

All African and Latin American teams (minus Argentina (Messi got his)) get my vote. I want to see them all do well. I want to see the underdogs win. I want to see the teams that don’t have the same resources as the European teams make it to the finals. If it came down to it, I would be happy to see Ghana or Mexico win over Spain in the finals (esp. since Spain already has a trophy).

I was especially cheering for Haiti in the group stages.

It made me wonder about the Dominican Republic. Where are they? Long story short the country simply does not value football as much as baseball and even basketball. It’s a bizarre thing to me considering those two sports are arguably American sports with no real value or visibility beyond North America (+Korea and Japan).

Dominican Republic

Dominican players (and descendants) do exist in the world of football, but they are few and far between. Some notable players include:

  • Ruben Vargas (Swiss-born to a Dominican father. Plays for Switzerland and Augsburg)
  • Luca Jáquez (Swiss-born to a Dominican father. Plays for Switzerland and VfB Stuttgart)
  • Junior Firpo (Dominican-born. Played for Real Betis and Barcelona 🤩)
  • Mariano Díaz (Spanish-born to Dominican parents. Played for Real Madrid 🤮🇩🇴😅)

Like that Juan Luis Guerra song, “Si Saliera Petróleo”, a musical answer to the question “what if the Dominican Republic had oil?”, one can imagine an alternate reality in which the Dominican Republic valued football as much as if not more than baseball. If the successes in baseball, volleyball, and basketball are anything to go by, the country could easily become a football powerhouse in the Caribbean and beyond.

For shits and giggles I decided to make a Dominican Classic XI. IYKYK.

dominican-classic-xi