One Moment, Please… Did the World Cup Bring Us Together?

While the bracket of World Cup games were underway, a good friend of mine said, “I think the World Cup brings people together more than any politician ever could.”

This is so true, and I appreciated hearing this from him.

My friend, who grew up in Rushford and now lives in Fountain, didn’t grow up playing soccer, but he enjoys any sporting events or competition.

I know there are probably some fans who took an interest in the World Cup games to see how far the U.S.A team would place, hoping they’d make it to the finals.

Soccer tends to not get the support in America compared to other sports like football, baseball and basketball. But, having World Cup games played in the United States created some excitement that drew more attention than in the past.  Especially considering we were celebrating the 250th anniversary of our country during the games.

For me, I’ve been playing soccer since about third grade. My history with soccer dates back to when I was asked to tutor my classmates from Vietnam and Cambodia who were new to our country. As I tutored them in math and English, they would teach me about their culture and I’d learn a few words from their language.

Each day, during recess, there would be the regular group of boys playing football on the hilltop field at Gage Elementary School in Rochester, Minnesota.  Then, there would be a group of boys playing soccer, mostly the kids who grew in Vietnam and Cambodia.

I played football and soccer, but quickly realized soccer was more to my liking for many reasons. It’s a game of finesse; a combination of endurance, technical skills and field awareness.

I don’t have anything against “American” football. I played football up until around ninth grade.  I love watching football and playing fantasy football, but I prefer playing “futbol.”

Over the years, wherever we lived, I refereed, coached and played soccer in some capacity.  Nowadays, I just prefer to play the game.

I currently play Saturdays and Sundays in Rochester.  There are indoor and outdoor options, based on the season.

What I enjoy most is the camaraderie.  Over the past four decades, I’ve had the pleasure of playing the game with people from all over the world. Even with language barriers, anyone who plays soccer understands the game. Africa, Europe, Asia, Argentina, Mexico and all points in between, I’ve enjoyed playing with some amazing talent.

As a side note, I should mention that I’m not a big fan of the acting that I see in the pros.  When players are taking a flop to get a penalty call, it’s ridiculous.  That’s not how we play our pick-up games in Rochester. While watching the World Cup games, I was telling my wife that these guys would never make it at our pick-up games because of all of their dramatics. Of course, I’m joking when I say that, but it isn’t a good look for the game.

As I said earlier in this commentary, when my friend said that the World Cup seems to bring people together more than any politician ever could, he was spot-on.