I went to my first-ever pro soccer game on Saturday night. Algeria and Austria played to a 3-3 tie in the World Cup.
Fans of both teams were ecstatic. Why? A tie added a point for each team in the standings, giving them both enough points to qualify for the Round of 32.
In an odd twist, a tie was better than a win for Algeria because it placed them in a playoff bracket against Switzerland rather than powerhouse Spain. So, late in the game, with the scored tied 2-2, play slowed down with both teams content with a tie (and some fans were booing the lack of action). Then came a big surprise. With only a minute to play, Algeria scored on a goal by Riyad Mahrez. After the game, Mahrez admitted it was a bit “awkward,” but he had a good look, and his competitive nature could not resist. The situation was thrillingly resolved by Austria quickly roaring back and scoring for the 3-3 final.
Why I Was There: David Matson, a Kansas City expatriate now living in Portland, applied through the lottery months ago to get tickets. He snagged four and took three of his friends on Saturday. From left, David, Jim Ingraham, Bob Regnier and yours truly.
The wall behind us is the shell of the upper deck of Arrowhead. Which means we were on the last row of the stadium. Far from the field. And that gave me a new reason to appreciate soccer. I had no problem following the game from that distance. I’ve had bad seats for baseball, football and basketball (don’t try a final four in the upper deck of a big stadium – turn on the TV). So, I will add this as #9 to my list of reasons to appreciate soccer. As a reminder, the first eight listed in Hot Stove #308 were (1) kids, (2) normal size players, (3) USA women’s World Cup champions, (4) two solid KC teams (Sporting and Current), (5) The Two Popes, (6) Ted Lasso, (7) TV success, and (8) the simplicity of scoring – only single goals and nothing, a binary code of joys and misery that lead to long stretches of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror (see Algeria v. Austria).
And now for #10. It is the international game. Seeing fans from around the world, passionate for their teams but universally friendly, is heartwarming. Sports unite. I’ll still primarily follow my traditional team sports, but soccer adds depth to my hope for the world.
My thanks to David for a special evening at Kansas City Stadium (a/k/a Arrowhead)
Kansas City Games – Group Round: As succinctly summarized by Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star:
1. Argentina’s Lionel Messi lived up to his legendary status by scoring three goals (a hat trick) in the first World Cup game in Kansas City (video here).
2. Curacao’s 37-year-old goalie Eloy Room recorded 15 saves to lead his team to a 0-0 draw against heavily favored Ecuador. This set the record for most saves in a 90-minute FIFA World Cup match. King William-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands were in attendance (Curacao is an autonomous constituent country of the Netherlands). The royals then celebrated and danced with the team in the locker room.
3. Among several of Kansas City’s Dutch treats were a Power and Light District rally (video here), an orange parade and a Netherland’s victory over Tunisia.
4. And in the fourth game, the surprise ending to the Austria/Algeria match.
Kansas City Home Teams: Saturday night capped a win-win-win-win for the four teams making their World Cup camps in the Kansas City region – Argentina, England, Algeria and the Netherlands. All four are moving on to the Round of 32
Algeria has been embraced by Lawrence, Kansas, and the fans showed their appreciation at the game.
Argentina is housed at the Origin Hotel Kansas City, located at the riverfront end of the streetcar line. The Inn at Meadowbrook in Prairie Village is headquarters for England. And from our balcony, we see the Cascade Hotel on the Plaza where the Netherlands team is based, just a couple of blocks from Seville Tower which is featuring an orange glow.
Kansas City (A’s and Royals) Déjà Vu: Rita and I watched some of last Friday’s Royals game, a 22-1 loss. That tied the record for most runs allowed by the Royals in a game, the other being in 1994 when they lost 22-11 to the Red Sox.
It was déjà vu for me. The first year the A’s played in Kansas City was 1955. I was 13 years old but well remember being at Municipal Stadium on a Saturday afternoon when the A’s hosted the Chicago White Sox. I went to the game with my dad. Will always remember the score. 29-6. Dad never attended another game.
The 1985 Royals: For more soothing Royals fare, Rita and I plan to attend a book event on July 9 at the Kansas City Public Library (Central; registration info here). The featured book is Interstate ’85: The Royals, the Cardinals, and the Show-Me World Series by Marshall Garvey. The author will discuss his book with Kansas City Star sportswriter Vahe Gregorian and 1985 series batboy Chris Browne.
As regular readers may have been reminded too often, the 1985 World Series was special to me at a personal level – I attended all seven games, the four in KC and the three in St. Louis. Rita made the four in Kansas City, but her job kept her from going to St. Louis. For Christmas that year, Rita gave me a framed set of ticket stubs from the games. She’s so nice.
Lonnie’s Jukebox – 1941 Edition: The year of 1941. Rich in baseball and music history. Joe DiMaggio hit in 56 consecutive games. Ted Williams batted .406. I was born that year, and it was later determined that I could not carry a tune. But not to worry. Many fine singers were born that year and became part of early rock ‘n’ roll history. Some are now deceased, such as David Clayton Thomas who died this past week. A number are still performing, including Paul Simon (just appeared at Starlight on June 16) and Bob Dylan (to appear at Starlight on July 4; Rita and I will be there).
“The Sound of Silence” by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Both were born in 1941.
“Lay Lady Lay” by Bob Dylan
“You Made Me So Very Happy” by David Clayton Thomas as lead singer for Blood, Sweat & Tears.
“We Shall Overcome” by Joan Baez.
“Sittin’ on (the Dock of the Bay)” by Otis Redding.
“I Am Woman“ by Helen Reddy
“In the Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett.
“La Bamba” by Richie Valens.
“Dancing in the Street” Martha Reeves with the Vandellas.
“Words of Love” by Cass Elliott (The Mama and the Papas).
I arbitrarily stopped at a setlist of 10 songs, but there is so much more. Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn (Booker T and the MGs); Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland of the Motown songwriting trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland; Aaron Neville; Little Anthony (and the Imperials); Irma Thomas; Maurice White (Earth, Wind and Fire); David Ruffin (Temptations); Mike Love (Beach Boys); George Clinton; Tom Shipley (with Brewer); Jackie DeShannon; David Crosby; Chubby Checker; Ron Isley (Brothers): Jim Seals (and Croft); Darlene Love; Paul Anka; Harry Nillson; Eric Burdon (and the Animals); etc.
Coming in the next Hot Stove: More on Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams plus a special guest author in Lonnie’s Jukebox.
Walk-Off Photos – World Cup: Another view from our condo is the temporary soccer pitch in the parking lot behind Classic Cup. We usually see kids playing soccer, but this photo shows the yoga class that showed up one day.
At the game on Saturday, fans were prompted to scan a QR code on the jumbotron to participate in a light show throughout the stands. The raised cellphones then synced to flash on and off to the beat of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” I have a cool video on my phone but need to work on my tech savvy to link it in Hot Stove.
I met up with my pal Butch Rigby in the concourse. He was also on the upper level, but in the 6th row, not the 41st. The advantage of row 6 is that you don’t have to climb a hill to get to your seat. I wore my hat with a Chiefs arrowhead as a silent protest to FIFA for not allowing our stadium to be known as “Arrowhead” for the World Cup.
