When the final whistle sounded at MetLife Stadium, the World Cup ended for Spain and Argentina—also for everyone whose lives were engulfed by the tournament over the past six weeks.
I was one of those people. I went to 12 matches for Front Office Sports in nine World Cup host cities: Los Angeles, Kansas City, Houston, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Miami, and Atlanta. The only two U.S. hosts I missed were the San Francisco Bay Area and Dallas.
On the road, I saw some pretty remarkable things. I caught Lionel Messi’s hat trick against Algeria. I saw the Dutch Oranje Fanwalk through Houston, and Paraguay eliminate Germany in an electric penalty shootout. I felt the energy of the U.S. fanbase in full force on a beautiful day in Seattle. I saw the Norwegians row, the Argentine team make a political statement on the field, and Donald Trump once again sneak into the trophy ceremony.
Every host city had a different set of circumstances that shaped its World Cup preparations and reality. Philadelphia’s host committee had full coffers, while Boston’s equivalent openly admitted it struggled with fundraising. Some stadiums were easily accessible by foot from downtown hotels and urban cores, while others required sitting in traffic for an hour or more. The ease of covering matches wildly varied across stadiums.
