After years of preparation and a busy start to the World Cup — from the FIFA Fan Festival to last-minute shifts in transportation — Kansas City finally hosted its first match Tuesday night, at Kansas City Stadium.
The Kansas City Star’s Pete Grathoff was at the match, and said a Chiefs game brings more variety in the jersey department, because there was one clear standout for Argentina.
“It was 99.9% Messi, No. 10” during Tuesday’s match, he told KCUR’s Up To Date on Wednesday. Lionel Messi would go on to score three goals and tie the record for the most goals in the tournament’s history.
And while there wasn’t the smell of barbecue that so many Kansas Citians are used to at tailgates, Grathoff said, fans brought their own celebrations leading up to the game.
“There was a lot more singing, a little more dancing, more banging the drums, that kind of thing that you don't normally hear at a Chiefs game,” Grathoff said.
Even with their loss, Algeria has embraced a tight-knit following in Lawrence, where the team is based during the World Cup.
“It’s been so much fun to see how Lawrence has embraced them,” Grathoff said.
Now, Grathoff is most excited to watch the quarterfinal game in Kansas City on July 11, where soccer fans could potentially see Messi and Portugal superstar Christiano Ronaldo spar off in what he said could be both players’ last international game.
- Pete Grathoff, sports writer for the Kansas City Star
