CHARLES FOX
The U.S. advanced to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay on June 11.
If you pay enough to men’s international soccer, you’re probably experiencing mixed emotions this month.
The United States is hosting Copa América Centenario — the 100th anniversary of the oldest continental soccer tournament in the world. A mini-World Cup of sorts, the tourney features the top 16 national teams from North America and Latin America competing in 32 games held in 10 U.S. stadiums built for American football, not fútbol.
Nevertheless, revved-up crowds are packing places like Soldier Field in Chicago and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., to witness soccer’s best player in the world, Lionel Messi, take the field for Argentina.
Meanwhile, Team USA — a bearded bunch of players that look like they migrated from an indie rock festival — advanced to the quarterfinals on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Paraguay at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.
Elsewhere, despite online ticket prices as low as $6, some matches are barely filling the lower bowls of stadiums.
Soldier Field will host a semifinal on June 22, and the Copa América final will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 26.
Just as Copa América’s group play heated up, Euro 2016 kicked off last Friday. Otherwise known as the UEFA European Championship, this quadrennial tournament features Europe’s 24 best national teams playing in France from June 10 to July 10 for continental bragging rights.
How big of a deal is that? Bloomberg reports that every game of the tournament is expected to attract more TV viewers than the Super Bowl. “We will deliver 51 Super Bowls in the next month,” UEFA marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein said.
At a time when international soccer should be celebrated by fans — and introduced to newcomers who finally found Fox Sports 1 on their channel guide — the game remains under a black cloud. FIFA, the sport’s governing body, makes almost daily headlines for its culture of corruption, which includes bribery, fraud, racketeering and money laundering.
Among the latest revelations: Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter (currently suspended from the sport) and two of his cohorts gave themselves more than $80 million in raises and bonuses during the past five years.
Orlando Sentinel columnist David Whitley recently proclaimed that even “[Donald] Trump’s not corrupt enough for FIFA.” Fan violence and stadium security shortcomings in France also have marred Euro 2016.
Try not to let the sport’s real-world problems interfere with your own enjoyment of the beautiful game over the next five weeks.
