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Just for Kicks
With Philadelphia serving as one of the host cities for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, local soccer fans are gearing up for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The first time George Rhea attended the FIFA World Cup, back in 1986, his rollicking adventure included a five-hour flight, a two-week stay in Mexico and several long bus trips between Mexico City and Guadalajara to see multiple matches from the stands in both cities. It was well worth it, too, because he had the time of his life with his closest friends and got to witness what is considered to be one of the greatest championship games of all time: Argentina’s 3-2 win over West Germany.
Forty years later, the experience will be a heck of a lot easier for Rhea—and hopefully just as memorable.
This summer, the United States will welcome the most popular sporting event on the planet for just the second time ever as it co-hosts the World Cup along with Canada and Mexico. Philadelphia is one of 11 locations in the U.S. where games will take place, with four matches in the Group Stage being played at Lincoln Financial Field: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador on June 14; Brazil vs. Haiti on June 19; France vs. Iraq on June 22; and Croatia vs. Ghana on June 27.
A Round of 16 game will also be held at The Linc on July 4 to coincide with the nation’s 250th birthday, and the final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in North Jersey.
Needless to say, soccer fans across South Jersey—and even locals who don’t follow the sport so closely—are looking forward to a truly unique occasion.
“There’s so much excitement,” says Jamie McGroarty, the longtime girls soccer coach at Eastern Regional High School. “You can go to MLS games or an occasional friendly, but to see a World Cup game in person is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and not many people get to go to other countries to watch it. To have it on your home soil [is special].”
Like McGroarty, Dan Matozzo and Ryan Franks are not only major soccer fans but also highly successful high school coaches—Matozzo for the girls team at Clearview and Franks for the boys team at Shawnee. They’ve seen a growing interest in the World Cup from their players as well as other students in class.
“I think all the soccer fans in the world are ready,” Matozzo says. “In South Jersey, everyone is talking about it: The kids in school are talking about it, and everywhere you go for soccer, everyone is asking, ‘How do you think the U.S. is going to do?’ The hype is there and we’re just hoping the team does well.”
“A lot of the kids have said they’ll be more into the World Cup than they normally would be because it’s here in the U.S. and it’s nearby,” Franks adds. “I think those of us who are soccer guys are really excited. The last time it was here in ’94, I was 10, and I really feel like it marked a cultural shift in soccer back then. … I definitely feel like with the World Cup and the advent of MLS shortly after in ’96, soccer took off and went from an afterthought to one of the leading youth sports in the U.S. today. I’m hopeful that for a lot of the kids in my class and my buddies who are casual fans, this helps them catch the bug a little bit and makes them more interested in the game of soccer year round, not just when the World Cup is going on.”
As Franks points out, soccer has become wildly popular for kids in the past three decades, and even the younger generation is hyped for the World Cup. Emma Davidson, 13, of Williamstown plays for one of the premier clubs in the region, the South Jersey Elite Barons, and traveled with her team to England two years ago and to Spain earlier this year. Now she is looking forward to having squads from other countries competing right in her backyard.
“I think it’s really cool that countries from all around the world are coming to play in the World Cup right here in Philadelphia,” she says. “When we visited Spain, in the airport there was tons of World Cup merchandise. My team is really excited that the World Cup is so close to home and we hope we get a chance to see it.”
Of course, getting tickets, even with several games being played right across the bridge or up the turnpike at MetLife, isn’t so easy. FIFA held a random draw leading up to the tournament to give fans the opportunity to purchase tickets, but not many had luck with the lottery system.
Fortunately for Rhea, his daughters Veronica and Jocelyn were able to get through and surprised him with tickets for Christmas. Rhea, who retired a few years ago after 36 seasons as the boys soccer coach at Penns Grove, also attended World Cup games in 1994 in North Jersey, Washington, D.C., and the final between Brazil and Italy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. This time, it will be just a short drive from his Pennsauken home.
“I’m glad that my two girls get to go to the games, just so they can say they saw a World Cup game, because there’s nothing like it,” he says. “We are a soccer family, there’s no doubt about it. We’ve seen a lot of games together.”
His main worry is whether tailgating will be allowed. FIFA has said it has no policies against the practice, but some host cities in the U.S. have announced that they won’t be permitting it before World Cup games. There is no word yet from Philadelphia organizers.
“I have a Plan B—Chickie’s and Pete’s—but I don’t think they can do that,” Rhea says. “That’s un-American: Telling sports fans they can’t tailgate is crazy.”
Tickets are costly even through the FIFA lottery, but those looking on the secondary market at sites like SeatGeek or StubHub should expect to pay more than a thousand dollars, just for one seat.
“It’s insane—you could buy season tickets to the Philadelphia Union for your whole family [instead],” Matozzo says. “I think the most difficult part of this is how expensive the ticket prices are. I know I’m not the only one saying it, but when your family is involved in the sport and loves the sport, that makes it hard. I’m probably going to sneak into one game by myself, without the family, because that’s all I can do.”
There is also a question of whether as many foreign fans as usual will travel to the World Cup in light of U.S. involvement in Iraq and new immigration policies.
“Being at the games is unreal, and it always brings new eyes to the sport, which is awesome,” McGroarty says. “But I think the political climate has put a big downer on the event, and the ticket prices [are extremely expensive]. I know I want to go to a game and I can’t afford it. It has priced a lot of people out who would love to go see games and are just not able to. So I think that’s a negative, and then you have all the political maneuvering that I think has hurt it as well. I’m in a wait-and-see mode, and I hope it works out and is a great event.”
Franks has three younger brothers who are all passionate about the sport as well, and two of them are on the coaching staff at the University of Denver, where Jamie is the head coach and Brad is his assistant. Jamie was able to score tickets to games in Los Angeles and Seattle to see the U.S. play.
“His daughter is a big soccer fan—she’s 10 years old and plays for Real Colorado—and she’s real excited that they’re going to see some games in person, especially because they’re going to some U.S. games,” Franks says.
“If there’s a downside to it being here, it’s that tickets are so damn expensive and it’s been hard to get your hands on a ticket. I’m hoping that as the dates get nearer, it will open up and maybe the prices will drop a little bit, because they’re a little out of reach. If I had a dream game, going to the Round of 16 game on July 4 in Philadelphia would be it. That’s going to be an electric atmosphere.”
Kenyon Carter, a Cherry Hill East graduate who now plays soccer at West Chester University, is also hopeful of finding tickets with a group of his friends who love the game. If not, he will be attending watch parties with his teammates, and he even expects people who aren’t hard-core soccer fans to be interested.
“I feel like the culture is definitely shifting for soccer,” he says. “The U.S. is not quite where Europe is, but hopefully the World Cup brings that. I’m just praying that we don’t have any politics that get in the way—that’s my biggest concern right now, considering the U.S.’s world standing with other nations. I’m just hoping that nothing else crazy, like with immigration or any wars or conflicts, interferes with the World Cup. I hope people are able to put that aside for a month, a month and a half, so that we can have a great time with this. If it goes really well, that’s going to be great for not only the U.S. but the rest of the world.”
On the bright side, Carter works at the Soccer Post in Cherry Hill, where owner Margery Kessler, has seen nothing but positives surrounding the World Cup.
“There’s definitely been a big buzz in the store already,” she says. “We’re seeing a lot of excitement building as we get closer, and people are starting to come in specifically looking for World Cup gear.
“We have a ton of exciting merchandise right now, including Philadelphia host city-specific T-shirts and hats, the FIFA World Cup LEGO Trophy (which is a limited edition), and full home and away jerseys for all participating countries in both youth and adult sizes. We also have a big USA section with everything from jerseys to action figures of players like Christian Pulisic, plus collectible cards, country-themed soccer balls and flags for all the countries.”
South Jersey residents are also likely to have the opportunity to cheer on one of their own. Medford native Brenden Aaronson, who plays for Leeds United in the English Premier League and competed for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup, is expected to be on the roster again.
“One of the things that’s really exciting being from Medford is that Brenden Aaronson is in the conversation to be involved,” Franks says. “I know there are a lot of talented players and I might be biased, but we’re definitely pulling for him to be on the roster. In my opinion he should be on the roster and he will help the team win games. It’s easy to get behind local kids like that and have a feeling like you’re connected to the World Cup.”
