LOS ANGELES – SPECIAL. The start of the World Cup has left more consequences than schools when it comes to football. Currently on the subject, there are irrefutable truths. The home field matters as long as there is work involved.
Apparently the continuity of the technicians has produced good returns in Concacaf, at the expense of the debut of Curacao, Haiti and Panama. But in the Concacaf World Cup, the hosts fully complied, at least at the opening.
Mexico won its first World Cup opening game in its eighth attempt, Canada adds the first point of its cup title after seven games and the United States has the best start in its history, with a resounding 4-1 against an unknown Paraguay that returned to a World Cup after 16 years.
United 2026 is the World Cup of changes. The closing of one era and the beginning of another. This is the Cup of the 48 teams, the first to open to multiple ownership of venues. This is the one that will have the largest number of games in history and the one that calls into question whether another European team can win another title in America, just as Germany did in Brazil 2014.
As former American goalkeeper Tony Meola, USA’s hero between the three posts in 1994, mentioned, “This World Cup was unthinkable for us 30 years ago. In ’94 we played in nine venues and today, this is massive. It never crossed our minds to have a World Cup like this.”
“Latinos, as always, are important in the development of football,” noted the long-haired former goalkeeper.
This is also the World Cup of comebacks. Like that of Paraguay, which despite the defeat, returns to the World Cup stage after 16 years and with its memory punctuated by the task of 2010, when they led Spain (later champions) to define the ticket to the semifinals in a heart-stopping series of penalties in the city of Pretoria.
The Guaraní fans, a strange guest in Los Angeles, fulfilled their selection, which seemed to be fighting with the ball.
And along with the Guaraníes also arrived the most viral face of the Paraguayans in the World Cups. And no, it is not the former goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert, but the beautiful Larissa Riquelme who now returned with her team to work on the coverage of the event.
‘I want to be the bride of the World Cup again, to conquer many hearts,’ commented the model and influencer who with her photos stole the world’s attention 16 years ago with a character who anticipated the social media phenomenon.
It must be said, the United States has grown as a team, as a project and as a culture. The passion that football awakens today is something that, as Meola commented 32 years ago, was unthinkable.
Concacaf no longer dreams of achieving, now it wants to win. And this is your chance.
In 1994, the World Cup sparked the start of the MLS. Today, this World Cup should lead the United States mainly to think about what many also believe is unattainable: winning a World Cup for Concacaf.
At the end of the day, results do matter. And in a World Cup with many hosts, speaking of titles, being the owner of the house is not the same as being the owner of the ball.
