ATLANTA (special envoy).- Americans spent the July 4th holiday celebrating 250 years of independence, but the World Cup has already gotten under their skin. While Donald Trump rallied from Mount Rushmore and a heat wave battered the East Coast, the Argentine national team secured its spot in the round of 16 under the scorching Florida sun.
The most universal sporting event on the planet has become a social phenomenon in the United States. Unlike the 2024 Copa América or the 2025 Club World Cup, which went almost unnoticed by the local public, this World Cup has sparked unprecedented attention. Host cities are breathing soccer, TV networks are breaking audience records, and social media explodes with every match.
Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the center of this fascination. The Argentine captain, a popular figure among Americans due to his stint with Inter Miami, generates interest that transcends sports. The New York Times dedicated its front page to telling how Argentines in Dallas live their passion for Messi: “I saw more Messi than I ever could have imagined,” wrote a journalist who spent a week in the Texas city. “All over the city, under the blazing Texas sun, there were many people walking around in Messi shirts: the black number 10 on the blue-and-white stripes of Argentina.”
The Washington Post, for its part, described the hard-fought victory over Cape Verde: “It took a goal from Messi, and then a corner kick from the legendary player midway through the second half of extra time, which set up the winning goal, to save mighty Argentina. The match lasted more than two and a half hours in real time after the start of the David vs. Goliath clash. Goliath was cornered.”
The Miami Herald was even more graphic: “The Hard Rock Stadium looked and sounded like La Bombonera,” due to the crowd that accompanied the world champions from the stands. The presence of the National Team in Miami was an event that mobilized thousands of Argentines and also locals who joined the party.
The World Cup is being followed here through two main networks. Fox One, with star commentators like Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Alexis Lalas, is breaking audience records. “In one of the most memorable matches in World Cup history, Argentina survives!” announced John Strong at the end of the match against Cape Verde. Telemundo, the country’s most important Spanish-language network, highlighted that Argentina’s arrival in Atlanta for the round of 16 places the city “at the center of world attention.”
But not everything is soccer in the United States. At Texas Roadhouse, a Texas-style grill on the outskirts of Orlando, none of the televisions were broadcasting the afternoon Canada-Morocco match. At a gas station in Valdosta, Georgia, the TV was showing a Miley Cyrus concert, not Paraguay-France. Soccer is still fighting for its place among American football, basketball, and baseball.
However, the progress is undeniable. The World Cup has become a meeting point for a politically divided nation, and Messi’s figure acts as a magnet that attracts even those who never before took an interest in the sport. With only a dozen matches left to play, the biggest World Cup in history is heading toward its most exciting stage, and Argentina, with its captain at the helm, is one of the top contenders.
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mira vos los yanquis re fanatizados con messi y la seleccion pero ni se les cae una idea de la lucha de clases eh para mi el capitalismo los tiene re dormidos aplaudiendo a un futbolista mientras les roban el sueldo igual bienvenido sea que se contagien de algo de pasion sudaca pero que no se hagan los dueños de la pelota gringos de mierda vamos argentina carajo
Para mí esto es un asco total. Todo el circo yanki por Messi mientras los argentinos laburan como negros. Me parece una falta de respeto que festejen a un millonario que se borró de Europa. VIVA LA PATRIA, dejense de hinchar las bolas con este marketing de mierda.