Popularly known as the capital of “soccer” in the United States due to the historical tradition of the sport in the region, Kansas City has experienced a true invasion of Argentine fans in recent days.
At the international airport and at street parties promoted by FIFA (International Football Federation), the blue and white shirts integrated into one of the landscapes of the Midwestern American city, which will host the current champions’ first match in the World Cup, this Tuesday (16), against Algeria, in Group J.
Although they recognize the difficulties involved in winning the World Cup twice in a row — the last time the Brazilian team achieved this feat, in 1958 and 1962 —, the “hinchas” [torcedores] Argentines say that Lionel Messi’s likely departure from the tournament wearing the Albiceleste shirt more than justifies his presence in the United States, despite the expensive ticket prices.
“It could be the last time we see him with the national team’s shirt. It’s a privilege to be here. Not just for him, for the fans, for Argentina”, said Argentine fan Darío García Alonso, 41, who stood out in the crowd that went to the “fan fest” promoted by FIFA on Sunday (14) due to his resemblance to the Inter Miami star.
On a sunny afternoon in Kansas, fans were able to watch the fierce 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan on the various screens installed in the garden of the National WWI Museum and Memorial, one of the city’s landmarks.
“The fans are already arriving at the airport. We arrived today [domingo] in the morning. They say there will be around 60,000 Argentines here in Kansas City for this game,” said Luis Salvador García Alonso, 39, about Tuesday’s match at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I was in doubt whether I should come or not, you know? I’ve seen Messi play for clubs, but seeing him wearing Argentina’s colors is very different. It’s really a privilege to see him in North America playing for Argentina for the last time. It’s passion and emotion. It’s something every Argentine dreams of. I know that many sold all their things to see this moment,” he added.
Diego Jérez, 50, who also arrived at the airport on Sunday morning accompanied by his two children, stated that he believes it will be “very difficult” to achieve a second consecutive victory in the World Cup, but predicts that Argentina can do a “good job”, with the capacity to reach a semi-final or even the final of the tournament.
“Part of the reason I came to the World Cup was to see Messi,” said Jérez, who is watching his second World Cup as a fan on site, after being present at the 1998 edition in France, when Argentina fell in the round of 16 against England.
“Regardless of Argentina, I think it’s a difficult World Cup for all the teams. It’s a long tournament, with long distances to cover, many teams,” said Salvador Mazzocchi, 42, digital influencer with more than three million followers on Instagram.
“Argentina, Brazil and Spain are strong teams, and Germany obviously also has high expectations,” continued Mazzocchi. “But it’s football, anything can happen, we’ll see what happens. As we say, when the ball starts rolling, we’ll realize what the team is capable of.”
The influencer also said that, although Messi is not in as competitive a league as other high-level players at the World Cup, he is still capable of making a difference for the team. “He has a significant challenge ahead of him, but Messi is Messi.”
The number 10’s talent also attracts fans from other Latin American countries.
Puerto Rican friends Gabriel Asensio and José Otero, both 26 years old, said that, without having their country’s team to support at the World Cup, they ended up opting for Argentina, largely due to the presence of Messi.
“Argentina is a Latin American country, we are too, they speak Spanish, it’s easier to identify with them in a way. And obviously Messi is that finishing touch that makes it impossible not to choose him,” said Asensio.
At 38 years old, Messi sometimes questioned his participation in this World Cup, but he still arrives at the FIFA tournament as the team’s main leader on the field.
Recovering from an injury suffered with Inter Miami a few weeks before the start of the tournament, the player even took to the field with the national team in the last preparatory friendly, against Iceland, scoring one of the goals in the 3-0 victory for the team led by Lionel Scaloni.
After the opening duel against the Algerians, which promises to be the most difficult in the group stage, Argentina heads to Dallas, where they face Austria and Jordan, on the 22nd and 27th.
