That's what my post was for. Just trying to bait Earth into a indignant denial of horned helmets. You did it for him - very good!
The daily viewing parties in San Jose are a reflection of substantial positive evolution. In 2010, there was a single viewing party downtown on South First for the final game between the Dutch and Spain. 2014 was marginally better with a handful of viewing parties, for US games, in St James Park. The Quakes’ comprehensive slate of 2018 viewing parties at Avaya was a watershed. It’s gotten bigger each tournament since. Now the politicos want to seen as part of it. It’s been nearly 20 years since Beckham made his MLS debut and the Mercury News (falsely) reported, “I didn’t watch and neither did you.” So, yeah, there will be positive reverberations from the soccer immersive experience we’re getting now.
The one thing I applaud FIFA for doing (can’t believe I just typed that!) is having all the players on the pitch for their country’s national anthem. Sure, the subs can sing from the dugout, but the feeling probably isn’t the same.
Dangit! Ecuador squandered a bunch of chances in the first half. You’ve got to bring your finishing boots! CdI played well. Not taking anything away from them.
I’m only sort of rooting for Sweden. A friend of mine is in a pool at work (not for money) and I helped him with his picks. So I’m only slightly invested. Go Sweden!