“It began with thunderous chants of ‘U-S-A’ and climaxed with the best 45 minutes in U.S. men’s World Cup history. It was seven years and 364 days in the making, and it was worth every day, hour, second of waiting. U.S. soccer fans and players had, for years, dreamed of this moment, a glitzy World Cup opener on home soil, an unparalleled stage for their sport. They had dreamed of meeting it, of igniting America, of elevating soccer. But no one could have realistically envisioned this — a rousing 4-1 win over Paraguay, patriotic glee on the field and in the stands, silky soccer and eruptions of noise. …”
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A near-perfect World Cup opener takes the USMNT into uncharted territory
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The Bosnia-Herzegovina side warm up at the Estádio do Maracanã, 
“Union shop stewards inside SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles are handing out buttons which read ‘Kick ICE Out’ for workers to wear at the venue hosting FIFA’s World Cup match between the United States and Paraguay on Friday night. The Unite Here Local Eleven union represent over 2,000 workers at the venue who largely work in food and beverage concessions, including cooks, dishwashers, servers and bartenders. The Athletic received images of both cooks and bartenders wearing the buttons. The union said the language of their agreement with the stadium operators, Legends Global, permits employees to wear ‘one (1) official Union button while on duty’. …”
“Canada fought back to earn a brilliant 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the two sides’ opening World Cup group match in Toronto, courtesy of a late goal from substitute striker Cyle Larin. Jesse Marsch’s team went behind to Jovo Lukic’s effort in the 21st minute, the Bosnia and Herzegovina striker scoring his first goal for his country. Without their captain Alphonso Davies, who is nursing a hamstring injury, and with Jonathan David wasting a fine chance to score in the first half, Canada were up against it. …”
“Protesters and police clashed outside Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium just before the FIFA World Cup’s opening match kicked off. Protest groups have warned of further disruption to the tournament, as they use the global spotlight to press demands on issues ranging from education reforms to disappearances.” 
“If you are an avid football fan, or indeed watched South Korea vs the Czech Republic on the opening day of the World Cup, you might be wondering why the recorded attendance and the number of empty seats in the stadium did not necessarily correlate. For the second game of the tournament, the attendance at Guadalajara Stadium was officially set at 44,985, just under 700 seats short of the stadium’s listed capacity (45,664), according to FIFA. With that in mind, you would expect to need a keen eye to spot empties, and certainly not be taken aback by the sight of so many vacant seats. …”
Scissors Kick 