Hundreds cheer KC’s first World Cup match in Northland: ‘We say keep it coming’
Soccer balls were flying across the Northland sports complex Tuesday night as kids donning Lionel Messi and Team USA jerseys ran around laughing and shrieking with joy, occasionally glancing up at the big screen for quick glimpses of the World Cup match between Algeria and Argentina in between dribbles.
Go North KC’s watch party at the Central Bank Sporting Complex, which attracted around 200 people was full of children playing makeshift soccer matches, families posing for photos in front of giant FIFA World Cup-themed soccer balls and people cheering as either team scored.
A DJ in the back of the field played music during breaks while some waved foam glow sticks, played corn hole, tossed footballs, ate snowcones and munched on bites from the row of local food trucks.
Crystal Sinonis, who lives in the Northland, said her two children were taking advantage of it all — from bracelet making to kicking goals, eating treats and putting on temporary tattoos.
“It’s nice that things are starting to pop up, up here for opportunities for the kids,” she said.
For Will Grassano, the decision to bring his family to the event was easy.
In his eyes, it was a great opportunity to celebrate Kansas City’s first game of the World Cup alongside his wife, Elizabeth, and 2-year-old daughter, who was busy playing with bubbles as the game kicked off.
And, as a Claycomo resident, it was close to home. Rather than traveling downtown to Fanfest or across state lines for another family-friendly watch party, he and his wife could stay north of the river.
“We have a 2-year-old, we don’t want to drive down south past the river. We want to stay up north, but there’s not always stuff going on,” he said. “Stuff like this is huge for us. We can still male it home pretty quickly. We just feel comfortable and safe out here. We love it. We say keep it coming.”
But one of the best parts about the event? Its price, according to Melody Morales.
“Not everybody can afford to go to a game, but you can still get everybody involved and you can still get hyped up and excited about it,” she said.
As the match heated up, a roar of cheers erupted from the crowd gathered on picnic blankets and lawn chairs in front of the big screen as Messi, Argentina’s star forward, launched the ball through the net. Moments later, people’s shoulders slumped when the goal was overturned.
Another loud cheer broke out when Algeria scored, which, like the first, was overturned. Again, disappointed sighs sounded from fans.
But once Messi finally got a legal ball past Algeria’s goaltender, the energy remained high. Messi finished with three goals in the 3-0 win over Algeria.
While he’s not a big soccer fan, Steve Miles, who lives near the sports complex, plans to attend more watch parties being held throughout the World Cup across the Northland, including Saturday’s event at Happy Rock Park in Gladstone and a later party planned for July 3 at the new Morton Amphitheater in Riverside.
“There are a lot of great opportunities,” he said.
