The group stage of the World Cup is a magical thing. It’s a clean slate. We know the favourites, we know the underdogs, but everything seems possible for everyone. Even in a swelled 48-team tournament, the magic remains. It’s because of the magic that you get scenes like the ones you saw in Vancouver on Saturday: a parade of Aussies out of downtown to the exaggerated entrance to the B.C. Place grounds, over by Science World, plus a parade of Turks down the hill from Mount Pleasant. Both hordes, decked out in their national colours, waving flares in the air.
A Triumph for Vancouver
The World Cup had arrived in Vancouver, to B.C. Place, and for all the problems the world’s biggest sports tournament has wrought, the actual game day was a triumph. The walk from Science World to the stadium itself was exactly the festival it was advertised to be and complaints, if any, were hard to find. The stadium itself put on a show, with the crowd well-watered and well-nourished, even at the exorbitant prices North American sports fans have been dulled into accepting.
The scene was tremendous. Thousands of Australian fans, thousands more of a Turkish inclination. Though they did not delight in the result, there’s no doubt the Turks enjoyed the occasion as well as anyone could. And between them all, plenty of locals, showing how well we show up for big events.
Coach and Player Reactions
“A fantastic atmosphere,” Turkish coach Vincenzo Montella said, the only good thing he could say about the evening, with his team stuck in neutral for long stretches by a physical, determined and well-organized Australian team. The night started with the vast swaths of Turkish fans dominating the game’s energy and the stadium’s volume; but as the Australians began to find their way, to gain strength in purpose, their fans started to find their voice too.
Obviously that control became Australia’s after Nestory Irankunda’s fantastic counterattacking strike not long after the first hydration break of the game. The Australians exploded further in the second half after Conno Metcalfe’s wonder strike sealed the surprising win.
The Australian players were in awe of the stadium. “The stadium is very, very nice,” Patrick Beach, Australia’s surprise starter in goal proclaimed post-match. “Unbelievable.” “Everyone was buzzing and loved it, felt pretty cool,” he said of what he and his teammates thought of the pitch, temporarily installed for the seven World Cup games that Vancouver will host. “The pitch was great quality tonight, especially when it’s wet and ball moves really well on it. So I think it was great for both teams.”
An Electric Match
The match was truly electric because of the fans and the way the players themselves rose to the occasion. Non-soccer fans often lament the lack of action, the lack of goals. But this was a match that showed the best of the game: there was constant tension, first because of how the Turks and their fans were pressing early, then because the Aussies seized the advantage, then because the Turks came out with a new fury in the second half, only for their efforts to prove to be in vain, both because of Beach’s brilliance protecting his goal and then because of Metcalfe’s strike.
Roof Controversy and Atmosphere
The only wrong step was the choice of the organizers to keep the roof closed for “consistency” with the other six games. Two will be played in the daytime and if the roof were open, there would be wild shadows on the field, making things exceedingly difficult for TV cameras. That is a “fair enough” case; but the five evening games, like Saturday’s, will have no such problems. Keeping the roof closed made life exceedingly steamy.
That said, it must also be acknowledged that the side-effect of closing the roof was a positive one: the stadium was loud and noise rang out constantly. The fans were so engaged, so energized by the scene that there was not a single case of the wave.
A World-Class Venue
B.C. Place proved itself to be a truly world-class venue Saturday. Vancouver knows how to put on a show. Every soccer team in the world should want to make this stadium their home base. The next six games are going to be just as tremendous, no doubt. Oh and yeah, can’t we just keep the grass?
