YOU DON’T have to be an Englishman in New York to notice what’s missing.
There was scant, okay, let’s be honest, no World Cup fever as I walked down Fifth Avenue yesterday.
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Martin Lipton is in New York for the World Cup Credit: The Jattvibe
The tournament is being advertised in Times SquareCredit: Refer to source
Precious little sense that the event the rest of the planet will be glued to is taking place here in the USA.
On Sixth Avenue, shield crests of the 48 competing teams had been erected on one side of the road.
While the electronic advertising boards in Times Square squeezed Cristiano Ronaldo promoting a robot vacuum cleaner and Vini Jr and Christian Pulisic endorsing antiperspirant alongside promotions for Toy Story V.
Across the road, Pele Soccer, the “world’s greatest soccer store” – mmmm – was still closed at 9.30am.
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‘GET THEM OUT’
Roy Keane set to move 10,000 miles away if England win World Cup
It didn’t really amount to much more than a hill of beans.
In the Big Apple, it IS about a big round ball.
But one in burnt orange and black with “Wilson” written on the side.
Not the red, blue, green and white Trionda bearing the three stripes of adidas.
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Cristiano Ronaldo featured on a vaccum cleaner advert Credit: The Jattvibe
Scanning the sports pages of the three New York papers yesterday – the Post, Daily News and Times – there were no mentions of Harry Kane, Lionel Messi or Ronaldo.
It was all about the New York Knicks ahead of their overnight Game Three of the NBA play-off series against the San Antonio Spurs – proof that Spurs can do quite well under proper management.
About how Mitchell Robinson will negate the influence of San Antonio’s superstar Victor Wembanyama and key guard Jake Brunson warning against premature triumphalism after winning the first two games “on the road”.
Across the three titles, there were 11 full pages of NBA content. Plus another page on the New York women’s team.
Christian Pulisic is featured on one of the billboards Credit: The Jattvibe
The Pele Scoccer shop features a model of the Brazilian legend Credit: The Jattvibe
Warnings have already gone out over what might happen on Wednesday night if the Knicks clinch the title in a sweep – think Paris in the wake of PSG’s Champions League win on steroids.
Then four pages each for the city’s baseball sides, the Yankees and the Mets, whose under-pressure manager, surveying the wreckage of a season to date, plaintively admitted: “I’m trying to be optimistic here.”
Feels like he’s the American Thomas Frank.
But the world’s most popular sport, the event that will captivate the globe for the next six weeks….pretty much “crickets”.
Some 500 words about Mauricio Pochettino’s US side, a page on Christian Eriksen’s collapse, a few paragraphs about Iran arriving in Mexico and Brazil’s enforced squad change bringing a promotion into Carlo Ancelotti’s 26 for Manchester United-bound Ederson.
Fair enough. The Knicks haven’t been “world champions” since 1973
You couldn’t buy a ticket for the game at Madison Square Gardens for less than £8,000 – and even then there would be an auction that might send the price further into the stratosphere.
Yet it still feels odd that, on the eve of the World Cup, the most important sporting event of 2026 is little more than an afterthought in the city where the Final will be played.
Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised.
For all the attempts to talk up the spread of football – and the relative success of the likes of former Chelsea winger Pulisic, Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams and Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards – it’s still a sport for girls and kids.
If Poch and Co blow up – and a group containing Australia, Turkey and Paraguay means there can be no excuses – this entire tournament could disappear into the plughole as far as the US domestic audience is concerned.
Saying that, it would be absolutely brilliant if the co-hosts finish second, with Iran doing the same in their group.
July 3, AT&T Stadium. Arlington, outside Dallas. USA v Iran. The mother (and father) of all football matches. Bring that on…..
MIXED RESULTS
Marcus Rashford impressed on the left wing against New Zealand Credit: Getty
Anthony Gordon was less impressive in the friendly match Credit: Getty
A good day for Marcus Rashford, Jude Bellingham and Elliot Anderson in Tampa.
Maybe not quite so good for Ollie Watkins and Anthony Gordon.
But England fans who might have anticipated a goal-fest against New Zealand should not get too concerned – at this stage.
Back in 1966, England’s final game before the big kick-off – a goalless draw with Uruguay, remember – was a narrow 1-0 win in Poland, featuring 10 of the 11 that were to be champions of the world less than a month later.
In 1990, which ended with tears in Turin after that semi-final shoot-out defeat to West Germany, Bobby Robson’s side had needed a last-minute equaliser from Steve Bull to draw with Tunisia – after a 2-1 home defeat to Holland – in their final warm-up.
Even in 2018, there were underwhelming victories against Nigeria and Costa Rica before it all started to go right for Gareth Southgate’s side.
Of course, sometimes pre-tournament performances do give warnings.
When Roy Hodgson took his side to Florida 12 years ago, dire draws with Ecuador and Honduras foretold the misery to come in Manaus, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte – out before they had stopped taking their malaria tablets for the first game.
Let’s hope we should read nothing into what was little more than a glorified training session. Other than the latest evidence of Harry Kane’s enduring brilliance.
KAN YOU BELIEVE IT
Harry Kane is featured in the Dear England show Credit: Getty
Will Antenbring portrays the England skipper on the BBC show Credit: PA
Talking of Kane, and the BBC adaptation of “Dear England”, the extremely dramaticised – and with plenty of “dramatic licence” – story of Gareth Southgate’s reign, it is interesting how events reshape opinions.
In the original stage version – which admittedly only covered the first few years of Southgate’s spell as England boss – Kane was represented as a comic turn, little more than simpleton who could just kick a ball very well.
Yet the version of the Three Lions skipper depicted this time round was far more nuanced.
Kane is now thoughtful, perceptive and emotionally empathetic. One suspects this is more accurate.
IRAN AWAY
Gianni Infantino must step in over the treatment of the Iran team Credit: Alamy
Iran will only be allowed in the US on their matchdays Credit: Getty
Gianni Infantino has a lot to answer about this World Cup.
But the treatment of Iran could be the biggest scandal of the lot.
As it stands, in breach of Fifa’s tournament regulations, Team Melli will hold their pre-match press conferences at their base in Tijuana, just across the Mexican border from San Diego, rather than in the stadiums where they play.
Instead, they will have to fly in on match day and back immediately after the games.
It would be beyond inconvenient with the 45-minute flight to Los Angeles for their first team games against New Zealand and Belgium.
But making them fly six HOURS on game-day to Seattle for their final match with Egypt is simply outrageous.
Infantino MUST intervene. If not, then Fifa is dragging its own competition into disrepute.
GAME CHANGER
Drinks breaks will be taken in each half at the World Cup Credit: Getty
England stars could lose up to 1.5kg during a match Credit: PA
Forget football being a “game of two halves”.
During the World Cup, it really will be a game of four quarters.
With three minute hydration breaks around the mid-point of each period, you can expect to see major tactical changes by coaches, with genuine time to get their messages across.
While the rationale for the stoppages is player safety – experts suggest elite athletes can lose 1.5kg of water playing in the heat and humidity – it really will alter the way the game is played.
Thomas Tuchel got his first experience of the new situation against New Zealand on Saturday.
It could well be the smartest coach, who can utilise the breaks best, turns out to be the winning one in the MetLife on July 19.
LEGENDS TRIBUTE
The world’s greatest players are descending on the US, Canada and Mexico.
Whatever happens, they will not meet the tragic ends that saw so many of the best pre-War players slaughtered, their names now forgotten by many, merely because of their religion.
Which is why David Bolchover’s haunting and emotional recording of the 11 great Jewish players who met their horrific fates during the Holocaust is so important.
“Digging Deep” recounts how the likes of Polish “playboy” Zygmunt Steuermann, Hungarian Jozsef Braun, the “Hebrew Ronaldo” and Germany’s Julius Hirsch, gassed to death at Auschwitz, went from stars of their era to victims of history’s darkest evil.
It is beyond time for their names to be brought into the light again.
