Confessions of a soccer novice: Atlanta’s World Cup was a sports experience

But what I have gained is a healthy respect for soccer as a sport, and for its fans, whose passion and loyalty are unlike anything I’ve seen in my 25-plus years covering sports.

Thanks, World Cup, for two brilliant fortnights on the pitch in Atlanta. (Yeah, maybe I picked up a little of the soccer announcers’ vocabulary along the way, too.)

The pure energy of the fans from different countries — from tiny-but-spirited Cape Verde in the Atlanta opener to the hordes of Argentina fans in the round of 16 and semifinal — just hits differently. I thought the football rivalries of Georgia-Alabama or Michigan-Ohio State might have been near the height of fandom.

Not even close.

The college sports fan banging a cowbell with a drumstick pales in comparison to the Earth, Wind & Fire-level of energy and enthusiasm when Argentina’s Lionel Messi jersey-clad fan base invades a city with drums, guitars, amps and a cadre of songs and chants.

I didn’t quite get the feel of eight Super Bowls — as some organizers predicted the impact and excitement level would be in Atlanta — but now I can see how soccer is the world’s most popular sport. It’s bigger than baseball, bigger than the NFL and NBA.

It’s not just about the winning teams and the big favorites. It’s also about just being there — and not in the way we talk about participation trophies and moral victories.

Look at Cape Verde, the biggest surprise in all of the tournament. They took Spain — which is in Sunday’s World Cup final — to the brink in a 0-0 draw.

And the Cape Verde fans celebrated like they won. In a way they did. They delivered a message — not that they were an elite team in the world, but that they could stand toe-to-toe with a top-level team and not blink.

Compare it to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament taking a No. 1 team to overtime and losing. But it’s better than that, because they kept playing.

Cape Verde did the same thing in the round of 32 against the other finalist, Argentina. They’re on the soccer map now, and that’s enough for the small island nation off the coast of western Africa.

It’s a bonanza of opportunity for being on the world stage, which is something that some of America’s big sports don’t get to do, aside from the Olympics or World Baseball Classic.

Not just fans ... fanatics

One of the biggest revelations was that the fans aren’t just fans. They spared no expense to travel around the world to see their teams play. I encountered fans who flew to Atlanta on the morning of a noon match, then headed back on MARTA to the airport to travel to the next city for the following match.

While some sports fans bristle at the idea of paying more than a couple hundred dollars for a ticket, it seemed that most soccer fans were completely comfortable with spending thousands — win or lose.

Or tie, as South Africa did in Atlanta against Czechia, and their supporters were just glad to be here.

The Raiders fan base is regarded as one of the most rugged and animated in the NFL, but hearing about trash talk and scuffles between Argentina and England fans inside and outside the stadium is crazy work.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Of course, it can happen anywhere, but with the checkered history in the two teams’ rivalry, anything is possible.

But soccer fans are different. It’s both men and women, multi-generational, and they’re sports die-hards who are very educated about their teams — and others. They have deep background on their favorite players’ club teams, too, which is an element that American sports really don’t have.

They’re engaged. They’re emotional. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen fans cry at other sports games the way soccer fans do — win or lose — based on the circumstances.

Agony and ecstasy

Sports will show both sides of winning and losing, and soccer is no different. The agony of Egypt falling to Argentina, 3-2, after holding a 2-0 lead in the second half, resurrecting thoughts of the Falcons’ 28-3 lead over the Tom Brady-led Patriots in Super Bowl 51.

The ecstasy of African nations showing up and sending nine of their 10 qualifying teams to the knockout rounds.

The agony of VAR (I learned that means Video Assistant Referee) reviews seemingly always going against the smaller countries.

The ecstasy of fans chanting and singing their teams’ songs on MARTA or at Fan Fest, or just wherever. It’s infectious. It’s heartwarming. It’s not quite what we’re used to here in the U.S.

But it could catch on.

It’s left a wonderful memory of what sports could be.

Cheers, soccer. And thank you for a wonderful sports experience.