A mosaic of colors representing destinations a collective 19,000 miles away has dotted every corner of the Kansas City metropolitan area over the last few weeks, and as the region celebrates its first World Cup match – a clash between Argentina and Algeria – both national teams are feeling right at home.
"The city has been great to us, and the training center is absolutely fantastic," said Argentina Head Coach Lionel Scaloni. "It's an amazingly spectacular place, it's a great venue, and we're grateful to the population of Kansas City for giving us the opportunity."
In fact, Tuesday's game marked a showdown between a pair of teams who are each calling Kansas City home over the next several weeks.
Argentina, the 2022 World Cup champion, has been training at the Sporting KC Performance Center while Algeria, known as "the Desert Foxes," is set up at Rock Chalk Park in nearby Lawrence. In the case of both teams – ranked No. 1 and No. 27 in the world, respectively – the Kansas City area has provided its trademark Midwestern hospitality in droves.
"I hope all of the neutrals do cheer on Algeria because it's been a wonderful feeling \[being here\]," said Algeria Head Coach Vladimir Petković. "We've had a great helping hand – even in our opening training session, they really gave us some positive vibes. Not only the Algerian people, but also locals living in this area. So, we'll try to give something back."
It's a sentiment that's been years in the making as Lawrence prepared to welcome the world to its doorstep.
"When we \[applied\] to bring a World Cup team here, we decided we were going to make everyone feel at home – whatever country it was," said Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldei, who spoke to reporters on Monday. "We wanted to make them feel authentically welcome, and it's been easy, because the Algerians have reciprocated that. They've brought their warmth, they've brought their energy, and they've brought their excitement."