​Pull out your map of North America. Now place pins where the seven remaining World Cup teams have stayed and trained as they prepared for the quarterfinals. Teams in Boston and Greensboro? Yes—the east coast gets two. A couple of squads on the west coast in Washington state and San Diego? Correct. Plus the Spanish team in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The pins scatter from coast to coast. Add to those five locations the twin pins in Kansas City.
The men’s soccer teams from England and Argentina have delivered the most remarkable World Cup stories so far and the most tantalizing possibilities to come—right here in the Heartland. England is based in the Meadowbrook housing area of Prairie Village, but they shuttle across the state line to train in Missouri at Swope Soccer Village. Argentina makes the reverse commute, leaving their riverfront housing in Missouri to train in Kansas at Sporting Kansas City’s facility. Both teams are scheduled to play on Saturday in the quarterfinals, with England facing Norway and Argentina taking on Switzerland. If they both win, they would meet in Atlanta on Wednesday for a shot at the final, making for a Kansas City versus Kansas City semifinal.
Having world-class athletes in town has the metro area buzzing with sightings. My son’s friend served ice cream to several England players this week at Betty Rae’s in Leawood, where the shop created World Cup-inspired flavors, including London Fog—Earl Grey tea steeped in a sweet cream base with vanilla and lavender to welcome the England National Team to KC for base camp. (England captain Harry Kane reportedly ordered exactly that.) A different family friend texted that he knows some England players through business and invited them to a Fourth of July party, though it’s unclear how the English players feel about the U.S. Independence Day celebrations.
Meanwhile, Argentina fans have filled Kansas City Stadium (the Arrowhead) and hosted joyful gatherings in public spots like the Country Club Plaza. Driving around Kansas City shows how local fans are backing the two remaining visiting World Cup nations. Front lawns in southern Kansas City display England yard signs, and nearby suburban HOAs have seen statues in costumes with Union Jack flags. Local clothing brand Charlie Hustle has joined the festivities, selling T‑shirts that blend symbols from either national team with the enduring KC icon.
I’ve spent my summer break from teaching glued to the World Cup, and these two remaining Kansas City teams are compelling for more reasons than their Kansas City home bases and their track records. They stand out because of the way they have won on the field, and because of the stories that are unfolding off it. The drama around their journeys—from training camps to quarterfinals and potential semifinals—adds to the spectacle of a World Cup that has threaded the Heartland with anticipation and pride.