Qué sopa, New York City, and welcome back to The Morning Pitch. You give us five minutes; we’ll give you the World Cup.
This afternoon at 5 p.m., the final group stage match held at New York-New Jersey Stadium will kick off — England versus Panama. England will try to course correct after dropping points against Ghana. Panama will work hard to achieve a major upset. It might be one of the final matches of the group stages, but there remains much to play for.
As fans prepare to journey across the Hudson, here’s the information you need to get there safely.
Let’s start with the forecast. Temperatures will reach the low 80s. Winds will be light. There is a chance of scattered rain throughout much of the day, and we may see an isolated thunderstorm or two.
Remember, once you arrive at New York-New Jersey Stadium, you will be restricted to one disposable plastic water bottle. And if you are bringing a bag, make sure that it’s both see-through and adheres to size restrictions. No backpacks, prams or strollers allowed.
For those traveling to the stadium, I encourage you to use public transit. While bus shuttles are sold out, you can still ride New Jersey Transit. Buy your ticket in advance at njtworldcup.com. As you plan your journey, make sure to budget enough time for the trip. Unless you can sprint as fast as Alberto Quintero or for as long as Declan Rice, leave four to five hours before kick-off.
I want to urge New Yorkers not to drive into midtown today. We are expecting heavy traffic and significant travel delays. Leave the car at home. Bring a book to performatively or actually read on the subway, ride a bike or consider walking.
Bus and shuttle corridors and lanes will begin at 11 a.m. and remain in effect until 10 p.m. 5th and 6th Avenues from 42nd Street to 59th Street will be dedicated to buses and shuttles, as will 42nd Street from 1st to 12th Avenue, West 40th Street between 8th and 11th Avenues, and West 41st Street between 8th and 10th Avenues.
If you’re watching anywhere across the five boroughs, make sure you take advantage of the $26 dollar drink and meal deal program being offered by more than 900 restaurants and bars. Just go to nyctourism.com and scroll down to the Five Borough Winners Special to find the full list.
As we look ahead to this match, it is impossible to ignore the outsized importance that England holds in the world’s game. Few nations boast as much talent or host a league as competitive. None are as lucrative. Earlier this week, reports emerged suggesting that Manchester City had agreed to a staggering £116 million deal to sign England midfielder Elliot Anderson. If that 116 number sounds familiar, yes, it’s because it’s only one more than the 115 charges Manchester City currently face for financial impropriety.
Those of us who love the beautiful game love it despite its flaws, and there are few flaws more glaring than the financial excess that now defines the sport; how fans of smaller teams brace for their best players to leave as soon as a successful season ends, and how supporting a club so often feels like supporting a private equity group or a sovereign wealth fund. Ticket prices soar, owners come and go, and success comes to feel like something that can only be bought.
And yet, if English football holds a singular tradition, it is of belonging to working people. Many clubs were founded as workers’ teams — including Arsenal, which began when a group of munition laborers each put in sixpence. And so, many heroes of the modern game held an unwavering commitment to ensuring the sport belonged to the workers for whom a match on Saturday afternoon was not only the moment they looked forward to most in the week, but some of the only free time they had.
I think of managers like the great Brian Clough, who, in 1972, brought his Derby County players to stand on the picket line alongside striking miners.
I think of Manchester United’s legendary Matt Busby, who grew up in a Scottish mining community and participated in general strikes as a teenager. When Busby built a United side known for its egalitarianism, it was clear where the inspiration came from: soot-stained miners and weary trade unionists.
And I think of a man who shared the values of the city where he plied his trade — Liverpool's Bill Shankly, a proud socialist. As Shankly once said, “The socialism I believe in is everybody working for the same goal and everybody having a share in the rewards. That’s how I see football, that’s how I see life.”
When football is flowing, it does not feel like something that twenty-two players play while thousands watch from the stands. It feels like a collective effort, a game that each of us are somehow playing, each goal one that we willed over the line, each victory something we shared.
This afternoon, across the world and across our city — which boasts the largest Panamanian community anywhere in the United States — millions of fans will watch their nations compete. Some will have three lions on their shirts; others a blue eagle. From Preston to Panama City to Parkchester, people will watch on phones balanced in frenzied kitchens or listen to radios on busy worksites. And yet, no matter who they are supporting, no matter how long their shift or how much money they have to their name, this game, today and for every day that follows, will belong to them. Enjoy the match, New York.
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