View the 2014 World Cup television schedule. All matches will be shown in the UM Student Union Lobby.
This week, the most widely watched sporting event in the world begins.
The World Cup, soccer’s showpiece tournament, kicks off at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 12, with host country and tournament favorite Brazil taking on Croatia. The World Cup is awesome because, among many other things, it brings people together but has the potential to lead to a full-scale riot. Half the people existing on this earth will pause to take in everything that is soccer.
This also begins the season of newfound soccer popularity in the United States that hinges on the performance of 23 young men playing for the U.S. National Team. Mathematically, the U.S. team has 270 minutes to put soccer in the mainstream and establish enough momentum to please soccer skeptics. It’s an election year for America’s fifth major sport.
A real American will remember Landon Donovan’s heroic effort in the dying minutes against Algeria during the 2010 World Cup, and the celebrations that followed. If you do not, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w .
Watching that video is patriotic. It should make you cry red, white and blue tears and join the military. If you don’t plan on enlisting, the least you can do is watch three games of USA soccer in 2014 and be supportive.
Conveniently enough, the Ole Miss Student Union is a perfect place for the Ole Miss community to cheer on their favorite teams and players. The tournament features 31 other teams besides the USA. Each game can be viewed on the new 70-inch flat-screen television in the lobby, which is surrounded by plenty of comfortable seating and a coffee shop.
The first USA match is against Ghana, at 5 p.m. June 16. The Black Stars are the harbinger of USA World Cup exits, as witnessed in both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. The USA also plays Germany and Portugal in the group stage.
Proving that miracles are in fact real, the first match each day happens during Ole Miss lunch hours. (Kick off at 11 a.m.) There is absolutely no reason a person should not see 30 minutes of World Cup soccer at the Student Union, regardless of who is playing. Half of the WORLD will be doing it, so embrace that little devil on your shoulder and watch a few minutes.
CNN has made a fact page about the World Cup; here it is: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/03/world/world-cup-fast-facts/