The chants started long before kickoff for Edwardsville soccer coach Josh Boyd.
Boyd joined 67,442 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on June 18 to watch South Africa and the Czech Republic play to a 1-1 draw in the FIFA World Cup, soaking in an atmosphere he had only imagined before.
“It was fun, entertaining and the stadium atmosphere was electric,” Boyd said. “FIFA did a fantastic job making it a great experience for everyone.”
Atlanta is one of 16 host cities for the World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Eleven of those host cities are in the United States.
Boyd traveled to Atlanta with two friends he has known through soccer for years, including players he once trained at younger ages.
“It’s funny how soccer brings people together,” Boyd said. “Never in a million years would I have imagined attending a World Cup match with a 30-year-old and a 25-year-old, but that’s soccer.”
The group stayed about a half-mile from the stadium and joined thousands of supporters making the walk to the match.
“We got to walk in with the fans,” Boyd said. “You could hear Czech supporters chanting in one direction and South African supporters doing the same in another. Then you’d see fans representing countries that weren’t even playing that day. Being able to experience that atmosphere on the walk to the stadium was incredible.”
Beyond the atmosphere in the stands, Boyd also witnessed a bit of World Cup history on the field.
The match featured the second all-female officiating crew in men’s World Cup history and the first made up entirely of Americans. Referee Tori Penso was joined by assistant referees Brooke Mayo and Kathryn Nesbitt.
“Another cool experience was seeing an all-female officiating crew,” Boyd said. “Having an all-female crew on the field was really neat. They received a huge ovation, and I think it’s great whenever female coaches, referees or officials can serve as role models for younger athletes.”
Boyd and his friends will continue their World Cup trip in Kansas City, where they plan to attend Netherlands vs. Tunisia on June 25 and Algeria vs. Austria on June 27.
The group purchased tickets through FIFA’s ticketing portal in April.
“It’s difficult when you’re trying to find three or four seats together, so I let the system do most of the work,” Boyd said. “You tell them how many tickets you need and which venues you’re interested in. We selected Atlanta and Kansas City because they were the closest options.”
While ticket prices have been a frequent topic of discussion leading up to the tournament, Boyd said the cost was worth the experience.
“It’s definitely not cheap. A lot of people have complained about ticket prices compared to previous World Cups,” Boyd said. “For me, the experience outweighs the cost. Years from now, I’ll remember the experience far more than what I paid.”