In Reply to: Good point posted by TheHappyBurgermeister on July 20, 2026 at 17:41:21
From what I’ve read, foreign travel was well below projections. Hotel room rates did not spike as they would with a travel surge, but ticket sales were robust, fueled by domestic demand. US residents were excited about soccer!
Part of this may be due to the USNMT fielding a competitive team that advance to the quarterfinals. There are 2 narratives around this:1) that the US advanced because it got and easy draw (which home teams tend to get); and 2) the USNMT advanced because it fielded a better team this Cup.
Both are true! We can hold two opposing thoughts at the same time (unless one is a dullard like wood) and both of these are true. Yes, the draw for the first round was one of the easier draws, but also for the first time I can recall most of the players on the team were members of 1st division European sides (in PL, Bundesliga, Ligue Un, Serie A). Not on the biggest teams for the most part but playing in top division against the best sides. Hopefully we can build on this and continue to improve.
Next cup will be in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Sounds like a dream vacation to me. Gotta rob a few more banks and maybe retire by that time. Friend of mine is planning to open a bar in Porto by then. 🤞