Though the 2014 World Cup remains a highly anticipated event, recent news concerning the location of the 32-team soccer tournament has captured the attention of international soccer fans across the globe. Originally set as the home destination for the 2014 event, Brazil will now be forced to watch as the biggest sporting event in the world shifts its playing surfaces from the Brazilian pitches to those in the United States. According to multiple sources close with the planning and tournament committee, the host city for the upcoming games will be Chicago, home to multiple popular professional franchises including the Chicago Bears (NFL), Bulls (NBA), White Sox and Cubs (MLB) and Blackhawks (NHL).
With Wrigley Field serving as the main location – a legendary ballpark that has functioned as the home of the Cubs since 1916 – fans across the international landscape of soccer are excited about the shift to the United States although the move comes as something of a shock since folks in Brazil were putting the final touches on tournament preparation. Scheduled to begin in June of 2014, the opening World Cup match will be the first soccer contest played at Wrigley since AS Roma and Zaglebie Lubin competed in a friendly match in July of 2012.
“The World Cup is one of the most prestigious events in all of sports,” one tournament official said. “We are very gracious to the people of Brazil since they have been nothing but helpful in getting ready for the event but the shift to the United States and city of Chicago was a great opportunity that we did not want to pass up.”
The tournament official – who asked to have his name omitted from publishing – also noted that when meetings took place regarding the late change, the number one driving force behind the switch was to give Chicago Cubs fans the opportunity to experience a team celebrating a championship on the grounds of Wrigley Field. The World Cup Final is scheduled to be played at Wrigley Field next summer and because the Cubs have not hoisted a World Series Championship since 1908, the switch became a natural fit.
“While the Chicago Bulls, Bears, White Sox and most recently the Chicago Blackhawks have all won championships in recent time, fans of the Chicago Cubs have waited 105 years to watch their team hold the title,” the official said. “By moving the World Cup from Brazil to Chicago’s Wrigley Field, all Cubs fans in attendance for the championship match will finally know what it’s like to watch a winning team lift the championship or gold above their heads. It isn’t easy being a Cubs fan so we thought it would be best to try and lend a helping hand.”
Brazil and Croatia will open the tournament with a match on June 12. Other Chicago-area locations hosting soccer matches for the World Cup will be Soldier Field (home of the Bears), Memorial Stadium in Champagne, Illinois (home to the University of Illinois football team) and Ryan Field, the home stadium for Northwestern University football, which is approximately 30 minutes outside of downtown Chicago.
Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana (just under two hours from Chicago) will also serve as a location for World Cup matches.
Due to the fact that the World Cup conflicts with the 2014 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago Cubs will play many home games at U.S. Cellular Field, the home stadium of the Chicago White Sox.
DISCLAIMER: TODAY, DEC. 28TH IS “INNOCENT’S DAY,” SO YES, YOU’VE BEEN FOOLED!
More on the “Día de los Inocentes:” Derived from a story in the Bible, where King Herod executed innocent children to kill Jesus, “Innocent’s Day” since has transformed in Catholic regions like Hispanic America, Spain And Phillippines, as a date of celebration and pranks, to celebrate that Jesus escaped the hands of King Herod. These pranks are also known as “inocentadas” and their victims are called “inocentes,” or alternatively, the pranksters are the "inocentes" and the victims should not be angry at them, since they could not have committed any sin.
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