By Ken Sins
SEATTLE – There should be high-fives and corks popping at the local Chamber of Commerce.
The Emerald City is drawing rave reviews as a World Cup venue.
The pristine grass pitch at Seattle Stadium (normally known as Lumen Field for Seahawks and Sounders games) has been praised by players and coaches as perfect for this level of football.
Fan experience has been well received. Free air conditioned shuttle buses are appreciated by visitors who’ve had to pay exorbitant prices at other U.S. World Cup cities for transit in yellow school buses. Big screen viewing areas have been popular throughout the city. Hotels and restaurants report brisk business.
Crowd estimates at Seattle’s Waterfront Park during World Cup have thus far been pegged at nearly a half million.
Bosnia-Herzegovina fans were seemingly everywhere on Wednesday. Thousands participated in the March to the Match through Pioneer Square. They were by far the majority at Seattle Stadium in the Dragons’ 3-1 win over Qatar.
The game projected as a lackluster affair between 61st ranked Bosnia and 62nd ranked Qatar. There was speculation that hundreds of seats would be empty.
But it was a sellout of about 67,000, the third in as many matches in Seattle, for a highly entertaining match.
Loudest stadium sections: three in the 300 level, bearing the sign: BHFanaticos.
They stood, they sang and chanted, they banged drums, they raised their blue and white scarves at every opportunity. They toasted their coach, Sergei Barbarez, the former professional poker player.
The Golden Lillies were through to the knockout stage, very likely against the U.S. Fans remained in their seats 15 minutes after the match ended, cheering national hero Edin Dzeko and the rest of the Dragons.
Seattle loved them back. There are about 5,000 people of Bosnian extraction in the Seattle area, and many were in attendance.
Afterward, fans shifted the party down the street for a concert featuring Bosnian musical stars Adnan Nezirov and Boban Rajovic. Tickets were $120 a pop but nobody was complaining.
Bosnia wasn’t supposed to be here. Italy was. But the Dragons knocked out the Italians in qualifying, and are showing they deserve their place.
“We love Seattle, love the stadium and support of the people here,” said Sanel, a native Bosnian now living in New York. “This is a great place to host the matches.”
World Cup dominates the sports pages of the Seattle Times. Pacific Place, a downtown mall, has been rebranded as Seattle Soccer House. Matches are shown on a three-story screen at watch parties.
There are similar scenes at The Armory near the Space Needle, at Westlake Park, at Victory Hall across the street from T-Mobile Park, home of the baseball Mariners.
Locals regularly take off from work to gather at outdoor watch parties.
Soccer bars Atlantic Crossing and The George and Dragon are SRO for matches.
“I went into work today and the office was basically empty. I got a few things done, but it was hard because everybody was out of the office watching the games. So I left early. Wasn’t getting much done,” said Mike, sipping a cider at Elephant and Castle, a downtown pub, while watching Mexico-Czechia.
“The entire city, even non-soccer fans, are watching.”
Normally the pub would be sparsely populated at mid-afternoon.
During World Cup, empty barstools are rare.
About the Author: Ken Sins is a retired sports journalist based on Bainbridge Island, WA. He’s a passionate fan of Arsenal and the Sounders. He covered Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Finals, and Stanley Cup Finals during his 40-year career, but on an international scale, nothing tops the World Cup.
