In addition to stopping by to see him to pick up your Christmas poinsettia, you might also join in on a soccer conversation or two with Todd Maas. The World Cup is entering its third weekend of play, with teams like the Netherlands, England, and Portugal all trying to punch their tickets to the semifinals. Similar to the enthusiasm garnered by the Summer and Winter Olympics, sports fans have been gravitating to their televisions and local restaurants to catch World Cup action. It did not hurt that the United States made the knockout round for the first time since 2014, which was also the last time they qualified for the tournament. An estimated audience of over 16 million people caught the United States beating Iran across all platforms. Another 13 million tuned their TVs into their knockout round loss to the Netherlands last Saturday. Maas says events like this are good for the sport and the community’s local players.
The World Cup is not the only reason local soccer fans are cheering. The area is two months removed from another successful Sturgeon Bay soccer season and six months from a sold-out Lambeau Field hosting Manchester City and Bayern Munich.
