Do you want to experience the World Cup but are not able to go to Brazil? No problem. Chicago’s got you covered! Did you know that the United States Soccer Federation headquarters are located here? To us Chicagoans, this translates into three free public 2014 FIFA World Cup viewing parties this month. These daylong events will be hosted by the US Soccer in Grant Park during the U.S. first-round matches. The schedule and location of these parties are as follows:
- June 16: USA vs. Ghana (5 p.m.): Arvey Field; near Columbus Drive and Roosevelt Road intersection in Grant Park
- June 22: USA vs. Portugal (5 p.m.): Arvey Field; near Columbus Drive and Roosevelt Road intersection in Grant Park
- June 26: USA vs. Germany (11 a.m.): Petrillo Music Shell at Butler Field; near Columbus Drive and Jackson Street intersection in Grant Park
Also, since Chicago is a global city with residents from all around the world, the city is definitely an exciting place to experience the World Cup. Our diversity is so rich that The Huffington Post has created a map of where to watch the World Cup matches in Chicago, sorted by country the crowd will likely be supporting. If you know of any cool place where to watch the World Cup that is missing in this map, please leave a comment below. And if you have never joined the celebrations, I would highly recommend you experiencing it. The “jogo bonito” (the beautiful game, as soccer is called) definitely has the power to bring people from different backgrounds “juntos num só ritmo” (together in one rhythm).
Chicago Urbanite 