GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — I know there is a lot of empty green space here now, but that will not be the case for much longer. Come the kick-off of the World Cup this place is going to be packed with fans all cheering on the ‘beautiful game'.
“We live, we breathe, and sometimes we bleed football," said Ruben Ramos with the Mexican Heritage Association of West Michigan. "It's such a unifying sport.”
And 2 - 7 p.m. on Thursday will be a great example of that – when Mexico plays South Africa, Studio Park in Downtown Grand Rapids will be the home of West Michigan’s only watch party, sanctioned by the Mexican government.
“There's so much pride, right, and not only being an American, but being a Mexican American, that it's about celebration," VP at the Grand Rapids Chamber Omar Cuevas told me. "This fills your cup, the energy, the food, the camaraderie that a game like a World Cup opener does as well.”
The free event will feature food trucks, music, activities and of course watching the match with old and new friends.
“At the end of the day, football is a sport that unifies the world," said Ramos. "It's, it's a worldwide sport, and I believe that it's much more fun to watch it in a group setting.”
“In our Hispanic and Latino Mexican culture, there's the 5 F's right?" added Cuevas. "There's family, faith, friends, food. and football, and so this is, you cannot watch a game by yourself.”
And with professional soccer on the horizon in Grand Rapids, if you are looking to dip your toe into the soccer waters, this could be your chance.
“Some parts of the world, you know, the eat, breathe, eat, breathe, sleep, soccer, it becomes your tradition, and that really comes together in different ways in different parts of the world, but you know what's that version of that here, you know, in Grand Rapids,” President of AC Grand Rapids, Darrius Barnes said.
And even if soccer isn’t your thing, but you want to experience something bigger than yourself in the heart of Grand Rapids this could be for you.
“Well, it really gives me that sense of belonging," said Ramos. "It's, it's a place where I can feel that I can come and celebrate, not only with friends and family, with just the, the open community, of course.”
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