10 Things A Casual Soccer Fan Should Experience at the WCP Cup

1. Plop yourself right near the Laos or Poland section for a Men’s game. No matter what the matchup, the fans show up. They cheer loud, they’re passionate, they help fuel the players, and they love their team. It’s tough to beat the atmosphere they create.

2. Quarterfinal Night. Next Wednesday, you’ll be treated to 4 hours of non-stop action, in which you’ll see all the best the WCP Cup has to offer. Upsets, overtime,  and shootouts are the norm here, and the place is packed. Don’t miss it.

3. Say hello to Kevin Holness, the organizer of the tournament and player on Team Jamaica. Kevin has given so much back to soccer in Regina, and is a great guy to talk to as well. Ask him to autograph body parts, he’ll gladly oblige.

4. Grab a good spot on the railing upstairs, grab some beers, and enjoy the games from a higher vantage point. You get a better view of the action, better sense of how the teams are going, who’s really contributing to the game, etc. There’s no drinking downstairs, but you can still have a good time doing it upstairs if you want.

5. Watch Sudan play a game. Regardless of your opinion on how good they actually are, they’re still a treat to watch. They work hard, play passionately, and more often than not, they try shots that you’ll only see in professional soccer. Bicycle kicks, rocket shots from half, diving headers…definitely not a team you want to miss.

6. Watch free kick specialists from top teams, like Bryan Murrell or Jaden Wong on Laos, Mike Collins on Ireland, Jordian Farahani on Afghanistan, Tavis Workman on Canada, or Paco Brown on Colombia. Sitting either behind the net or at an angle that allows you watch the ball bend into their selected spot is a great thing to watch, as few players have the ability to take free kicks like that.

7. Laugh at the kids wearing tight pants, colorful skater shoes, and baseball hats real high on their head. I can imagine this is a preview of what a Justin Bieber concert looks like. And all the pre-teen girls walking around look the exact same as the boys, but with hair wooshed to the side. Few of us get the opportunity to see kids anymore, so take the time to laugh at the fashion styles nowadays. Perhaps remember back to when you thought frosted tips were cool…

8. Admire the Greece team. Everyone on their team is Greek. Check out the roster. There’s no other team that comes close to them heritage-wise, and can actually play with the best of teams. They entire community gets behind the Greek team to play and root for the team.

9. Send an email to Evraz telling them about how they should have the kitchen besides Tim Horton’s working, to have another beer vendor upstairs, and to add just one row of benches to the upper level so people could stand behind the people on the railing. These are fun activities that all should partake in!

10. Take a look at the older (sometimes bigger too) players, and watch how they can still contribute to their team. They may not be fast, but some have the awareness and positioning to beat or hold off even the quickest little superstar. Few things are more enjoyable than watching a hotshot try to embarrass a player like that, and get embarrassed themselves. Some guys (and girls) are nearing 40, and going up against 18 year-olds that train most of the week. Few of us will be playing competitively at that age.

Anything I missed?