Far from grim experience we feared, World Cup brought out best in us

IRVINE, CA — The soccer, and the goodness of ordinary Americans, saved this World Cup.

It began under such a dismal cloud, our government using it as an excuse to settle political scores while FIFA, along with some local officials and businesses, took advantage of the opportunity to gouge fans.

And then Lawrence, Kansas, went out of its way to make Algeria feel at home, the Kansas band even learning how to play Les Fennecs’ national anthem. And the Boston area, rather than calling the cops on the unruly party that is Scotland’s Tartan Army, rolled up the carpets, grabbed a glass of its own and sent out for more snacks.

Lionel Messi, ageless wonder that he is, had a hat trick in what has to be, might be, oh who cares if he plays until he’s 80, last World Cup. And little Cape Verde, with a smaller population than any of the host cities in this tournament, and Congo improbably made the knockout rounds while two-time World Cup champion Uruguay was sent packing.

The World Cup has been everything it was intended to be and nothing we feared it would become.

"Boston, you've embraced us like long-lost cousins who turn up announced, drank all your beer, decorated your statues and somehow remained welcome. You are all welcome back to ours to keep this party going," the Tartan Army said in a thank you to Boston.

Biggest World Cup had possibility for big problems

This is the largest World Cup in history, 48 teams up from 32, and for a good while, it seemed as if it was going to be the messiest.

Surely there would be blowouts with teams like Curaco (ranked no. 82 in the world), Haiti (No. 83) and New Zealand (No. 85) added to the mix. There was a fear foreign fans would stay home, made to feel unwelcome by a U.S. government that decided to be a bouncer rather than a host.

FIFA made tickets prohibitively expensive. Hotel owners jacked up rates. New Jersey Transit tried to hike the price of the train to MetLife Stadium more than 10 times the regular rate.

But all those fears, all that angst, turned out to be overblown.

Out of 72 games in the group-stage, only nine were blowouts. And most were wildly entertaining.

Cape Verde, playing in its first-ever World Cup, held mighty Spain and Uruguay to draws. Eloy Room made 15 saves against Ecuador to earn Curacao its first-ever point at the World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovinia staged an upset by tying co-host Canada in the teams’ opener.

Iran and Egypt had two goals, four yellow cards, a saved penalty and a bicycle kick clearance in just the first half of their game. Congo scored twice against Uzbekistan after the 78^th minute to secure its spot in the knockout round.

While Messi leads the Golden Boot race, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Ousmane Dembele are not far behind.

Americans on best behavior

But it is the arms-wide-open welcome by the American people that has made this World Cup so enchanting.

We are made to think we are a country ripping apart at the seams, far more to divide us than unite us. We are told we have to turn inward, the good-natured openness that is uniquely American a relic of the past.

And yet, we have thrown ourselves into our role as the world’s host with gusto.

"One of the things that we really like and we learn from you is in the way that you approach life," said U.S. men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentinian who has spent much of his adult life in Europe.

"People are very approachable and make you feel comfortable. It's very welcome," Pochettino said. "When you go around America, that for me was a massive surprise, all are different from different state and everything, but you have the same sense of the human being. You always want to welcome people, you make people belong quick to that place."

What makes the World Cup so special, even more than the Olympics, is that fans are united around one thing. They take over cities and towns where their teams are staying and playing, jovially infusing it with their culture and traditions.

Boston, I dare say, will never look at traffic cones the same way again.

Rather than being annoyed at the disruptions, Americans have jumped at the opportunity to expand their worlds. We hopped on bandwagons and became surrogate supporters. We looked for ways to make our new friends feel at home.

And when foreign visitors were awestruck by our quirks and unique traditions, we didn’t get angry or offended. We offered suggestions of other things that might amuse them.

The tournament has not been perfect. The treatment of Iran’s team was abysmal and will be the great shame of this World Cup. FIFA missed a real opportunity by pricing out so many fans.

But the World Cup has not been the grim experience so many of us feared. That’s partly because of the soccer, but it’s largely been because of us. Given the chance to welcome the world and embrace our shared humanity, we have not disappointed.

The World Cup has brought out the best in us.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.