Kick It: Spain v. Saudi Arabia

Welcome back to Kick It, the AJC’s newsletter for all things World Cup. By now, we’re all completely Cup-pilled. We’re soccermaxxing. We’re so excited we’re talking like TikTok teens. What’s been your favorite World Cup moment so far? Tell us.

Let’s get to it.

MATCH PREVIEW: STALEMATE OR CHECKMATE?

A very cool mural for the Spanish national team in South Downtown. (Estela Muñoz/AJC)

Atlanta’s third World Cup match features more Group H drama.

• After the city’s excellent 0-0 opener between Spain and Cape Verde, heavy-hitting Spain is back in town to take on Saudi Arabia Sunday.
• This wasn’t the most compelling matchup at the beginning of the tournament, but chaos has tipped the scales in our favor.
• Every team in Group H (Spain, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde and Uruguay) has one point after the first round of games. Technically, it’s anyone’s group to win.
• In practice, Spain needs to prove they came here to dominate — and they need to do it now if they want to top their group.
• Spain is now ranked No. 3 in FIFA’s international rankings, down a slot from when the tournament began.
• They’ll also be without their biggest star, at least to begin. Teen phenom Lamine Yamal has been nursing a left hamstring injury, and says he may not be fit to start the game.
• Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia no longer seems a long shot. They’re ranked No. 59, yes, but given what we’ve seen so far, it could be a tighter game than the numbers imply. At the very least, it will be interesting.

🇪🇸 Fun Spain fact: Tiki-taka. Write it down. That’s the nickname for the team’s style of play, characterized by short passes and lots of movement.

🇸🇦 Fun Saudi Arabia fact: The Saudi team’s nickname is The Green Falcons. We a love a good falcon, right?

MATCH DETAILS

• Match time: Sunday, noon ET at Atlanta Stadium. Doors open at 9 a.m.
• Forecast: Hot and muggy! It’ll get past 80 degrees before match time, with the highest chances of precipitation coming around 6 p.m.
• Traffic sitch: So far, so good. This is Atlanta’s first weekend World Cup game. Will that make traffic prospects better, or worse?

YOUR ATLANTA WORLD CUP EXPERIENCES

Visitors say helpful MARTA employees on the ground have been a bright spot in their World Cup experience. (Ben Gray/AJC)

Y’all. I asked our A.M. ATL family (that’s our morning newsletter, which you definitely need to read) to share their World Cup experiences so far, and people are having a great time!

🏆 Good: MARTA is doing their best

“We took Marta there and back which overall was actually quite painless. Trains came quickly so we got there and back quickly even though trains were full. When we rode home from the game, we did have to pay at Vine City ... Beyond that, I feel like the city and the stadium handled the crowds very smoothly.” — Emily

“The MARTA staff and volunteer group couldn’t have been more welcoming and helpful to and from the stadium. Hats off to the team for all the prep and support.” — Daniel

🟨 Room for improvement: MARTA could do better in some areas

“We left from the North Springs Marta station, the gates were under construction or not working so we rode for free. When we got off at Five Points we also were not charged and exited for free. This was probably the biggest Marta travel day in a decade and they missed out on SO much revenue because they couldn’t get their ticketing system up and running.” — Emily

“While they seem to have done a good job with signage for the WC, they still don’t make it easy to know what stop your train (when onboard) is currently at or arriving. You typically can’t hear the operator make announcements, the signs in the station are hard to read or see from the trains (for a variety of reasons, including dirty windows, faded signs, poor locations or people in the way), and the electronic sign boards on the train don’t always show the stop.” — Bob

🏆 Good: COSM

“I watched America’s World Cup opening match against Paraguay at the new COSM Atlanta. It’s a spectacular venue.” — Bob

🟨 Room for improvement: Supporting local

“I feel bad for the food vendors who are not getting the opportunity to recoup their expenses. They need foot traffic to be funneled their way.” — Mike

🏆 Good: Fan Fest and the general vibes

“We had a great time at the FIFA fan fest at centennial Olympic park. There was a short wait to get in, but once inside we had a blast watching the matches, experiencing the sponsor fan zones, and indulging in some treats (try the Georgia peach cocktail at the food and bev tent if you go!). The vibes inside the festival and surrounding areas downtown have been great; so many smiling faces on volunteers and city workers who I know are working hard to make this run smoothly.” — Ashley

🟨 Room for improvement: Fan Fest specifics

“The only down I noticed was that the city trash cans outside the festival were overflowing; I’m sure they are stretched thin trying to keep up.” — Ashley

“We’re a week into the tournament and yet they seem shocked everyone’s gonna show up for a 3 p.m. US soccer game on a holiday. 20 minute security lines, bar lines for 30 or 45 minutes. Just didn’t show the city off very well to all the tourists in town.” — Jacob

🏆 Good: grass!

“Just fabulous to see natural grass in the Benz. I am sure Falcons players would love for them to find a way to retain it.” — Brian

HALFTIME QUIZ!

How many teams played in the first World Cup? Where was it held?

ALL THE HOMIES HATE WATER BREAKS

England's Harry Kane demonstrates the importance of hydration breaks. (Julio Cortez/AP)

Capitalism?! In the FIFA World Cup hosted partially in the United State of America?

Perish the thought.

Every World Cup match features two hydration breaks; one roughly halfway through each half. This is the first time FIFA has mandated the breaks during the World Cup.

Viewers hate it. Non-American viewers especially.

Here are their most common arguments against it:

• It’s an obvious excuse for commercials (cue sad American laughter at the obvious).
• It messes with the flow of the game.
• It “Americanizes” the game so that we think of it in quarters instead of halves.