NYC NOW - How New York and New Jersey Are Getting Ready for the World Cup

Episode Date: May 15, 2026

With less than 50 days until the World Cup kicks off, WNYC reporter David Brand takes us from Little Haiti in Flatbush, where fans are celebrating Haiti's first World Cup appearance in 52 years, to Kearny, New Jersey, a small town that shaped the entire history of American soccer. Photo: Johnrob/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images -Got any questions, comments or story ideas? Send us a message at [e-mail] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From WNYC, this is NYC Now. I'm Jene Pierre. I'm just kind of focusing on the positives. You know, it's like I can't control the fact that it's going to be paying the butt to get there. I might not have a ticket, but it's still the World Cup. Soccer fans in the New York, New Jersey region are pretty anxious to welcome the World Cup. On today's episode, one of our reporters escapes his usual beat to talk with soccer fans in our area. But before we get into that, here's your news headlines.

Mayor-old control of New York City schools will be extended for two years as part of the state budget. The system, which was first approved at the request of Mayor Bloomberg, needs to be reauthorized every few years. Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Janaris is a Queens Democrat. He says lawmakers are taking the step out of deference to Mayor Zoran Mumdani. He deserves the chance that a previous mayors have had to put its mark on the system. As a candidate, Mumdani said he wanted to change Mayor-E Oil Control to allow for more parent input. He changed his tune after the election, though, and this year he sought the extension. Janera says he's hopeful budget votes will start next week.

Mayor Mamdani says he has a plan to rein in one of the city's biggest costs, educating students with disabilities. Federal law says the education department must accommodate students with disabilities. If it can't, families can sue the city for reimbursement of private school tuition. City spending on these cases is projected to rise to 1.5 billion. billion dollars this year. But Mayor Mundani says the city can bring that spending down by expanding special education services. It is time to actually deliver them the kind of education that would mean their families don't have to consider going to a private school system to receive them. Mumdani isn't the first to try to tackle this issue. Former Mayor Eric Adams, who was dyslexic,

also expanded services for students with dyslexia and autism, but the cost of the legal claims continue to rise. Some of the biggest stars in the world are coming to MetLife's for the World Cup final, and this time I'm not talking about soccer stars. FIFA officials say it's planning a Super Bowl-style halftime show for the World Cup championship game, featuring Madonna, Shakira, and BTS. FIFA says characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets will also be part of the show, which I'm super excited about. If you're an Elmo lover, you know his hips don't lie either.

Speaking of the World Cup, many residents in the region are still weighing weather or not. they'll be attending the beautiful game, while one New Jersey town embraces its legacy as the cradle of American soccer. More on that after a quick break. Welcome back. Even if you never watch soccer, New York City wants you to feel the World Cup this summer. The city is rolling out a playbook for the event that includes loosening permits for watch parties, planning public screenings, and encouraging bars and community groups to turn games into neighborhood events. Officials are betting on this tournament becoming a shared experience across the five boroughs. For years, politicians and tourism officials pitched the World Cup as a once-in-a-generation boost for the New York region. But now,

even as ticket demand stays sky high, some hotel groups say bookings haven't exploded the way they expected. Still, lots of New Yorkers and New Jersey residents are excited about the beautiful game. And with less than 50 days until the World Cup kicks off, WNYC and Gothamist reporter David brand has been talking to local soccer fans about the region's soccer history. Hey, David. Hey, Jena. You know, I have to mention you are our housing reporter. So this is very different for you to be covering this one.

Are you a big soccer fan? It is a little different than my usual beat, but I am a huge soccer fan. I love soccer. I've been playing my whole life. I'm on a team right now that plays mostly in Hudson County, New Jersey. Oh, cool. Trying to get my kids into it. They've been a little reluctant so far.

but hopefully this World Cup can spur that kind of excitement. And you mentioned I'm a housing reporter. I actually got my start in journalism back when I was working as a social worker, but I did this project where every day during the 2014 World Cup, I'd go to a different restaurant or bar or cultural center that corresponded with one of the teams playing that day. That year the World Cup was in Brazil, so the time zones worked out. And I did this project where I wrote about it and ended up writing for some soccer magazines in the area.

And that was really my first forward. in New York City journalism. That's really cool, David. It's interesting to learn something about you in this way. Coming full circle with this. Yeah, for sure. So who are you rooting for? Well, I got to root for the United States.

You know, we are the host country this year. A lot of young, exciting players. But it's also been kind of a disappointing time for U.S. soccer. There's so much expectation. And these players have been, you know, playing in Europe and playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world. But the national team has really been underperforming. So still got to represent them and root for them.

But I'm especially rooting for a lot of the players who come from New York and New Jersey who are probably going to be on that roster. Almost a third of them have some local ties. Really? Yeah. So there's Timothy Wea. His dad is one of the best players of all time and actually the president of Liberia, George Wea. But he was born in Brooklyn. He grew up in Valley Stream.

He grew up playing for a club that's based in Ridgewood Queens. Okay. Potential goalkeeper, Matt Turner. He's from Park Ridge in Bergen County. He actually started playing soccer late in life. I think he was a basketball player. And now he's risen to the level of potential starting goalkeeper for the U.S. national team. Then there's a couple players who played locally.

There's Matt Freeze. He plays for New York City FC. He's another potential starting goalkeeper. So there's a lot of local ties in this tournament. And I understand that the USA gets to qualify because it's a host country, right? the USA, Canada, and Mexico. But how do the teams actually make it to the tournament? Well, this is the first tournament that there is going to be 48 teams.

In the past, there were 32, and before that, only 16. And the way teams qualify if they're not the hosts, like you mentioned, the first time with three host countries, is they have to go through a pretty grueling qualifying stage that takes more than a year. And world soccer is divided into different regions, basically based on continent. And each region, each continent, gets a certain amount of slots in the tournament. And so there's a tournament before the tournament, and that's how teams make it into the World Cup. But, Janay, you asked who I'm rooting for? I'm wondering who are you rooting for in the World Cup?

Oh, David, I'm actually rooting for Haiti because the country qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974. And it's been a long time. So I know folks are going to be super amped about that. People are super amped about it. I've actually spent some time in the Little Haiti section of Flatbush talking to people about how they're getting ready for the first World Cup for Haiti in 52 years. Yeah, tell me about the New Yorkers you spoke with. Well, I spoke to a man named Joseph DeSorces. I spent more years in this country than my native country.

He's 75. He's been living in Brooklyn for over 50 years. And he remembered like every detail of the last time Haiti people. played in the World Cup back in 74. Vividly. I remember that vividly. So this must be pretty special to be back in the World Cup? Of course. Very special. Very special.

It's been a long time. He says he just hopes Haiti makes it to the second round of the tournament gets out of this group stage phase, but he's excited, nevertheless. Let's see. It won't be easy because we are in a very difficult pool. Group of death. Yes.

Group of death. Talk about that. What is it? You know, this is a term that you, in soccer tournaments, they split all of the teams into groups of four. Some groups are considered easier than others. And Haiti's in a really difficult group, hence that term, group of death, because they have Brazil, Morocco, and Scotland. And Brazil is always one of the best. How do the teams actually make it to the tournament? So Haiti already qualified. It's a pretty tough road to get to the tournament. The U.S., Mexico and Canada all got automatic births in the tournament, but Haiti had to work their way through what's called Kankakaff. That's the

the North America and Caribbean and Central American countries to get into qualifying. And that's why it's such a big deal for everybody rooting for Haiti right now. Yeah, because they made it to the tournament, but the pathway to the tournament is years long. Yeah, for sure. Did you talk with anyone going to the World Cup at all? It's hard to find people who are actually going because the tickets are so expensive. But I mentioned Joe DeSorces. He says he's still thinking about it.

To me? the price is too high. He says he hasn't made up his mind just yet. It depends. It depends. I'm still watching what's going on. He will be watching the games from Brooklyn, though. He says he lives in Sheep's Head Bay. He still goes back to Flatbush and to Little Haiti all the time.

He says the vibes will be electric. Haitian will go crazy, no question about it. So everybody will be happy that day. I hope again Haiti makes it to the second round. I spoke to another man named Granger Lavecue. And he said if Haiti wins a game, it might feel like West Indian Day parade over in Little Haiti. You're going to see the happiness. Partying?

Yeah, the party, everything. You're going to see. You're going to see we celebrate everything. Oh, that's exciting. I would love to see them shut down the Eastern Parkway. And I should note, David, the city and the state recently announced the open streets viewing parties. And that'll make watch parties a lot easier for neighborhood bars. So I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Yeah, it's going to be fun. It's going to be a lot warmer. It's going to be party time. Yeah, yeah. Who else did you speak to? Well, I also went to Kearney, New Jersey, which a lot of people call Sokertown USA. Really? Yeah, it's really one of the cradles of American soccer. They have had such a big impact on the history of soccer in this country. But I've been in this country 49 years. Never lost my accent. Never will. But we're getting ready for the World Cup. That's Alice Duffy. She's been running the ball. bar at the Scots American Club in Carney for the last 25 years.

She first moved to Carney close to 50 years ago and has just kind of been embedded in the soccer scene there. But soccer is a big thing. Big thing here. I mean, everybody played it. Your kids played it. They're still playing it here. So I mentioned Carney has had such a huge impact on U.S. soccer.

A lot of that has been driven by the Scots American club. It's a soccer club that traces its roots back to 1931, one of the oldest clubs. still in operation, still playing in the country. They have a clubhouse, basically, that has banquet halls, outdoor area, and also this narrow bar where I mentioned Duffy's been running for 25 years. And it's just packed with soccer history. Scots, American in 1931, I guess. Can I take a photo holding that ball?

Sure. There's photographs, jerseys, trophies, a ball, a leather-laced ball from 1931, just kind of showing that history over nearly 100 years. This place is, you're not going to be able to move in here. This place will be jammed. And Alice expects the bar is going to be packed during the World Cup, especially when Scotland plays. Keep the beers flowing, Alice.

David, do you think you're going to catch a game over there in Carnegie, New Jersey? I might have to. I mean, I did ask if, you know, it's a member's only club, but they will sign in guests. I said, can I get in? She said, of course. So I might have to do it. Yeah.

Why is soccer such a big deal there? Well, it really traces back to the 1870s. And back then, soccer was this new sport called Association Football. And at the time, there were these giant textile companies. And they attracted a lot of workers from Scotland. And a lot of those Scottish workers started playing on company teams or forming their own clubs. And actually, the first U.S. Soccer Dynasty was based in one of these clubs. It was called Clark O&T. They won the first three national championships in U.S. soccer history. The first president of a U.S. soccer governing body came from Carney. The first international match that a U.S. soccer team played was actually in what was then Carney. And even as people in other towns started really turning to football, basketball, baseball, people in Carney still embraced soccer.

And they continued producing players for the U.S. national team right up until 1994. That was the last time the World Cup was played in the United States, and three of the starters on the U.S. national team grew up playing together in Carney. Well, I thank you for this brief history lesson, David. I had no idea. Yeah, it's cool. You know, this has always been important to me because my mom grew up in a neighboring town. I mentioned I grew up playing soccer and being pretty obsessed with soccer.

So driving through Carney, I always felt like this was the soccer mecca. Like, how is this small town? Now about 40,000 people, about five miles from New York City. how is this, like the cradle of American soccer? And so for a long time, Carney was mostly Scottish Americans or Scottish immigrants who came over. And they love soccer. And people in Carney still do love soccer,

and there's still this very strong soccer culture that they're very proud of. But the character of the town has really changed. Now, census status shows majority of residents are Hispanic, but that hasn't changed the soccer in town at all. In fact, they might have even made it stronger. I'm born and raised in Carnegie, New Jersey, so I know everything, know the history.

so I just love the game. Henry Vallejo is 19. He grew up playing soccer and Carney, and he actually now coaches younger kids, part of the vaunted Carney youth soccer program. Everyone's soccer. Like, that's all they play. Like, everyone just breathes soccer.

They live soccer. Like, in the morning, they get up, they go play soccer, pickups. He says that in the soccer world, everyone knows about Carney's deep history. When I play other teams, everyone knows Carney. Yeah. So, I know you mentioned Alice and the bar she works at,

but how are other folks in Carney prepping for the World Cup. Well, they're excited. Hey, Mike. Hey, how's going on, man? He's got a slice of pizza. Oh, nice. It's a great store. I spoke to Michael Mara, who runs a soccer equipment shop in Carney that he found it a few years ago. We usually have a wall of like Carney soccer and Thistle and Paisley, but with all the World Cup jerseys coming out, we're kind of running tight on room. So I said, take that

down and let's kind of make room for all the World Cup jerseys. And Michael is really a Carney soccer lifer. I always played it, but it was like became more of a focus for me around that 12-13 age where we just played all the time. But he says he doesn't have tickets for the tournament yet. And he's hoping something will come through. Everyone's praying for tickets. Yeah, maybe there'll be some type of lottery for Carney Residents or something like that.

Maybe public radio workers. Wishful thinking. You said before was Joe or anyone I talked to in Little Haiti planning to go to games? Well, ticket prices are still so expensive that it's hard to find people who are going to go. And Michael Maris says he doesn't have tickets yet. He went back in 1994. He said it was like a life-changing experience, especially since he knew some of those players who grew up in Kearney.

And he's hoping that something will come through and that more people in Kearney will have an opportunity to go to games. It's like in some ways hard to believe it's coming. There's a lot of negative stuff attached to it with costs and transportation and ticket nonsense and things. But I'm just hopeful that and I'm just kind of focus on the positives. You know, it's like I can't control. the fact that it's going to be paying the butt to get there.

I might not have a ticket, but it's still a World Cup. Well, if Michael doesn't make it to this year's World Cup, at least he can say he went to one, and that's the one back in 1994. Meanwhile, David and I are still trying to get there, right? That's right. You know what? I was there in 1994, too. And tickets were a lot more reasonable, I think.

It was Germany versus Bulgaria. And all I remember is that the ball went into the stands above our head. and we were like behind a goal, which kind of shows how close you were, but like no one really cared back then. So they tickets were probably like 40 bucks or something like that. Now they're like $4,000. Yeah, I don't know.

I don't know if we're going to make it back this year, Janay. Well, I guess I'm all alone. Someone hook me up. That's WNYC's David Brand. Thanks a lot, David. Thanks, Janay. And thank you for listening to NYC now. I'm Jenae Pierre.

Have a good one.