World Cup Extravaganza Bolstered N.C. Sports Theme
By David Glenn
In the sports world, it’s hard to throw a party without North Carolina.
The Carolina Hurricanes just won hockey’s Stanley Cup. The Carolina Panthers made the National Football League playoffs last season. Raleigh is in the headlines as a potential Major League Baseball expansion destination. Even the Charlotte Hornets recently competed in a playoff play-in game.
At the college level, the men’s basketball programs at UNC, NC State and Duke each have competed in the Final Four recently. The Blue Devils are the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champions in men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football. Just last month, the Tar Heels finished as the runner-up at the College World Series.
At the ongoing World Cup, which has drawn the largest soccer television audiences in United States history, Team USA alone included one starter who competes professionally in the Old North State (team captain Tim Ream of Charlotte FC) and a top reserve who played collegiately at UNC (midfielder Sebastian Berhalter).
In addition, former Wake Forest stars Alistair Johnston and Mark McKenzie competed for Canada and the United States, respectively. Those nations shared this year’s World Cup hosting duties with Mexico, and all three countries won knockout matches before being eliminated in the Round of 16.
Team USA’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32 attracted a record-setting national TV audience of about 36 million, with average viewership at about 26 million on Fox and about 10 million on (Spanish-language) Telemundo. That remarkable record, for the most-watched soccer match ever on American television, lasted for only five days, because Team USA’s 4-1 loss to Belgium on Monday night averaged about 42 million viewers.
In the United States, such TV numbers typically are reserved for only NFL playoff games, presidential State of the Union addresses, and a very short list of other major events, in sports and beyond.
Most of the World Cup participants with North Carolina ties were highly impactful, too.
Johnston, a defensive anchor, never left the field for Team Canada. He played nearly 500 total minutes across five matches as the Canadians finished 2-2-1.
Before a nightmarish finale against Belgium, the 38-year-old Ream had played every minute of Team USA’s victories over Paraguay, Australia and Bosnia, anchoring the defense and limiting opponents’ chances in front of starting goalkeeper Matt Freese.
“I am so grateful that (Ream) is with us, because he is a great captain — not only on the field, if not maybe more important, off the field,” Team USA coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “He has the experience, he has the capacity to be the leader that we want, the positive leader, acting and reflecting on the field and off the field.”
Berhalter came off the bench in each of Team USA’s group-stage contests, then again versus Bosnia and Belgium. He averaged almost 40 minutes per game and notched his first World Cup goal and assist in the Türkiye match.
In 2022, Berhalter attended the World Cup in Qatar from an unusual vantage point. His father, former UNC star and Team USA player Gregg Berhalter, was then the head coach for the American side. Sebastian sat in the stands with his siblings and his mother, former UNC soccer player Roz (Santana) Berhalter. Gregg and Roz met in Chapel Hill in the early 1990s, during their college playing days.
When Pochettino put together a group-chat video in May, welcoming this year’s 26 selections to Team USA, the entire Berhalter family was overcome with emotions when Sebastian got the call.
“My mom started crying right away, and my sister started crying, and then I started crying,” Sebastian Berhalter said. “I was just telling them I love them and thank you so much for all the sacrifices over the years, especially my mom. …
“It’s amazing. Four years ago, I was in the stands, waiting for my pops to come up (after a game). Now they’re waiting for me.”
In sports competitions, of course, only one team gets the trophy at the end.
Win or lose, though, it’s always fun to see North Carolina teams — and individuals with North Carolina ties — right in the middle of the action.
David Glenn (DavidGlennShow.com, @DavidGlennShow) is an award-winning author, broadcaster, editor, entrepreneur, publisher, speaker, writer and university lecturer (now at UNC Wilmington) who has covered sports in North Carolina since 1987.
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