NYNJ Host Committee officials have been quick to say that all eight matches at MetLife Stadium are unique events — not only with different nations competing and different fan bases attending but matches played on different days and different times.
And all of that is true.
The final, which will be held July 19 at MetLife, will be remarkably different in size and scope from the first seven matches, which wrapped up Sunday night with Norway defeating Brazil.
And then there’s this: For all numbers that show the World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, the event also serves as a proof of concept that MetLife can get what it really wants: Another Super Bowl.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill addressed all this and more Sunday afternoon, in a media conference on the top level of a parking deck at American Dream, providing the perfect back drop.
Sherrill said the numbers back up the anecdotal praise. Parking lot turnaround, she said, has actually outpaced what the stadium sees on football Sundays.
“Right now, it’s going really well,” Sherrill said. “In fact, we’ve been clearing routinely, clearing the parking lot faster than at the Giants and Jets games, which is our real feat, given that we see so many fans here.”
The mood inside the gates has matched the logistics, she said.
“Everyone seems to be thrilled to be here, thrilled to support their teams,” Sherrill said.
None of it happened by accident, Sherrill said, pointing to years of coordination between federal, state and local agencies.
“Each event has an incredible amount of effort that’s gone into it for years now, in the planning,” she said. “We have federal resources that we’ve built through Homeland Security to make sure we’re securing the area. We have state and local resources that we put into this with our state police, with Bergen County, that has been offset by federal funding as well.”
She singled out the State Police for praise.
“The New Jersey State Police are just excellent, really above and beyond, so we have put this plan together, and they’re executing it beautifully,” Sherrill said.
And despite storm damage elsewhere on the rail network, she said service to and from the stadium itself hasn’t been the problem.
“The rail systems in and out of the stadium are working very well,” Sherrill said. “It’s some of our other commuter rails we’re working on right now.”
Asked directly whether New Jersey preparing for the World Cup final also amounted to preparing for another Super Bowl, Sherrill didn’t answer the question head-on.
Instead, she pivoted to what the tournament has already proven and what the state plans to do with that proof — pointing to American Dream’s boost, 34 fan zones statewide, a bump in short-term rentals, and a promised after-action report before New Jersey commits to chasing its next marquee event.
Sherrill addressed a number of issues; here is a quick summary:
On the heat wave’s impact on the state and the event: Storms two nights before Sunday’s press conference knocked out power across the state and damaged rail lines, forcing NJ Transit into recovery mode in the middle of the tournament.
“We had an extra challenge, given that two nights ago we had horrible storms up here, which really damaged a lot of our rail lines,” Sherrill said. “We’re bringing them back up as quickly as possible. They won’t affect — we don’t anticipate them affecting service in and out of the stadium.”
The Morris & Essex Line has taken the worst of it, she said, with more storms in the forecast and the clock ticking toward the final.
“We have more storms coming tonight, so we’ll react quickly,” she said. “We anticipate all the rail systems will be ready to go by the 19th.”
On the fan zones away from MetLife: Sherrill said the fan zones have given the tournament a footprint well beyond MetLife Stadium’s parking lots. Sherrill said 34 have opened across the state, driven in part by local demand.
“We’re hearing from mayors across the state, they’re building fan zones to take advantage of this,” she said. “We’ve seen VRBO and Airbnb numbers, so people can earn a little money. We’re pushing different programs, so that businesses can take advantage of all of our visitors.”
On the excitement of the tournament: None of it would matter much if the soccer itself was a dud. It hasn’t been, Sherrill said, pointing to Cabo Verde’s tournament run as a personal highlight.
“I’m not an emotional sucker watcher, but when that goal was scored by Cabo Verde, their last goal — wow, I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said. “It was amazing. These games are fantastic to watch.”
On the ultimate aim: Doing best for N.J.: The final on July 19 will close out the World Cup. For New Jersey, Sherrill made clear, it’s meant to be the start of a longer pitch.
“The only reason to hold an event like this for me as governor is to make sure that it’s really benefiting the people of New Jersey,” she said. “That’s why we work so hard.”
