Approaching men's FIFA World Cup brings back memories in Lakewood Ranch area

Eleven coffins were placed atop cars and driven through the streets of Naples, Italy, on the night of July 11, 1982. It was a simulated funeral, though, that was not all that somber of an occasion.

Those coffins had been built for the players of the then-West Germany men's national soccer team, which had just lost to Italy, 3-1, in the FIFA World Cup final.

Antonio Saviano, who grew up in Naples, witnessed the magnificently macabre celebration. His memory of it is almost as vivid as the day he lived it.

“It was something that I'll never forget,” said Saviano, the executive director for Florida Premier FC SWFL. ”People go, and then they celebrate, but when you go out on the street and see something like that … that was one of the best experiences ever.”

Passion for soccer is plenty potent in Italy. The same is true for several other corners of Europe and beyond — wherever the sport has deep roots.

It shows every four years during the men’s FIFA World Cup, which starting June 11, will be held across Canada, Mexico and the U.S. This is only the second time in tournament history that the U.S. has hosted, either solo or in partnership with other countries.

In 1994, this nation welcomed the World Cup for the first time. Over three decades have come and gone without it serving as a stage for the world’s highest level of soccer.

Soccer enthusiasts all over the U.S. are accustomed to huddling around their TVs to watch games. Finally, those games are within reasonable distance to attend.

“Talk to any young kids and their dream is to play at the professional level. They don't even say, ‘I want to play college,’” Saviano said. “It has created a buzz. You already see kids wearing jerseys from different countries.”

Vito Bavaro, the Lakewood Ranch High boys soccer coach, remembered 1994 well.

He spent that summer running Vito’s Pastry Shop in Cliffside Park, New Jersey. Customers could buy tickets from his bakery to World Cup games at Giants Stadium in nearby East Rutherford. 

That first tournament in the U.S. was far more successful than some anticipated for a country lacking a rich soccer tradition. It broke then-records for total attendance with 3,587,538 spectators and for average attendance with 68,991 spectators per game.

Bavaro’s concern with the World Cup’s return is that middle- and lower-class fans who could attend in 1994 have now been priced out. He surely isn’t alone in having those concerns.

“You used to be able to get a ticket to the World Cup for $100 or $200. It wasn't these unbelievable, extravagant numbers that they're asking now for nosebleed seats,” Bavaro said. “It’s crazy, and kind of sad … I don't know how many regular people can actually enjoy these games.”

To him and many others, soccer should never be about dollars and cents. It cultivates a unique culture that few other sports — if any — can replicate.

It’s about memories like July 11, 2021, when he brought his Lakewood Ranch boys soccer players to Ed’s Tavern so they could watch the UEFA Euro 2020 final together.

There were four or so tables of Italian fans, Bavaro said, compared to every other table in the restaurant, which seated fans of the English club. The place was as packed.

Even after Italy won in penalty kicks, 3-2, and crushed England’s dreams of its first Euro title, some English fans offered compliments to the Italian fans on their team’s triumph.

“There was such a camaraderie, even though we were the minority there,” Bavaro said. “That was just so much fun to watch and to be involved with, and you felt that you were part of it. I’m hoping that’ll be the same way for the World Cup.”

Juan De Brigard, the director for the Lakewood Ranch Chargers, has been around the sport his entire life. The Colombian native spent 15 years coaching youth soccer in the Tampa Bay area before stepping into his current role with the Chargers in April 2024. 

During that time, he became familiar with all the craze around the Panini FIFA World Cup sticker album. Kids are obsessed with it. Even some adults get hooked, De Brigard said.

He organized sessions where kids and adults alike could trade stickers as they aimed to fill up their respective albums. Whether they were in search of their favorite player or looking to complete a team, there was always heavy interest.

The now-globally distributed sticker album had yet to be created in 1966. That was the year England defeated then-West Germany, 4-2, in the World Cup final. 

Sixty years later, that game remains one of De Brigard’s most cherished memories.

“I went to a German school in Colombia and I was 7 years old,” De Brigard said. “For the first time ever in a very strict school, we were allowed to bring our little radios to listen to the final as it was broadcasted from Wembley (Stadium)... That was a lot of fun.”

Culture and sport become one at the World Cup. That can make for some unforgettable moments, regardless of one’s nationality.

We're reminded of that every four years. From June 11 through July 19, we'll be reminded once again.

A new collection of memories will be made.