Having A World Cup Match In Colorado? It'd Be 'Like 10 Super Bowls In A Row'
(CBS4) - The president of a large fan group that supports the U.S. Soccer team says Colorado and International soccer have a history together.
"We've had a great record of hosting U.S. games here," said Robert Wilson, the president of the American Outlaws.
One of the more memorable games of the past decade was played here.
A World Cup Qualifier played during a blizzard in 2013 was nicknamed the Snow Classico.
Last year, the U.S. men lost a World Cup qualifier to Trinidad and Tobago.
And back in 2002, the U.S. men beat Mexico at Mile High.
For soccer fans, those would pale in comparison to a world cup match being played here.
"If there's a U.S. game here, it will be like ten Super Bowls in a row for us," said Wilson.
USA Soccer, along with the Mexican Football Federation and the Canadian Soccer Association, made a united bid to FIFA to bring the World Cup to North America in 2026. The united bid lists 23 cities in North America that could play host to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. One of those cities is Denver.
"We have everything built already. We already have an amazing soccer stadium. We already have the airport. We already have a great city to visit," said Wilson.
"A lot of international teams like to come to Colorado. We have great fields, great climate, everyone loves visiting Colorado so I think we would be great hosts."
The decision is a long way off, but soccer fans say if Denver gets to host it could be a huge economic and publicity boost for the area, plus a huge honor. Not to mention a lot of fun for sports fans.
"No matter what teams are playing we would fill that stadium and we would have a great time," said Wilson.
Michael Abeyta is a 4th generation Coloradan and a Multimedia Journalist for CBS4. His stories can be seen on CBS4 News at 5 & 6. He is on Twitter! Follow him @AbeytaCBS4.