DUSSELDORF, Germany — No two ways about it, soccer fans, you’re getting “spoiled” over the next few days.
And though that’s not a particularly nice word at times, that’s what you call it when you load up Lionel Messi’s Argentina, add a dash of Spain vs. Germany, stir in some Kylian Mbappe vs. Cristiano Ronaldo, then England trying to resurrect its Euro 2024 campaign, and wind up with a South American swashbuckler in Brazil vs. Uruguay.
Soccer overload is coming, and there is no margin for error. With the Euros and the Copa América both at the quarterfinal point, this is when the superstars are supposed to shine, or else face a demoralizing sense of what-might-have-been and a hasty trip to the airport.
To save you all the bother, here’s a one-stop list of all the action.
It’s a lot of soccer, the thought of which appealed mightily to FOX Euro 2024 play-by-play announcer Darren Fletcher, when I reached him via telephone in Hamburg on Thursday.
“I’m actually quite jealous of the American audience,” said Fletcher, who lives in the United Kingdom. “For European fans, if you’re watching the Copa América, you’re doing it in the small hours.
“In America, you’re getting this overdose of the sport we love. It’s brilliant — starting with Lionel Messi, then segueing into a day at the Euros on Friday with the four best teams, which are also the teams I think will produce the winner of the tournament.”
Fletcher’s envy will likely be tempered by the fact that he’s in an especially enviable position himself.
Alongside former England midfielder and Champions League winner Owen Hargreaves, he will be pulling double duty on Friday and Saturday.
The duo will be on site at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion for the blockbuster featuring France and Portugal (and their respective megastars) in a repeat of the 2016 final, then follow up on Saturday with what might be the loudest and most energized game of the tournament. Turkey vs. Netherlands is in the German capital of Berlin, home to a 700,000-strong Turkish community.
Any plans for the holiday weekend? You might want to rethink them.
When Argentina takes on Ecuador in Houston on Thursday night, Messi is expected to return from the right groin strain that kept him out against Peru. Head coach Lionel Scaloni was coy on whether it would be as a starter or from the bench.
The Friday piece of the Euros puzzle is simply mouthwatering. There is an almost undeniable case to be made that, with the exception of various finals through the years, there has never been a more appetizing single day in the history of the tournament.
Spain vs. Germany is being described in these parts as the “real” final, featuring the two top-scoring teams so far and a wealth of talent highlighted by young superstars Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, and Jamal Musiala.
An hour after it ends (even less if there is extra time), France will try to improve its scoring woes and Portugal will hope to avoid seeing more tears from Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Spain, Germany, France and Portugal are the four teams that should be there and that were expected to be there,” Fletcher added. “That’s not always the case, and you’ll normally get a weaker team at this stage.
“To have them all play on the same day is rare. It is a fiesta of football, a massive day. And the coaches and players on those teams will be feeling that having got this far they should go on now and win it (all).”
Having monumentally significant knockout round games boasting such a level of star power in such a close time frame is basically unprecedented. Before Euro 2020, recent quarterfinals were each held on different days. Last time out, the best double-header was Spain vs. Switzerland and eventual champ Italy vs. Belgium. Good, but not like this.
With FOX and FS1 covering both tournaments on opposite sides of the Atlantic, Fletcher said he has felt more engaged with the Copa this year, and like many neutrals, is quietly hoping Argentina and Brazil make it to the final to set up the juiciest clash the region has to offer.
While the Euros has England’s unconvincing ride continuing against Switzerland and the Netherlands-Turkey contest on Saturday, a rest day beckons on Sunday.
Copa’s biggest heavyweight meeting so far rounds out its quarterfinal slate, as Uruguay, fresh from helping to dump the United States out, takes on Vini Jr. and the might of Brazil, which stuttered through the group stage.
Across both tournaments, Fletcher has enjoyed the emergence of fresh young stars and feels a new wave of talent is preparing to take the sport forward in a positive direction.
In person, he has also relished the impact made by European soccer nations that have not traditionally shined. Georgia’s upset of Portugal, Albania’s courageous efforts in the Group of Death, Austria finishing ahead of France and the Netherlands in Group D, were all worthy of high praise.
“These nations have said to some of the more established countries, we are now your equal — we want to be your better,” Fletcher added.
For now, though, the biggest of the big names are still kicking, and are primed to try to assert their authority.
After calling the Hamburg game, Fletcher and Hargreaves will head to Berlin the next morning to put their voices into action again.
And as he prepared to get back to his pre-game prep, Fletcher had a final piece of advice for fans getting ready for the most intense and important three-day window of the soccer summer.
“There’s only one thing to do, isn’t there,” he said. “Sit back and enjoy it.”
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