Lionel Messi’s hat-trick brilliance offers redemption for Kansas City area’s World Cup commotion

By: Eric Thomas

Outlets: Kansas Reflector

Published: June 18, 2026

Words: 1,063

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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What else, besides sports?

What else could provide a rollercoaster of emotions from frustration to ecstasy, from civic embarrassment to regional pride within a few hours?

Consider Tuesday night’s World Cup match in Kansas City.

As Lionel Messi, the consensus best soccer player alive, netted his third goal in the city’s inaugural World Cup game, I spun around to face my son, a Kansas soccer kid from the start, looked him in the eyes and …

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