It’s been a summer to remember for soccer enthusiasts everywhere, as once again the World Cup is on the line. Every four years, countries from all over the globe come together to compete for the coveted trophy, and in 2026 North America is the designated host.
Locally, Marblehead High School boys soccer captain and center-midfielder Erik Badzak is watching the games intently, especially those involving Bosnia & Herzegovina. Badzak has family ties in Bosnia, where his grandparents (Ibro and Jadranka), aunts and uncles, cousins and friends reside.
With everything going on in the soccer world, Erik, ironically, is currently on a “planned family trip” to visit his Bosnian relatives, while adding, “I go almost every year with my parents (Oz and Maja) and younger sister Nina, 15, to visit my family over there, including two of my cousins – Alan Pajevic and Orhan Voloder – who are also good friends of mine.”
Before they took off for Bosnia, Erik and his parents and sister watched Bosnia & Herzegovina (1-1-1 in Group B play) defeat Qatar, 3-1 on June 24 in Seattle to secure a spot in the Round of 32, where they were shutout by Team USA, 2-0 in Santa Clara, California on July 1. The loss eliminated them from the World Cup.
The Americans ended up 2-1 in Group D play, and following the win over aforementioned Bosnia & Herzegovina, they lost to Belgium in the Round of 16 on July 6 in Seattle, 4-1.
Erik says that there weren’t any mixed emotions, because he knows that Team USA “is good this year,” before going on to say, “I think from now on more people will take the sport seriously here in the United States after what they have done so far.”
But the Marblehead Magician won’t soon forget going to the Qatar game. “One of the most memorable things about that game was to see just how many of our fans were there in Seattle to watch it,” he said. “Overall, it was an unbelievable experience, and something I can’t even describe in words. It was great to share it with my parents and sister.”
Erik credits his paternal grandfather Ibro in developing his appreciation for the sport. “He definitely inspired my love for the game,” he said. “He’s always watching soccer games, and being with him (in those settings) just rubbed off on me.”
His favorite player in this year’s World Cup is Colombia’s Daniel Munoz. Coming out of Group K, Colombia had two wins with one draw. They then edged Ghana in the Round of 32, 1-0 to advance to the Round of 16, where they lost to Switzerland in a shootout, 4-3 on July 7 in Vancouver.
Badzak predicts that Columbia will play France for the championship on July 19 in the New Jersey Meadowlands. “Both are fast, quality teams,” he said.
At the start of the tournament, Badzak attended watch parties with his Marblehead teammates. “The parties were awesome, and we loved talking about different teams in it,” he said.
The feelings on this year’s World Cup are the same here, as well as abroad. Erik’s relatives in Bosnia love it, and, according to him, they think that “it’s the best World Cup in a long time.”
The residual effects of having the World Cup so close to home could have immediate results as early as next month’s MHS boys soccer tryouts. “I think a lot more kids will want to play soccer, because they can see just how much fun it is,” said Badzak.
