KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Team USA may be out of the 2022 World Cup, but another area of Kansas City is just as excited to see Team Croatia hit the field and take on Brazil.
"It’s a big David vs. Goliath," said Kenny Yarnevich, the manager of St. John Catholic Club in Strawberry Hill, the largest Croatian community in Kansas City. "Croatia has a population just under a million, and Brazil has a population just at 200 million."
St. John Catholic Club is the place to be on game day. Yarnevich remembers the 2018 game against France in the finals. Croatia lost, but the spirit of the team is alive.
"We’re [Croatians] full of energy and competitive and they pass that onto the field," Yarnevich said. "The thing about the Croatian team, they don’t back down or get intimidated by anybody. They know what they’re up against and they’re going to play their hearts out and play a good game."
On a day like today, the club will host hundreds, even thousands in the past. The rich Croatian history seeps through the walls as generations continue to come back or stay.
"My great-grandfather was actually one of the founding members of this parish," said John Mikesic, a board member at the club. "So, we’re fifth generation Mikesic’s that live on this hill."
Mikesic gets teary talking about his team, his heritage and his life at the club.
"It’s my childhood," he said. "You come back and sit here and you relive your childhood, so we get a chance to relive our childhood, celebrate our heritage."
As for the match against Brazil, Mikesic said he's hoping for a Christmas miracle, but all are proud to have gotten this far. Anyone is welcome at the club, Yarnevich just warns that it gets rowdy.
"It’s very loud, especially when they score a goal, it gets very loud," he said. "They go crazy."
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