Bass Hanna thought he was going to be watching this year’s World Cup on television sitting on his couch.
Even with eight games, including the final, at MetLife Stadium, tickets have been hard to get, and they’re also a bit pricey. So, the youth soccer coach in Middlesex County was ready to watch the World Cup at his home in New Jersey.
But then came a phone call from someone he had played soccer against years ago…former United States National Team goalkeeper Tim Howard. Bass and Tim played for rival high schools, Hanna for East Brunswick and Howard for North Brunswick. The phone call was arranged so that Howard could surprise Hanna with tickets to a World Cup game thanks to the Verizon “Golden Call” promotion.
What makes this even more special for Hanna is that he is going to see Egypt take on Belgium on June 15th in Seattle.
Hanna was born in Egypt and moved to the United States when he was six.
“It was unexpected,” said Hanna, who coaches in the Metuchen/Edison area. “Growing up watching Tim and just hearing the news that you’re going to get to go to the World Cup and watch your favorite country where you were born playing, especially coming from a guy like Tim…it was a great experience. It was surreal. It was something that I’ll never forget.”
The phone call with Howard and Hanna is featured in this Verizon “Golden Call” video…
It was also a pretty special moment for Howard as well, as he helped Verizon give away thousands of World Cup tickets to customers, many of whom would never be able to get access to tickets or even afford them.
“You hear a lot of stories…tickets being hard to get and people not being able to go to games,” said Howard. “This is a pretty cool opportunity and I get to be a part of a partnership with Verizon to give those tickets away.”
It was a full-circle moment for Howard, who was 15 years old when the World Cup was last played in the United States. He dreamed of playing in the World Cup, but back then, there wasn’t even a major professional soccer league in the United States.
“There was nothing to dream about,” said Howard, who went to a couple of World Cup games as a fan in 1994.
That World Cup led the start of Major League Soccer, the first top-level league in the United States since the North American Soccer League, led by the iconic New York Cosmos, folded in 1985.
Four years after going to those World Cup games, Howard was playing for the NY/NJ MetroStars (now the Red Bulls), beginning his MLS career in 1998. Howard would embark on a stellar career that included a goalkeeper-record 121 appearances for United States National Team, including the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
Hanna went to that 2014 World Cup in Brazil and saw Howard and the United States take on Portugal. At that game Hanna had Howard sign a United States flag, a pretty surreal moment years after they were high school rivals on the pitch in New Jersey.
“It’s an authentic signature so it did happen,” said Howard.
The bond between the two goes even deeper as Hanna currently coaches youth players on the pitch at St. Joseph High School, the same field where Howard started his career going to clinics.
This whole experience, including that Golden Call conversation with Howard that included a debate of the best pizzerias in New Jersey, has been overwhelming for Hanna.
“It’s just been an honor and a privilege,” said Hanna. “An experience like no other for me to be honest.”
Howard has high hopes for the United States at this year’s World Cup. The USA is in Group D and will play Paraguay on June 12th in Los Angeles, Australia on June 19th in Seattle, and Turkey on June 25th in Los Angeles.
He believes the United States can advance to the knockout rounds.
“Given the talent that we have on the current team, I think this team will win the group,” said Howard.
Winning their group would pit the United States against a third-place team in the Round of 32, against a team that Howard feels the United States could handle.
“That third-place team…I believe will not be stronger than what’s in their group,” said Howard. “I think they get to the round of 16. I hope they do us proud.”
While Tim Howard hopes the United States can have a great World Cup, Bass Hanna is getting ready for the experience of a lifetime…World Cup tickets with the opportunity to watch portions of the match right from the pitch.
“I’m just stoked that it’s happening and I can’t wait,” said Hanna. “It’s crazy. It’s an honor and a blessing and I’m beyond excited.”
And it all happened with a Golden Call from an old friend.
