PARIS (AP) Where is that World Cup buzz, FIFA?
On days the United States plays, thousands of fans clad in red, white and blue have filled the boulevards, bistros and brasseries of Reims, Paris and Le Havre. The stadiums also have been packed for Les Bleues, who hope to follow Les Bleus triumph at last years mens World Cup by lifting their own coupe du monde.
But strolling down the Champs-Elysees or Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honore, signage is scarce, that global gathering ambiance absent.
Back during the 1998 mens World Cup in France, every patisserie, creperie and boulangerie zealously hyped the monthlong football festival. By the eve of the final between France and Brazil, streets were pretty much impassible as masses sang La Marseillaise, the French national anthem. The City of Light could use some of that sparkle for the Womens World Cup