Lionel Messi, Argentina turn Kansas City riverfront hotel into World Cup hotspot
By Eric Graves
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KMBC) — The Argentina national team is settling in at a place not many would have imagined them being even a year ago.
The Origin Hotel along the Berkley Riverfront in Kansas City, Missouri, is decked out in Argentina colors and has two giant banners on the south side of the hotel featuring Messi’s face.
Most of the defending World Cup champions arrived from Argentina on Sunday morning at Kansas City International Airport.
However, the star of the show didn’t get in until that night. Messi arrived in a private jet from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Kansas City’s downtown airport.
As the team arrived at the Origin Hotel, so did international media and Argentina fans.
Come Monday morning, people living in some of the hundreds of apartments right next door to Argentina’s hotel started to notice something was up.
“I had no idea they were living this close to me,” said Belle Simecka, who was taking a walk along the riverfront with Kayla Ruther.
On their morning stroll, they also happened to see two team personnel in full Argentina apparel walking the same route.
“We were walking around today and we saw the coaches and you’re like, ‘They must be close by,'” said Ruther. “But we didn’t know where.”
More and more locals passed by the Origin Hotel. Some also didn’t realize Argentina would be so close. Others were well aware one of the best soccer players ever is now their new next-door neighbor.
Riverfront visitors Michael Taylor and Mary Brooks drove in from Overland Park to ride the streetcar for the day. They’re hoping Messi and Co. do the same and check out what Kansas City has to offer.
“They need to go to the Kauffman Center, Union Station,” said Brooks. “They need to go and walk the Plaza.”
As the day went on, the crowd outside the Origin Hotel grew. Argentina planned to leave the hotel at 5 p.m. to head to Compass Minerals National Performance Center for the team’s first training session in Kansas City.
Kansas City, Kansas, resident but native Argentine Jose Miguel stopped by for the second time on Monday, hoping to get a glimpse of or a picture with Messi.
“I never thought, you know, Kansas is going to be a place, they’re going to stay here,” Miguel said. “I love this, you know, yesterday we came, and we just tried to see him.”
Right around 5 p.m., players loaded onto a bus on the opposite side of the hotel from where the crowd was waiting.
Despite not seeing Messi board the motorcoach, fans outside still cheered loudly as the players, led by a KCK police escort, headed to their first training session.
Argentina will stay at the Origin Hotel throughout the World Cup, giving locals hope of seeing their new soccer superstar neighbors walking along the riverfront.
“I hope I go grab some coffee at 8 a.m. and I just run into Messi,” Simecka said.
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