5 Things We Love celebrates the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Brazil in this special edition of our popular Monday feature. Put on your red-white-and-blue kit and grab a caxirola to watch Team USA in its first match vs. Ghana at noon Monday on ESPN.
Never lose track of hot matches, teams
International sporting events such as the World Cup, the monthlong soccer spectacle that will be seen by 3.2 billion people, now come with an undeniable (unavoidable?) online and mobile app presence that gives fans more information than they will ever need. FIFA, the sport’s governing body, has a free mobile app that allows you to access live coverage and create custom alerts for teams you want to follow. Team profiles and breaking-news alerts are available, many with videos. (You can pretend you’re on an important call on your smartphone while really listening to an interview.)
ESPN.com, FIFA.com, USSoccer.com, SBNation.com all offer a range of online features: game previews, player profiles, game trackers, game results, video highlights and more. — Mike Gordon
Rattles for adults delight and distract
Vuvuzela, meet caxirola. Get ready to shake, rattle and annoy while supporting your favorite team during the four glorious weeks of the World Cup. Less annoying but equally banned in all Brazilian stadiums, the caxirola is a bell-shaped plastic shaker with finger grips on the side — an adult rattle that aptly reflects this Cup’s theme: "All in one rhythm."
While the noisemakers may be scarce in Hawaii, there’s an app for that — just search for "caxirola" on your app store and you’ll find several free versions that can be customized with team colors. (Scooptic’s Caxirola claims to be the No. 1 sports app in Brazil.)
Maybe you can’t find 29,999 friends to join you for a soccer samba or "futebol festa" — it’s estimated it would take 30,000 caxirolas to produce the sound energy of one vuvuzela — but a party of one can still be fun. — Cindy Luis
Kailua shop heads up viewing parties
For "futebol" fans, attending a World Cup match is a bucket-list necessity. But if you can’t find your way to the Copacabana, the next best thing is to watch a match or two at a venue that lives and breathes soccer. In Kailua that’s the Paradise Soccer Club at 131 Hekili St., Suite 111. Local boy and shop owner Max Anton is opening his place for viewing parties at 9 a.m. every day of the World Cup, except Tuesdays when it’s normally closed. For weekend matches airing between 9 a.m. and noon, enjoy a $5 breakfast that includes, of course, linguica, a Portuguese favorite. Fans can bring their own food and chairs as well.
While you’re there, get a feel of the 2014 FIFA World Cup adidas Brazuca ($160), the official match ball, as you watch "o jogo bonito" ("the beautiful game") on the store’s 60-inch flat-screen TV. Or don the store’s most popular kit, the red-white-and-blue U.S. "away" jersey, for $90. Call 262-9099 or visit paradisesoccerclub.com. — Tiff Wells
Hawaii Public Radio show celebrates music of Brazil
Brazil is one of those places, like Hawaii, where music and dance are integral parts of the culture. So to get in the right mood for the World Cup, tune in to "Brazilian Experience" at 4 p.m. Saturdays on HPR-2 (FM 89.3 on Oahu). Host Sandy Tsukiyama knows her stuff: She studied ethnomusicology at the University of Hawaii and lived in Brazil for three years, singing in bars, restaurants and on TV there and working with some legendary musicians. She still performs here while also teaching Spanish at her alma mater, Roosevelt High.
An expert in Latin and Brazilian music, from bossa nova to samba, Tsukiyama is not so crazy about soccer. "The level of fanaticism (in Brazil) is to the point where it’s physically uncomfortable," she said. She recalls going to a game at the historic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, where fans brought packets of flour to throw like confetti and consumed large quantities of beer, with predictable results. "I got floured, peed and beered in one afternoon," she said. — Steven Mark
Smokin’ stars double the pleasure for Cup fans
Yes, I am a woman who loves sports, and, no, I do not watch sports solely to ogle hot guys. But I’m not going to lie: One of the things I love about the World Cup is the parade of incredibly fit, good-looking athletes.
With David Beckham no longer on the pitch, Portugal’s superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo has taken the torch as the most drooled-over player on the planet. His Facebook page is the sixth most popular page on the social media site, with more than 84 million "likes" — and you know not all of them are strictly due to his remarkable soccer skills. Then there’s Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas, a personal favorite of mine ever since I first saw him diving for saves during the 2002 tournament. Like Ronaldo, Casillas is more than just a pretty face: The Spanish captain led La Roja to the 2010 World Cup title.
These guys give a whole new meaning to "the beautiful game." — Stefanie Nakasone
