Has football fever taken hold in the US?

The World Cup is a few weeks in and we are getting closer to finding out who will lift the trophy. As co-hosts USA prepare to face Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last 32, sources revisits some of the concerns around a World Cup partly held in the United States. Would tickets prove too expensive? Would football fever not take hold? Is football simply too far down America's priorities? We asked some of our reporters at the World Cup whether their perceptions had changed. The US World Cup star who couldn't be an American under Trump's plan How Pochettino has US believing they can be World Cup winners What was your first impression of the USA's reaction to the World Cup? John Bennett, broadcaster World Service I landed in New York on the same day as game three of the NBA finals, so in my first week in the USA covering the tournament, it was New York Knicks fever, not World Cup fever. There is so much going on in New York that at times in those early days it felt as though the World Cup was just another of the many tourists visiting the great city. Ian Dennis, broadcaster Radio 5 Live senior football reporter After spending a week and a half in Florida with England prior to the World Cup at two non-tournament venues my initial impressions were extremely low-key, because there was no feel for the World Cup at that stage. I then flew into New York City where the success of the New York Knicks clinching their first title in 53 years seemed to overshadow the World Cup among the locals. Liz Conway, sources journalist I was cautiously optimistic about how much enthusiasm there would be for the World Cup. In Mexico City, the atmosphere was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and many of us covering the opening match commented that it would have been incredible if the entire tournament had been held solely in Mexico. That was partly because, before arriving in the US, we weren't sure how much excitement there would be around the World Cup, with security concerns and political matters often overshadowing the build-up. Sam Harris, sources journalist My first impression was that the World Cup hadn't quite landed. Early on in New York, it felt like the Knicks' title run was the story everyone cared about. It reinforced my feeling that some host cities weren't fully connected to the tournament. Alex Howell, sources's England reporter I did not think with all of the other sporting events happening that it would break through. That feeling has totally changed now. Gary Rose, sources journalist On first arriving in Los Angeles there seemed to be little interest in the World Cup. There were a few small banners on lamp posts along freeways and a few billboards but it felt like functional promotion rather than excitement. Much of the focus, even thousands of miles away from New York, was on the Knicks. Has this changed as the tournament has progressed? John Bennett: Slowly but surely you could tell that the World Cup was capturing the imagination in New York. I went to an event for football fans in Harlem in week one of the tournament and it was packed with people who lived in the USA but were originally from one of the World Cup nations or had family history from one of the teams taking part. It brought home how big a part diaspora fans were going to play in the tournament and how much excitement and atmosphere that was going to create in the stadiums and the streets. I remember walking to an interview through Greenwich village and I saw a group of construction workers and businessmen who'd stopped on the pavement outside a bar because something had caught their eye on one of the TV screens inside. What was it? The final stages of Cape Verde's heroic 0-0 draw with Spain. World Cup fever was here. Ian Dennis: It changed for me when I went to Atlanta. That's when it felt more like a World Cup with supporters from different countries mingling together with a vibrant fan fest at the heart of downtown Atlanta. What also struck me inside the stadium in Atlanta is American fans following a country but they're not actual supporters. For instance, the majority of the crowd wore red when Spain played Saudi Arabia but they were not Spanish and as a result the atmosphere was lacking. Liz Conway: My opinion has completely changed. World Cup fever has well and truly arrived in the United States. Everywhere I've travelled, I've been really impressed by the fan zones, the number of friendly volunteers and the overall enthusiasm su