Tribute to Grant Wahl
As you now know, US soccer journalist Grant Wahl unexpectedly passed away while covering the Netherlands-Argentina match at the World Cup in Qatar early Saturday morning at the age of 49.
I regret that I did not know him personally, but I would see him whenever the national teams or the MLS All-Star Game would come to Chicago. He was one of the deans of soccer journalism in this country and a class act all the way. We will deeply miss him in the press box.
Colleagues past and present of Prost Amerika were invited to share their thoughts on Grant Wahl:
“A great writer with a personality that’s straight forward. One outstanding person that will be missed in the Soccer World! Heartfelt condolences to his family. We will miss the great stories from the World Cup to many great kicks over his past years!” —Rusty Silber who covers Chicago Fire and Chicago Red Stars
“I’m stunned. The world of sports journalism lost a powerful voice today. Grant didn’t compromise, and by itself that would be enough to gain respect. Reading his work over the last decade, I knew that the community I found myself in was the right place: we all try our best to capture the important moments, and share our view with others. I met Grant a few times at Sounders games, and talking to him was a high point of those days. I will miss him.” –Paul Kahl, photographer for our Seattle Sounders and OL Reign coverage
“I followed and enjoyed his writing. For me, if I had to pick a journalist to align with my image of soccer, it was Grant. He covered many sides of the sport, the fun, the dark and the impact of the game as a whole. He was such an important voice. I had the pleasure of chatting with him while we watched Argentina practice when they were in Boston. While a huge name, he was nice to an unknown local photographer. To lose him at such a young age is a huge loss for his family and for the soccer community.” –Kari Heistad who used to take photos for our New England Revolution coverage
“I’m still trying to wrap my mind around this. I was a fan of his for a long time but getting to meet him just deepened my respect and admiration. Grant’s passion for soccer and his intelligence and warmth drew people to him and he made time for everyone. What a heartbreaking, horrible loss.” —Victoria Klum, who covers North Carolina Courage
Another one of our Chicago colleagues, Joe Chatz, offered this via Twitter:
Grant Wahl was the best reporter. He’s what every soccer reporter in the States aspired to be. RIP
— Joe Chatz (@JoeChatz) December 10, 2022
For Saturday’s England-France match, FIFA arranged a memorial where Grant would have been seated for the match and held a minute’s silence in his honor.
We will offer our thoughts about this weekend’s quarterfinals and preview the semifinals on Sunday, but first, we take a pause in tribute and in memory of Grant Wahl.