Was the World Cup the perfect pitch?

Soccer enthusiasts were glued to their television sets this summer, and perhaps nobody more so than high school coaches.

Just how glued?

“I think I got all of them. I got every single one,” Grafton’s boys’ coach Jake Wilde said of watching the World Cup games. “It’s a special time for us soccer people.”

Even when he was out fishing, he caught a game on TV while on the boat.

Port Washington’s girls’ coach Sandy Bennett did Wilde one better. She went to Dallas and watched Japan vs. the Netherlands and Croatia vs. England in person.

“The atmosphere for both games was absolutely incredible with people dressed up in their exotic outfits. The singing of their countrymen’s songs was so loud that you could feel the emotions,” she said.

Cedar Grove-Belgium girls’ coach Zac Garza watched nearly every game.

“What a spectacle. So many late goals, so much excitement,” he said.

Port girls’ assistant coach Kurt Blum attended watch parties in Wichita, Kan., and Salt Lake City.

“It was fun to see how the matches, not just the U.S. (games), brought together the casual and die-hard soccer fans,” he said.

“Hopefully, it will act as another spring broad for the sport just as it did when we hosted in 1994. You saw the soccer novice wanting to understand the game more so than ever.”

Other coaches echoed the sentiment.

“I thought the World Cup being hosted by the USA was great for a lot of reasons, especially the game itself,” Random Lake/Ozaukee girls’ and boys’ coach Matt Wilson said. “It is amazing to think of how the popularity of this sport has grown in this country vs. when I started as a player at 7 years old, now 49.”

Garza said the nail-biting finishes of many games could help the sport’s growth.

“People got to see drama, controversy, goals and excitement and different cultures and fan bases. I hope the neutrals out there walk away from this experience seeing soccer in a different light,” he said.

Bennett acknowledged that soccer in the U.S. has been overshadowed by baseball and American football, but she hopes hosting the World Cup built some interest.

“Hosting games for 40 days and the professional players competing for their countries at a high level has shown this country what kind of passion other countries have for this sport. Everyone showed up, and it was such a great showing for the sport,” she said.

Wilde texted friends across the world when their countries’ games were being played. He made international friends when he played with a club team in La Crosse and when he lived in Arizona.

“You meet people over the love of the game,” he said.

Grafton girls’ coach Jason Rogers said hosting brings “some sort of national pride into it” and inspires youth when they watch their sports heroes play.

“You start building core memories as a kid,” he said, perhaps instilling the idea of ‘Maybe I could be that like that person.’”

This year’s biggest star was Argentina’s 39-year-old Lionel Messi, perhaps the equivalent to football’s Tom Brady given his stats and longevity. Many call Messi the greatest player of all time.

Despite his older legs slowing down a little — a picture circulated of Messi holding Spain superstar Lamine Yamal as a baby — Rogers said it’s Messi’s mind that sets him apart and he considers Messi to be the best ever.

“He’s not walking — someone tracked the stats — he’s scanning and taking mental pictures of where everyone is on the field. When he gets the ball and quickly drops it off and runs, he’s three, four steps ahead of everyone,” he said.

“He’s like a grandmaster in chess. It’s the IQ that he has. Your body can slow down, but if your brain is ticking fast you can put yourself in positions to take advantage of.”

Blum said, “It’s hard to argue that he’s not the greatest to play the game but a fun debate to have, nonetheless.”

Wilson said he is not a fan of Messi and didn’t like Argentina’s sportsmanship.

“The smallest details to me are what separates a team from being champions or runners-up. In my eyes, character is what separates those teams in the final, and it was on full display,” he said.

Wilde said his favorite player growing up was Ronaldinho, whose favorite player is Messi, so he can’t argue with the claim that Messi is the best ever. His two late assists to help beat England, 2-1, he said, “was another feather in his cap.”

Regardless, Wilde is already looking ahead.

“As a soccer person, it’s always on your calendar. It’s four years away. The next one is already on the calendar,” he said.

As far as Wilde attending a game, “still on my bucket list,” he said.