Before & After: Brussels comes alive at the World Cup

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Before Belgium won on Thursday...

Photos by John Weaver

The Belgian Red Devil

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Photo by John Weaver

Upset at the World Cup

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The Netherlands beat Spain 5-1 on the second day of the World Cup. Photo by John Weaver

Street Heroes

Quirky Belgium

Street Heroes is an urban football tournament where the name of the game is to nutmeg your opponent.
Photo by John Weaver

The fancy footwork on display at the Belgian Street Heroes tournament isn’t just about showing off. The name of the game is to panna, or “nutmeg,” your opponent. In other words, you have to get the ball between their legs. 

Faces in the crowd

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Supporters of KV Mechelen celebrate the winning goal against Anderlecht last Sunday. The 2-1 upset put KV Mechelen in 11th place in the Belgian Pro League, while Anderlecht remains 2nd. Photo by John Weaver

Soon after I moved to Mechelen in 2011, KV Mechelen became “my team” in the Belgian Pro League. They may look like a middle-of-the-table team right now, and they are. But as I quickly learned, this is also a team that has seen some very high highs and very low lows in its 110-year history.