ARLINGTON, Texas — When St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol saw his team had an unusual Saturday off during the season, and in the middle of a series, he had one question: “Can I make it to the soccer game?”Not just any soccer game, a World Cup match.The international soccer tournament, held every four years, is ongoing at 16 sites in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Those include 11 markets that are also home to a combined 13 Major League Baseball teams.Kansas City, where the Cardinals open a three-game series Thursday, is hosting six World Cup matches at the NFL stadium in the same complex with the Royals’ ballpark. The Cardinals and Royals will be off Saturday, when Ecuador plays Curaçao.“That is the goal, yes,” Marmol said when asked if he was going to that match.Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and his wife, who played soccer at Old Dominion, plan to be there.“It’s strange, but it’s special circumstances,” Pasquantino said. “It’s awesome that Kansas City got access to World Cup games. So, however many years until the United States hosts again, we’ll be all right with some off days like that.”World Cup matches are being played in the United States for the first time since 1994.A tournament-high nine matches are being played at AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys that is adjacent to Globe Life Field. The neighboring Texas Rangers will host two split series, but also have a Monday off between home series on July 6, the day of a round of 16 match.Texas is now in a three-game series against Minnesota that will finish Thursday, after a pause Wednesday when powerhouse England plays its Cup opener against Croatia.“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson, who played soccer as a kid in California.The Rangers completed a road trip Sunday in Boston, with thousands of Scottish fans chanting and singing at Fenway Park the night after Scotland …
