Speaker 1: You guys, it started.
Speaker 2: The World Cup is officially on its way, and it
Speaker 2: kicked off in Mexico City at the Estadio Azteca, one
Speaker 2: of the most legendary soccer stadiums in the world and
Speaker 2: the heartbeat of Mexican football. But before we get to
Speaker 2: the soccer, there was the opening ceremony. Now, call me
Speaker 2: what you wish, but the first few minutes gave me
Speaker 2: a lot of feelings. People all over the world tuned
Speaker 2: in to watch what brings me so much pride. This
Speaker 2: is where I was born, where I spent my childhood,
Speaker 2: and where most of my family lives. And despite the
Speaker 2: fracture bones that make up the skeleton of Mexico, the
Speaker 2: country has so much rich culture to offer to the
Speaker 2: rest of the world, and a slice of it was
Speaker 2: on display during the opening ceremony. Performers in indigenous garb
Speaker 2: danced in the field, reminiscent of Aztec warriors. Gold and
Speaker 2: silver everywhere on the stands there were Mexico green jerseys
Speaker 2: as far as the eye can see. At the center
Speaker 2: of the pitch, the giant gold statue of the trophy
Speaker 2: looked like it was made of papel picado. You know,
Speaker 2: the traditional Mexican decoration of intricately cut paper. Mexican American
Speaker 2: singer Leela Downs appeared in her signature long braids with
Speaker 2: traditional ribbon weaved in her black hair. She spoke in English,
Speaker 2: Spanish and Misteca, an indigenous language people of the world.
Speaker 1: Welcome to Mexico, she said slowly.
Speaker 2: Then she said, Mexico receives you. This statement made me
Speaker 2: pause because Mexico, no matter its flaws, is a gracious host,
Speaker 2: a point that we can't take for granted anymore given
Speaker 2: the attitude of one of the other host nations. But
Speaker 2: let's not go there right now. Back to the ceremony,
Speaker 2: It was a medley of mostly Mexican and Latin American talent,
Speaker 2: one after the other in quick succession. There was Mana,
Speaker 2: which I would argue is the most famous rock band
Speaker 2: to come out of Mexico. Pop star Belinda made an
Speaker 2: appearance with legendary cumbia group.
Speaker 1: Los Angeles Azules.
Speaker 2: I really wish there had been a little more Cumbia,
Speaker 2: but I can't complain because we got to see Colombian
Speaker 2: reggae Dono J.
Speaker 1: Balvin.
Speaker 2: His dancers were wearing a very colorful variation of the
Speaker 2: Pachuco zut suits, and then Shaquitra finally took the stage
Speaker 2: with Berna Boy.
Speaker 1: To perform her what Is This Now? World Cup song?
Speaker 2: I like the song, but it's not Waka waka or
Speaker 2: La La, Sorry, Shack.
Speaker 1: I'm still a huge fan.
Speaker 2: The show ended with green, white and red fireworks to
Speaker 2: match Mexico's flag collars. I was watching on Telemundo at
Speaker 2: a local sports bar, and after the ceremony, they cut
Speaker 2: to a shot of the fan viewing party at Ilsocalo,
Speaker 2: which has the Presidential palace on one end of the plaza,
Speaker 2: and I'd like to imagine that in that moment in time,
Speaker 2: the people packed in the city center were not.
Speaker 1: Thinking about anything else, not about the.
Speaker 2: Corruption or the protest leading up to the games. All
Speaker 2: that could come back later in the night. At that moment,
Speaker 2: it was just about the World Cup.
Speaker 1: That's sort of how it.
Speaker 2: Felt when I watched, wearing my green jersey, surrounded by
Speaker 2: other Mexico.
Speaker 3: Fans as midemosillur nante Is with your inix Speede Kavlick.
Speaker 4: I used to go to their steka watch my tim
Speaker 4: Crusos replay. It's always emotional and I liked what they did,
Speaker 4: of course, celebrated in Mexico's history and a little bit
Speaker 4: of bringing everybody together.
Speaker 5: I thought that the open instrument was very call for
Speaker 5: incluri mana so a, Mexico soy sona, and you can
Speaker 5: always tell all that Mexican people are always very welcoming.
Speaker 5: It kind of shows on the on the TV what
Speaker 5: we're seeing right now. The hospitality for Mexican people is
Speaker 5: really amazing.
Speaker 2: After we watched the opening ceremony, we got eerily quiet
Speaker 2: when our national anthem played. At the inaugural game of
Speaker 2: Mexico versus South Africa, the Esteca was overflowing with more
Speaker 2: than eighty thousand fans who waited four years for this
Speaker 2: World Cup to start. It's also the first time in
Speaker 2: forty years that a World Cup is even played in Mexico,
Speaker 2: and throughout the match Mexico dominated. Mexico scored in the
Speaker 2: eighth minute after a mistake by South Africa's defense. Then
Speaker 2: Mexico scored again at minute sixty seven. Towards the end
Speaker 2: of the game, South Africa was down by two men
Speaker 2: who got expelled because of red cards, which made it
Speaker 2: impossible to catch up. Really, Mexico's captain was also sent
Speaker 2: off with a red card in the final minutes, which
Speaker 2: means he will be missing the next game. Three red
Speaker 2: cards in one game.
Speaker 1: That's a lot, and.
Speaker 2: That's a record for an opening match in the World Cup.
Speaker 2: The final score was Mexico two South Africa zero. And
Speaker 2: here's one thing that I didn't really love about this game.
Speaker 2: I'm not a huge fan of these US FIFA made
Speaker 2: hydration breaks. Soccer is supposed to be a game of
Speaker 2: continuous play. It kind of makes me feel like this
Speaker 2: is an Americanized version of the World Cup, perfectly tailored
Speaker 2: for commercial breaks and more ad revenue. But Fiva says
Speaker 2: the decision was made out of concern for the player's
Speaker 2: well being. Overall, I'd say this was a pretty good
Speaker 2: opening ceremony. And Friday, there are two other opening ceremonies
Speaker 2: planned the head of the first games played in Canada
Speaker 2: and in the United States. I'm going to be watching
Speaker 2: those two from Futuro Studios an Fernande Chabarri and this
Speaker 2: is American Football, a show about soccer culture in the
Speaker 2: US and it's underdog reefs. So clearly there is a
Speaker 2: lot going on with this World Cup. There's a major
Speaker 2: format change for the tournament. There are challenging logistics for
Speaker 2: teams and fans to move across three enormous countries. There's,
Speaker 2: of course the complaints about the high cost all of
Speaker 2: this unfolding over the backdrop some pretty volatile geopolitics. So
Speaker 2: we thought we'd bring together two very smart people who
Speaker 2: know a lot about soccer to give us the lay
Speaker 2: of the land as a tournament kicks off. Jasmine Gars
Speaker 2: covers immigration in soccer for NPR and Max Brettos is
Speaker 2: a sports reporter and a play by play announcer from
Speaker 2: Major League Soccer on Apple TV. Jasmine, Max, thank you
Speaker 2: for being here. Hi. Hello. Before we talk about the
Speaker 2: World Cup as a whole, the players, the games, all
Speaker 2: of that stuff, I want to talk about the fans
Speaker 2: because there's been reports of price gouging, last minute changes
Speaker 2: in seat assignments. What are some of the issues that
Speaker 2: the fans are having to overcome to.
Speaker 1: Make it to this World Cup?
Speaker 2: Also first time ever that we're having it in three countries,
Speaker 2: three big countries. Jasmine, why don't we start with you?
Speaker 6: The first thing that I'll say is my nine to
Speaker 6: five my job is I cover immigration and there's a
Speaker 6: climate of a very well founded fear right now in
Speaker 6: the US that very much affects how safe people feel
Speaker 6: doing everyday things.
Speaker 7: For context, I live in New York.
Speaker 6: Much of the World Cup is going to be played
Speaker 6: at MetLife in New Jersey, about fifteen minutes away from
Speaker 6: the MetLife Stadium where the final is going to be held.
Speaker 6: There's currently a hunger strike at an ICE detention facility
Speaker 6: because of allegations of absolutely horrific conditions for immigrants in detention.
Speaker 7: Now, DHS Homeland.
Speaker 6: Security has said that they'll have the normal presence that
Speaker 6: they would have at any massive international event held in
Speaker 6: the US and that there won't be ice raids at
Speaker 6: the Games. But nevertheless, I mean, if you think about
Speaker 6: who loves Fouthbold more than anyone in the US, who
Speaker 6: just lives for fruth Bold, it's the immigrant communities, not
Speaker 6: just Latinos. I'm about to go spend a ton of
Speaker 6: time with like Arab American communities in the Midwest, and
Speaker 6: so I think when we talk about the fandom, first
Speaker 6: of all, it's really important to talk about this climate
Speaker 6: of fear in immigrant communities that this is happening simultaneously with.
Speaker 6: And the second thing I will say is the absolutely
Speaker 6: grotesque cost of tickets.
Speaker 1: Grotesque is the perfect.
Speaker 7: Word for it.
Speaker 3: I don't like the direction that sports and sports fandom
Speaker 3: has gone, and it's beyond soccer. I mean, they call
Speaker 3: it dynamic pricing, and it's a small percentage of people
Speaker 3: that get to go to a World Cup. I understand that,
Speaker 3: but you know, for so long people were excited about this.
Speaker 3: FIFA's a business, and you give them some leeway for
Speaker 3: doing that, but there's certain levels of greed that we've
Speaker 3: seen that just are really off putting. But they see
Speaker 3: a business opportunity, and the feeling is if they have
Speaker 3: a stadium that's sixty percent full and people are spending
Speaker 3: one thousand dollars a ticket, they'll make more money than
Speaker 3: if it's completely full and people are spending three hundred
Speaker 3: dollars a ticket, which is still very expensive. And FIVA
Speaker 3: doesn't have the greatest record with regards to how they've
Speaker 3: handled their finances and corruption and those kind of things.
Speaker 3: I understand that part, but you know, I'm looking forward
Speaker 3: to the games, and you know, I've accepted watching you know,
Speaker 3: games with your friends at home and on TV, which
Speaker 3: is going to be really well covered. But I feel
Speaker 3: for those American fans in particular, they were hoping to
Speaker 3: let alone go.
Speaker 8: To a game or go with their family, which they
Speaker 8: can't do.
Speaker 7: How much this is.
Speaker 2: Shift the vibe in the stadium because when you only
Speaker 2: have a certain group of people who can afford these tickets,
Speaker 2: or instead of like going with your family, you end
Speaker 2: up going by yourself.
Speaker 3: I can go to a concert by myself, but going
Speaker 3: to sports by yourself is the worst, right.
Speaker 2: I really am curious as to how this is going
Speaker 2: to change the vibe in the sands. Have you heard
Speaker 2: of any fans in particular about maybe being with the
Speaker 2: inability to acts as the games and to have this
Speaker 2: dark cloud that really host countries haven't had.
Speaker 3: Before with regards to the tickets. Dissolution is certainly a
Speaker 3: word that is appropriate. But you know, people want to
Speaker 3: go to the World Cup. They're getting on these FIFA
Speaker 3: websites and new ticket allotments and they're getting on They're
Speaker 3: spending hours of their.
Speaker 8: Day to do it. So there's this desperation to find
Speaker 8: a way to get in.
Speaker 3: And we saw that the Club World Cup, which is
Speaker 3: this new FIFA tournament which was held here in the
Speaker 3: United States. We saw that to a lesser degree, and
Speaker 3: there was these stories people getting a second mortgage, selling
Speaker 3: their car.
Speaker 8: One guy was.
Speaker 3: Being interviewed and said, when I get back, my wife's
Speaker 3: probably gonna divorce me because I sold this.
Speaker 8: To company, these tickets.
Speaker 3: There was a kid who said he sold his console
Speaker 3: to come over, not even go to the game, just
Speaker 3: to come travel with family members so he could be there,
Speaker 3: so his little video game console, and he was so excited,
Speaker 3: and I'm like, this is not the way it's supposed
Speaker 3: to be. So the stadium averagers can be a little newtered,
Speaker 3: which it is at the World Cup. I mean, if
Speaker 3: you watch club soccer in anywhere there's a fan culture
Speaker 3: and it's rowdy, you're not going to see that.
Speaker 8: You're not gonna hear drums and songs. I think I've gotten.
Speaker 3: Used to that, but I'm wondering if it's going to
Speaker 3: take another turn here in the United States because.
Speaker 8: The reality so stadiums aren't going to be one hundred
Speaker 8: percent full.
Speaker 6: From what I have spoken to people here in the US,
Speaker 6: it is an event for wealthy people and it's seen
Speaker 6: as that you know, and the rest of us will
Speaker 6: watch it at bars and at parties and have an
Speaker 6: amazing time with it. But I also think, I mean
Speaker 6: when I think of like the economy of Virgentina where
Speaker 6: I'm from right now, I mean, who can afford that,
Speaker 6: you know at this moment, like very wealthy people or
Speaker 6: maybe like someone extremely reckless.
Speaker 2: And even the really far away like in Mexigo Simos Angayola,
Speaker 2: like the scene that are way up Like we're not
Speaker 2: even saying, oh, we can't afford the great.
Speaker 8: Seats just to get in the building.
Speaker 2: It's a big investment to get like way up there.
Speaker 7: You know.
Speaker 2: A big focus of the series is about soccer culture
Speaker 2: here in the US, and it's changed. I interviewed Tabramos
Speaker 2: and he talked about how, even though he was a
Speaker 2: really big deal soccer player in the nineties, he would
Speaker 2: go to a sports bar and they weren't playing soccer,
Speaker 2: and then he would be like, I actually kind of
Speaker 2: played for like a big deal moment of the US
Speaker 2: and they'd be like, oh, like as a hobby. So
Speaker 2: it's like, ouch, right, it's different now than it was
Speaker 2: in nineteen ninety four when the US hosted the World
Speaker 2: Cup last time. So I want to hear from both
Speaker 2: of you. From your perspective, what does soccer culture look
Speaker 2: like here in the United States today, Jessma, Let's start
Speaker 2: with you.
Speaker 6: You know, every time there's a World Cup, I get
Speaker 6: this question from certain editors and certain news outlets. Not
Speaker 6: at all what you're asking, but this question, which is
Speaker 6: is this the time it's finally going.
Speaker 7: To catch on? And to me, that's such a.
Speaker 6: Weird question because I guess I live in a Hispanic
Speaker 6: neighborhood in Queens, Queens is largely immigrant, and to me,
Speaker 6: there's never been a moment where it hasn't been caught on, Like, Okay,
Speaker 6: where are you asking about? Like my particular neighborhood in
Speaker 6: Queens is Colombia and Ecuadorian, and I know when those
Speaker 6: two teams play, it'll be paralyzed and I'll hear like
Speaker 6: random screams on the street, you know, when someone makes
Speaker 6: a goal or there's a foul or a penalty. And
Speaker 6: so to me, it's so alive and it's so healthy,
Speaker 6: and it's so vibrant. And because I'm covering this Cup,
Speaker 6: like I was asked, like, you know, you should go
Speaker 6: to the games, you should go into the stadiums, And
Speaker 6: I gotta be honest with you, I am more excited
Speaker 6: about going to different bars in Queens to watch this
Speaker 6: than I am about going to the stadium, and maybe
Speaker 6: that makes me a huge weirdo. Now that's more exciting
Speaker 6: to me.
Speaker 2: I want to get us to a little bit of
Speaker 2: the sort of logistics, different parts, different.
Speaker 1: Things that are happening in this World Cup.
Speaker 2: So this is going to be the first World Cup
Speaker 2: that is going to have forty eight teams participating. That's
Speaker 2: up from the conventional thirty two team format that we
Speaker 2: have seen in the past. So Max, why did FIFA
Speaker 2: choose to include more teams this time around?
Speaker 1: Well, desmit, what was that with the events?
Speaker 7: What'd you do?
Speaker 1: Twenty money money money?
Speaker 3: Yes, Now, this tournament is an absolute wagon when you
Speaker 3: think about it. I pride myself to try and see
Speaker 3: a little bit of every World Cup game. If I
Speaker 3: do that this time around, I'll get hospitalized.
Speaker 8: It's just too much. And it's a World Cup last month.
Speaker 8: This one's lasting six weeks.
Speaker 3: Yeah, crazy, it's two extra weeks because there's so many games.
Speaker 3: Like the US played June the twelfth, then they'll play
Speaker 3: until June the nineteenth, and then they don't play until
Speaker 3: June twenty fifth, So three games over two weeks. When
Speaker 3: they played the last World Cup, it was in and out.
Speaker 3: So FIFA will tell you that they're trying to branch
Speaker 3: out and make the sport bigger, which they are. And look,
Speaker 3: we have Haiti in the World Cup. I love that,
Speaker 3: and Corusal and Cape Verd.
Speaker 8: You know, Norway's back.
Speaker 3: Some countries it probably wouldn't make a thirty two, and
Speaker 3: that I think is validated.
Speaker 8: But I mean, the World.
Speaker 3: Cup's my favorite event, so I don't want to hit
Speaker 3: FIFA too hard, but the reality is it's hard to
Speaker 3: disguise how much it's always about money and with the sponsors.
Speaker 3: I mean, just for instance, when they're playing at MetLife,
Speaker 3: they're taking MetLife off. They're calling it at New York New
Speaker 3: Jersey Stadium, so fine. In LA they're calling it Los Angeles.
Speaker 3: So if you're not paying FIFA, it's ruling with an
Speaker 3: iron fist. So it is excessive with all of that.
Speaker 3: So my feeling is they're gonna go to sixty four teams,
Speaker 3: good twenty thirty. It makes more sense because it's a
Speaker 3: cleaner tournament because they're gonna have third place teams make it,
Speaker 3: which makes it a bit messy. So there is a
Speaker 3: validation to go to sixty four. So if there's something
Speaker 3: like that, I would.
Speaker 2: Imagine and it's gonna last six months, last six.
Speaker 8: Months, and then they're gonna say, let's do this every
Speaker 8: two years.
Speaker 6: I also think there's something about soccer that is very
Speaker 6: precious and delightful in its scarcity. Hear me out here, like,
Speaker 6: because I know, like FIFA is pushing for this, and
Speaker 6: I think in pushing for this, they could kind of ruin.
Speaker 7: This balance that exists.
Speaker 6: So an American friend of mine recently asked me a
Speaker 6: very like earnest question, which was, what is so exciting
Speaker 6: about a sport in which you only play like ninety
Speaker 6: minutes and maybe, if you're lucky, you make two.
Speaker 7: Maybe three goals?
Speaker 6: And you know this is coming from someone who loves
Speaker 6: American football and basketball, And what I was saying is
Speaker 6: it's the frenetic rhythm of it and the preciousness of
Speaker 6: those goals. You might make one, you might make two
Speaker 6: maybe three, and like they're precious because they're scarce, and
Speaker 6: you know, if you have so many of them, it
Speaker 6: becomes less delightful when they happen.
Speaker 7: Right, I do.
Speaker 6: Worry that if we push, like let's have the World
Speaker 6: Cup every two years, Let's have forty nations playing.
Speaker 7: Let's do it for two months.
Speaker 6: It loses like that rarity that makes it so precious
Speaker 6: to soccer fans. That's just my opinion or.
Speaker 2: One hundred percent agree something about this World Cup.
Speaker 3: When Spain plays Cape verd or when Argentina plays Jordan,
Speaker 3: these games are gonna be seven to nothing.
Speaker 8: This is not going to be pleasant. And then these teams.
Speaker 3: You'll see why thirty two teams was perfect for all
Speaker 3: those things that Jasmine said. The games they stood out
Speaker 3: because every game you knew the historical significance this World
Speaker 3: Cup because of the teams, and you get there's a
Speaker 3: little bit more forgiving if you lose a game, because
Speaker 3: you can get through if you're a third place team
Speaker 3: in a four team group.
Speaker 8: Yeah, that magic it's lost for sure.
Speaker 2: After the break, we talk about the teams and the
Speaker 2: players we should be watching out for.
Speaker 7: We'll be right back.
Speaker 2: You're listening to American football and Fernande Chavarri. Let's get
Speaker 2: back to my conversation with Jasmine Gars and Max Bretos,
Speaker 2: to the moment when I ask them who they're rooting
Speaker 2: for this World Cup. Now I want to look a
Speaker 2: little bit ahead at what we have to look forward to.
Speaker 2: And Max I should have asked you you're Cuban American.
Speaker 7: Yes, so who's your team?
Speaker 8: I'm going to pull for the United States covering MLS.
Speaker 3: We have a lot of guys in our league that
Speaker 3: are playing for there, but I always pull for the
Speaker 3: American teams in general.
Speaker 2: You're going to root for the US and countries from
Speaker 2: the America. Jasmine Duh Argentina.
Speaker 7: Oh, you're gonna sell me.
Speaker 6: I'm covering this as a reporter officially for NPR, and
Speaker 6: so I know everyone's gonna roll their eyes, but I actually.
Speaker 7: Feel like it really liberates me.
Speaker 6: To enjoy amazing soccer from all the teams and watch
Speaker 6: the soccer. As you know, Fanana, from working on the
Speaker 6: last Cup, I really suffered a lot. Oh it's really
Speaker 6: hard for me. Four years ago I started smoking again.
Speaker 6: I was screaming. It was tremendous. And now I get
Speaker 6: to widen my lens and focus on teams and players
Speaker 6: that are not necessarily from Argentina that I'm just so
Speaker 6: fascinated by.
Speaker 3: Poor Jasmine having to suffer through Argentina lifting the trophy.
Speaker 7: I mean, that was a rough final.
Speaker 2: I want to know who are the favorites to win,
Speaker 2: who you think might be the like super shocker, surprise,
Speaker 2: and who's the biggest underdog.
Speaker 6: You know, I think it's a fool's errand for a
Speaker 6: journalist to say who's gonna win. But I will say
Speaker 6: two teams that are just strikingly good are Spain. Spain
Speaker 6: is just extraordinary. They're the ruling euro champion. They're young,
Speaker 6: they're hungry, they're aggressive. I'm obsessed with La Mignamel. He's
Speaker 6: like eighteen and he's a prodigy.
Speaker 8: He's going to be a star after this. He is
Speaker 8: a supercar. Yeah, rock.
Speaker 7: I can't wait to see him play in this world.
Speaker 7: And then, you know, France is a machine.
Speaker 6: You take out one player and you can put in
Speaker 6: another and they still work like a well oiled machine.
Speaker 6: I know Killian Mbappe has had an injury he's been
Speaker 6: grappling with, but I think they are such a well oil,
Speaker 6: cohesive machine that it'll be really interesting to see them
Speaker 6: go out into the field this time around underdogs.
Speaker 7: Okay. I loved Morocco's story last World Cup.
Speaker 6: I thought they just like they shocked everyone and I
Speaker 6: want to see, you know, what they can do this
Speaker 6: time around. I think when it comes to Brazil, a
Speaker 6: lot of fans of Brazil are looking at this as like, hey,
Speaker 6: can we reclaim.
Speaker 7: Our glory days?
Speaker 6: Like can we go back to being these soccer legends.
Speaker 6: I mean, they're the biggest World Cup winners and he's
Speaker 6: a history that they're not underdogs. But I think there
Speaker 6: is a story of like going back to glory there
Speaker 6: that I'm really interested in following. And then of course,
Speaker 6: like there are die hard fans who will tell you like, well,
Speaker 6: what if Argentina wins two back to back. It's only
Speaker 6: been done twice in history by Brazil and Italy, and
Speaker 6: that's a story that I will definitely be following closely.
Speaker 8: I don't want to be a kill joy here, but
Speaker 8: oh please please, And it.
Speaker 3: Kills me to say this because this is the World
Speaker 3: Cup and there's nothing better than seeing Cameroon be you know, Argentina,
Speaker 3: all due respect, yes, but that changed the face of
Speaker 3: this tournament. Or to see Costa Rica make the quarterfinals
Speaker 3: in twenty fourteen, that's not happening in this World Cup.
Speaker 3: I did my bracket and I try to be cute,
Speaker 3: and my final four were all European teams and I
Speaker 3: try to switch.
Speaker 8: It, but I don't want that. I want I want
Speaker 8: an Africa team. I want a South America team.
Speaker 3: I have France playing Spain and I have England Portugal,
Speaker 3: and I only think France, Spain and England can win it.
Speaker 3: And the reason I say that is because it's a
Speaker 3: bigger tournament, so you have to have a deep roster.
Speaker 8: In order to win this World Cup. I think you
Speaker 8: have to go through eight games. There's no very few
Speaker 8: teams that have the ability and the depth to absorb injuries, suspensions,
Speaker 8: all that comes with it. So I feel and I
Speaker 8: hope I'm wrong. I really hope I'm.
Speaker 3: Wrong that this tournament goes a little upside down. But
Speaker 3: the more I look at it, I just I don't
Speaker 3: see it possible. And when I make my brackets, I
Speaker 3: always have a surprise. I don't have any although for
Speaker 3: now that I'll say this, there's two teams that I
Speaker 3: feel haven't an opportunity to advance and surprise, and it's
Speaker 3: not at the level of Haiti or anything but USA
Speaker 3: and Mexico because they're in good form and they're playing
Speaker 3: at home.
Speaker 2: Thank you for saying Mexico I've been waiting for someone
Speaker 2: to give me a little something.
Speaker 8: They're gonna play at altitude. No one wins at the Azteca.
Speaker 2: They do much better when they play at home, and even.
Speaker 8: When they played in Guadalajada.
Speaker 3: I mean, they're gonna have some creature comforts in is
Speaker 3: the US, because I know they're European based players, but
Speaker 3: the longer this tournament goes, they'll have family and friends,
Speaker 3: and they'll be able to go to their favorite American restaurants.
Speaker 8: All those creature comforts will benefit it if they can advance.
Speaker 3: So if there was a surprise, I would say maybe
Speaker 3: USA or Mexico, not both, but maybe one of them
Speaker 3: makes a quarterfinal.
Speaker 2: Jasmine and I actually sort of met for the first
Speaker 2: time when we worked on the Last Cup, a really
Speaker 2: really beautiful podcast ahead of the World Cup that tells
Speaker 2: Jasmine story and Lo Messi story, and we really thought
Speaker 2: it was going to be his last World Cup.
Speaker 3: These guys play forever. Now, he might come back in
Speaker 3: twenty thirty those Honestly, it's.
Speaker 2: Like Memoia Christiana Ronaldo Moderic from Croatia.
Speaker 8: This is Messy's sixth World Cup.
Speaker 7: It's insane. I think, yeah, it's Yeah, he's just going
Speaker 7: to be a big thing.
Speaker 6: During this World Cup. You have Christiano Ronaldo, this is
Speaker 6: supposed to be his last one and super mega fans
Speaker 6: are like, give him a cup, he deserves it. The
Speaker 6: Croatia team is like quite older Beethos. Yeah, and then
Speaker 6: you have really young kids like again La Mignamal eighteen
Speaker 6: years old, a monster on the.
Speaker 8: Pitch, and I want to see the kids.
Speaker 3: Honestly, I don't want to take a shot at mess
Speaker 3: But I don't think you should play six World Cups.
Speaker 8: I really don't. I think that's an opportunity.
Speaker 3: You should let others come in and when he plays
Speaker 3: a little bit longer, the guy that has waited to
Speaker 3: be the number ten, and same with Christian Ronaldo, they
Speaker 3: have to wait and I understand it, but I think
Speaker 3: it's something where we should celebrate the youth and the
Speaker 3: young dreams and the.
Speaker 8: Ability to play one World Cup, let alone six.
Speaker 7: I don't disagree with you all.
Speaker 6: To me where it hits is. I love to see
Speaker 6: a hero of mine retire with grace and on top.
Speaker 6: But I also am someone who lived through Maradona's worst years.
Speaker 6: I think it was very painful to watch.
Speaker 7: Those years.
Speaker 2: After the break, we're going to talk about weird little
Speaker 2: traditions we might do, superstitions and what do we do
Speaker 2: when our team is out. This is American football. I'm
Speaker 2: Fernande Charvari. Let's finish my conversation with Jasmine Gars and
Speaker 2: Max Bretos. I want to ask a silly question, and
Speaker 2: I know Jasmine that you wear something specific when Argentina plays.
Speaker 2: You're very superstitious about it. So I want you to
Speaker 2: tell Max and our listeners about this, and then Max,
Speaker 2: I want to go to you to see if there's
Speaker 2: anything you do, or anything you wear, or any superstition
Speaker 2: that you have.
Speaker 7: This is my favorite thing with soccer.
Speaker 6: It's like the galilas, the little things people do.
Speaker 7: Did you read about the Brazilian plane that got baptized? Yes,
Speaker 7: it's amazing. When do you see what?
Speaker 6: In my case, I have these hideous green avocado socks
Speaker 6: that are just faded and the most disgusting shade of
Speaker 6: green possible after years of washing them, and I wear
Speaker 6: them for good luck, not only when Argentina plays, but
Speaker 6: I wear them like for special events where I feel
Speaker 6: like I can use the extra push.
Speaker 3: I always relate like certain shirts that I wear when
Speaker 3: things go heywar and I don't do social media. If
Speaker 3: I say something on social media, I'm convinced that the
Speaker 3: opposite will happen.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, like a prediction, you mean yeah?
Speaker 3: Or I'll say this guy's having a terrible game and
Speaker 3: that guy also scores a goal. My friends make fun
Speaker 3: of me all the time, and although go, hey, Max,
Speaker 3: can you send one of those posts yeah, so that
Speaker 3: we can get a goal here?
Speaker 8: So I don't do that.
Speaker 6: I have another thing which I won't say anything bad
Speaker 6: about the other team because I feel it'll come back threefold.
Speaker 1: I'm an insulter pale. Need I say more, No pale.
Speaker 8: And it wasn't a pinall.
Speaker 2: It wasn't a penale question for both of you. You
Speaker 2: said that there may not be many surprises in terms
Speaker 2: of winners. But for fans like me and just other
Speaker 2: fans that are not from these powerhouse country, why do
Speaker 2: we keep watching?
Speaker 7: Well?
Speaker 6: Because hope is such a strong thing. Think about the
Speaker 6: amount of like national and personal identity that people deposit
Speaker 6: on like a team of guys a pitch, you know,
Speaker 6: and it's a sense of if you're far away from home,
Speaker 6: it's nostalgia or pride or or usha personal, you know,
Speaker 6: and if you insult my team, you suddenly you are insulting me,
Speaker 6: even though like I don't know those guys personally.
Speaker 8: This is where the United States lags behind.
Speaker 3: That we haven't got this culture where I don't want
Speaker 3: to say you die for your country, but that's what
Speaker 3: it feels like. You put that shirt on and the
Speaker 3: responsibility for these players. You see it because it's every
Speaker 3: four years and that's so special and you know now
Speaker 3: it's growing it. I would say FIFA has got to
Speaker 3: be careful because they could taint what's so special about
Speaker 3: it by saturating it to this degree. But you remember
Speaker 3: these I remember these World Cup games and these moments,
Speaker 3: and that builds up to seeing it again.
Speaker 8: That's why we watch. There's nothing like it.
Speaker 3: I mean the Olympics are like that, but Olympics we
Speaker 3: like to see these individual performers. But for this, if
Speaker 3: you're Brazilian or wherever you're from, you are just so
Speaker 3: connected to that experience.
Speaker 2: Last question is one that requires so much thinking, okay,
Speaker 2: and that is do you have a favorite World Cup song?
Speaker 7: No?
Speaker 2: Like a cup of life?
Speaker 8: Like, oh thanks a lot. That's gonna be stuck in
Speaker 8: my head.
Speaker 2: Down, so like Waka Waka or like this year's Shakira one.
Speaker 2: And you know we're not going to be able to
Speaker 2: play whatever song you say, because you know we can't.
Speaker 7: They're so bad. They're so bad, I will say them.
Speaker 6: You think, cup of Like is that okay? Like I
Speaker 6: support anything Ricky Martin does in.
Speaker 7: General, Like we just have a moment of honesty. These
Speaker 7: are terrible.
Speaker 2: Songs, Jasmine Max, thank you so much for this conversation.
Speaker 7: Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 8: Thanks for Nanda.
Speaker 2: American Football is produced by Futura Studios in collaboration with
Speaker 2: Iheart'smichael Tura podcast network. I'm your host Fernande et Chavarri.
Speaker 2: This episode was produced by Andres Cavallero and Levi Sharp.
Speaker 2: Rebecca Barra is our senior editor. Fact checking by Roxanna Guire,
Speaker 2: Mixing by Brandon Grugo at Multitude Productions. Victoria Strada is
Speaker 2: our production manager. Legal review by Jonathan Fisher at Fisher
Speaker 2: Legal Arts. Our executive producers are Marlon Bishop and Maria
Speaker 2: Garcia at Futura Studios. Executive producers at iHeart are Leo
Speaker 2: Gomez and Arlene Santana. Futura Media was founded by Mario Josa.
Speaker 2: You can listen to more episodes of American Football on
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Speaker 1: And if you like.
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