World Cup fever runs high in San Diego for Mexico and the US

S1: Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hyndman. On today's show , the FIFA World Cup continues. We'll talk about the wins , the losses and the controversies. This is KPBS Midday Edition connecting our communities through conversation. The World Cup reached new heights yesterday with a classic World Cup match between Mexico and England. Many San Diego streets were overcome with green Mexico jerseys as watch parties happened all across San Diego. Here's a little taste from one in Barrio Logan. Lots of excitement there , but it was not meant to be. Mexico lost to England in a nail biter. 3 to 2. That leaves the United States as the last host country still alive in this year's tournament. They face Belgium at 5 p.m. today for another win or go home match. Sather Hernandez is based here in San Diego and covers soccer for ESPN. Seth , our welcome back to midday. How are you. Doing?

S2: Doing? Well , how about yourself?

S1: I can't complain , but I know that's not the case for a lot of disappointed fans today. Uh , you know , so many of us are probably still exhausted after last night's Mexico England match and again disappointed with the result. So how will this Mexico team be remembered?

S2: Well , I think I can summarize it by two different front pages that I saw from Mexican sports papers. One thanked the Mexican national team , thanked them for really the entertainment that they provided to Mexican national team fans and those from beyond. But then there was another headline that was using the SEC. So that's kind of this kind of this slogan that's been going around. It's kind of like , and what if and if yes , then what's next? And then after that it said otra vez. No and again no. So it's a sense to a frustration of just Mexican soccer entertaining us. Really thrilling. But it's not really expanding beyond our expectations. This is kind of a typical finish for the Mexican national team. So really thrilling stuff. But also can't say that they really exceeded expectations.

S1: Oh my gosh he's sec. I mean , can you tell me more about the root of that frustration? What's the history behind all that?

S2: Well , I think the root of the frustration is that Mexican soccer felt like it was really having this moment , I would say , and maybe I'm a little bit biased here because I grew up watching that in the 90s , but it felt like there was a surge in the growth of Mexican soccer , that it could really reach the upper echelon of other national teams. But since then , the national team has felt , frankly , a little stagnant when it comes to World Cup finishes. The team has yet to go to the final eight. Since 1986. The previous time they did that was in 1970 , and those were the two World Cups that Mexico hosted before this edition. So there was hope thinking , oh my God , if Mexico is hosting the World Cup again , will we see a quarterfinal spot for Mexico once again? Just like in 1970 , just like in 1986 , and Mexico fell just short of that. So I think that's the sense of frustration. There's this hope , there's this desire for Mexican soccer to really elevate itself. And I think there's a potential to do so in the future. But I've been saying that for numerous years now to instill a pretty similar finish.

S1: Oh , well , you know what? We can at least take it back to last week when Mexico had a knockout win against Ecuador. And it really highlighted the passion of fans. And you were there in Mexico City's famed Azteca Stadium for that match. Describe what that atmosphere was like.

S2: You know , to be honest , it's it's genuinely tough to describe because it is something that is unmatched from any experience that I've had covering soccer. I've been covering soccer professionally for about a decade now. I mean , if you want to include my fandom as well , just for for my entire life. So almost four decades right there. Uh , but it is on an entirely different level just because of what the Azteca represents in global soccer. This is a venue that is the first to host three different editions of the World Cup there. If you ask a soccer fan about Maradona , and if you ask about the hand of God , they'll think about , yeah , the Estadio Azteca. If you think about the cauldron that it is and the fortress that it is , although it wasn't the case last night , but the cauldron and fortress that it tends to be an international soccer , it does have this mythical status. So because of that , honestly , it was entirely unmatched. You throw in the elevation , you throw in the thunderstorms and rain in the background , and it really is a very unique experience. Wow.

S1: Wow. Well , I mean , looking at today , the U.S. men's National team is getting set to play against Belgium later on , but there is some controversy leading up to this match. After FIFA announced it was suspending a red card for a star player on team USA flash Florin Balogun , who can now actually play in today's match. And this was done. Apparently after President Trump's involvement , the decision was challenged to no avail. Explain what's going on here.

S2: I mean , how much time do you have?

S3: I mean , I keep this short. Okay , so let's keep this short.

S2: So , uh. Balogun.

S3: Balogun.

S2: Um , he was given a controversial red card in the last US game. Um , I also was not entirely sure if that was a red card , but. But nonetheless , it meant that he would be suspended or was supposed to be suspended for today's game. Then over the weekend , reporting emerged that Trump stepped in and called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card. Although FIFA has since stated that their decision making is independent and that there is no one , you know , there's no outside forces , the the the red card was rescinded and it's a move that Trump has since taken credit for. I mean , that's something he has been publicly saying , like saying recently. So was it independent? Is Trump taking credit for something he did or did he not have a hand in? And either way , many soccer fans around the globe are obviously not happy about this situation. And the big talking point today is will we see ball again on the field , and how will that impact the mentality of the team? How will that impact the preparation for Belgium? Because obviously Belgium aren't happy about this either.

S1: Of course. Well , how does the U.S. team actually match up with Belgium? What are you expecting there?

S2: I think I'm going to give Belgium just a slight advantage here. I mean , Belgium , for those who don't know , they're traditionally seen as a dark horse in global soccer. They're not a powerhouse like Spain or France , but they're well respected side. And , you know , they're ranked ninth in FIFA's rankings. And while the US are at number 16 , that kind of shows that there's still a step above the Americans , you know , fans to keep an eye on someone like Jeremy Doku , who's a brilliant winger. Kevin De Bruyne is a global superstar and chance creator , but the US still has a decent chance here. And why do I say that? I think of someone like Christian Pulisic. He's the face of the team , he's the most well-known name and he could truly be a clutch figure in the final third. We got to bring it ball again , you know , because if he does get the opportunity here , he's their goal scorer. And if he is available he's going to have some opportunities up there in the final third. And I got to bring up Weston McKennie as well. He's a highly versatile and energetic figure that can really provide plenty of work as a well-rounded option. So I think if those key figures for the US step up , there's going to be a chance here against Belgium. But Belgium just have a little bit more pedigree than the US. I think they have the slight advantage here.

S1: Oh , we'll find out. We'll find out. All right. Aside from , you know , what the scoreboard says at the end of the match , one of the best parts of the World Cup are the stories away from the pitch. I mean , from an Algerian team being embraced by the town of Lawrence , Kansas , to the Iran team being welcomed by fans in Tijuana. What have been some of your favorite storylines so far this World Cup?

S2: Oh , do you want me to? This could be. It's a very silly one , but there is a duck that went viral in Mexico. His name is Merlin the Duck. Why he went viral is that while Mexico was out celebrating , while fans were out there celebrating out in Mexico City , this video went viral of a duck that was wearing a tiny little Mexico jersey. And since that , it's I'm not gonna lie. So like , it became so over at ESPN , it became a big deal for us to try to track down that duck. Someone from ESPN Mexico did actually track him down. It was very exciting. We. One of my colleagues did an interview with the with the owner of the duck. This duck ended up going on to meet the president of Mexico. Oh , Merlin the duck. That was. That's that's that's my favorite. My favorite off the field storyline from from the World Cup so far.

S1: That's adorable. And I love that. His name is Merlin I love that. Well , I mean , aside from duck interviews , another fun part of the World Cup are the fans and the chants. And I will say just the the sportsmanship. I , you know , I see it on the field and have such an appreciation for that. What have been some of your favorites?

S2: I mean , I think , I don't know if you wanted to play specific to chance , but maybe more so just like you brought up fans there. I mean , something that is genuinely emotional for me is seeing how this really unifies different nationalities , how this gives an opportunity for people to go outside of their cultural bubble. Because sometimes I do think it's a little easy for us to stay within the safety of our cultural bubbles , of our own , even with our own neighborhoods that we live in. So for me to be in Guadalajara and see South Korean fans partying with with local residents , you know , for for me to be seeing , you know , footage of the fans from , from , from Cape Verde , like in the United States , like having a good time. And I'm thinking back over to , to Mexico City , you know , seeing seeing like English fans arrive and just make it and just having like a blast out there. Or you see the way that Boston like entirely like embrace the Scottish fans and how the Scottish fans embrace them like that is something that , like , genuinely , genuinely does make me emotional. And I and I hope that if there's something that we can like , take away from , from this , it's that a lot of us , whether we live in Norway , whether we live in Austria , whether we live in San Diego , you know , a lot of us are more alike than we think we are. And I love that we can use soccer as a vehicle to do that. Absolutely.

S1: Absolutely. It's such a rich experience. I remember last time we spoke , I told you I'd covered World Cup in 2010 when it was in South Africa and experienced much of what you were just saying. It really , really is something that's wonderful. Listen , what what other teams are you watching as the field gets narrowed to the final eight teams?

S2: I mean , right now , if I'm thinking about the favorites , I mean , the easy answer for me is France. They've done quite well in the tournament. They're going to be taking on Morocco , I believe , July 9th , if I'm incorrect about that. My apologies , but I'm pretty sure that they're playing July 9th against Morocco. I'm keeping an eye on them right now. Portugal and Spain are playing. I think Spain have a decent chance to , and I would not be surprised if they make a deep run. Um , obviously if you ask a casual soccer fans , they'll probably be yelling at me and saying , why haven't you brought up Argentina and Lionel Messi just yet? Don't worry , I'm bringing them up right now because the current title holders also have a pretty good chance of making it to the final. And then also , let's keep an eye on a dark horse. Like if people want a dark horse to to follow out , I would say follow Norway. There's a there's a certain player named Erling Haaland who is arguably the best striker in the world. He had a brilliant performance yesterday against Brazil , and I think he has an opportunity to make a deep run with with Norway in this tournament.

S1: Yeah , it'd be interesting to see. Yeah. And that France and Morocco that that's going to be played Thursday July 9th I believe.

S2: I was correct okay. Yes.

S1: Yes. You got it. You got it. Um , okay. So I got to put you on the spot before I let you go. Who do you think is going to win it all this year? Ah.

S2: Ah.

S4: Can I say no answer?

S2: Okay , I have to have an answer. Um , it's. I'm gonna say France , France , France. Just because I think in order to succeed in tournaments like this , you need a significant amount of roster depth. And that is something that France has in abundance. I am jealous of the backup players that they have in that national team and the backup backup players. Do they have to that and that national team. So if I had to pick someone , I think it's France because they are more than capable to make a deep run just because of the highly talented options that they have off the bench if needed. And also , this is a team too , that's being led by player named Kylian Mbappe , who I think , uh , really has a point to prove after falling just short in the previous World Cup. So I think I'm picking France.

S1: Yeah , maybe something else there. Yeah. We'll see. All right. Well , I have been speaking with Cesar Hernandez. He is a soccer reporter with ESPN. Thank you so much and enjoy the rest of the World Cup.

S2: Thanks to you as well.

S1: That's our show for today.

S5: I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.