S1: A couple of weeks ago , our producer Julio met with a hardcore soccer and World Cup fan from Tijuana , Luis Angel Rodriguez.
S2: Mira el Tercero , El Primero de Qatar , hecho , el segundo dos y ahora , el tercero , aqui en estas unidos , Mexico and Canada DOS 26.
S3: Every four years , he organizes trips with friends and fellow fans to experience the tournament in person.
S1: He's been following the World Cup since he was a kid. After the 2014 tournament , he made it a personal goal to attend one someday , and since Russia in 2018 , he has experienced it. Life.
S2: Mr. president dos y ahora el 26 este también tocar de la presencia.
S3: In 2020 he started a football podcast with a friend , and in 2022 he was invited to Qatar as a media guest to cover the tournament. Para.
S2: Para. El evento donde Como condition pues era Los dias?
S1: When Julio visited Daniel , he shared some World Cup mementos , tickets , flags and even currency.
S3: Reminders of every tournament he's traveled to and experienced.
S2: In Qatar. On Cinco la inauguration , Los Tours de Mexico , Senegal , Ecuador.
S3: Now , just as he had before , Daniel was preparing to travel , this time to San Francisco to catch a World Cup match. He was taking time off work and spending a little more than $1,000 to be a part of the tournament once again.
S2: Campeon hicimos Catorce horas de camino para llegar Hermanos quieren Ciudad de México.
S3: He remembers meeting other Mexican fans during the 2018 World Cup in Russia , a trip that took nearly 14 hours by bus to reach the stadium.
S2: Queremos vamos no posi un su combi y la y en el camion.
S3: He met two brothers from Mexico City who were so determined to see Mexico play that they sold their taxi van , their combi , in order to make the trip to Russia for the matches.
S2: Dos Hermanos de su Fuente trabajo de su combi , pero la Paz de Los motivo se riesgo for Daniel.
S3: It's an example of what he sees every four years , fans going to extraordinary lengths to be a part of the World Cup. And this summer , with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in full swing , that feeling is everywhere , especially here in our own backyard.
S4: For the greatest event in history in 2026 , we will bring the world together.
S1: But if you're like us , you may feel a bit like a fish out of water. Amid all the excitement surrounding this year's World Cup.
S5: Speak for yourself. This is my Christmas in the summer.
S1: Yeah , yeah. Julia , we know already you are a hardcore football fan.
S5: Look at it this way , guys. Actually , let me join you guys in the recording booth.
S6: No , we don't want you in here. You smell. Nice , too. Gone. All right. Okay. All right , here we go.
S5: The World Cup is really the only sporting event. Maybe even the only cultural event that gets the most of the planet paying attention. At the same time this summer , as many as 6 billion people are expected to tune in. That's about three quarters of the world's population. Think about it. It just shows you how universal the game really is. You know what I mean?
S6: Yeah , yeah.
S5: But seriously , think about it. What is it about this tournament that makes it so special that people will travel halfway around the world just to be there. And why do those same people just keep coming back? Tournament after tournament. Hey.
S7: Hey. So boring.
S5: It's kind of hard. Like people feel about music or movies. It crosses borders. It has universal appeal. You don't have to speak the same language to share the excitement that brings everyone together.
S6: Yeah , that's.
S3: Actually a pretty.
S6: Good point.
S5: Actually , guys , I have a few people in mind that we should talk to. So you just don't hear it from me. And maybe we should watch a match together. While we're at.
S1: It , I mean. Sure. Yeah.
S6: Let's do it.
S5: All right , Adrian , roll the intro from KPBS.
S3: This is Port of Entry.
S1: Where we tell cross-border stories that connect. Us.
S6: Us.
S3: I'm Alan Leland.
S1: And I'm Natalie Gonzalez.
S3: You're listening to. Port of entry.
S1: A month before the World Cup kicked off , we headed to Ensenada to visit a couple of old friends. Julio was convinced they were the perfect people to help us understand all the World Cup excitement.
S8: I hope they got the solution.
S3: If you listen to our food and migration season a few years ago , you might remember these two guests.
S1: Of Alta Parrilla and Moomin Nori of couscous.
S3: They're chefs , close friends and members of the same ocean swimming group. They're also huge World Cup fans.
S1: And when we asked them about football , the trash talk started almost immediately.
S9: Ladies first. Yeah.
S8: Yeah.
S9: I think we've already starting. Love you. Love you. Oh , man , I love you too. We need to know from Argentina , right? Yes , and I'm from Morocco. Just to set up. Set up the rules. Okay. Argentina or Morocco? Okay.
S10: First the old man. Yes.
S9: Yes.
S1: We met at moments in your restaurant. Darn. Both seem ready to relax with a couple of beers. Cerveza?
S8: Cerveza?
S3: It's been three years since we last had them on the show and a lot has changed.
S10: Ahora con muchos eventos gastronomical ISO medico.
S3: Since then , Access Argentine barbecue business has continued to grow , and Moman recently opened this second restaurant and reached a major milestone.
S9: Yeah , the Michelin gave us a exposure at an international level , and all the tourists that come from overseas , from the US , they they find us in the Michelin sometimes and they come.
S1: Their friendship has even inspired them to collaborate on events.
S9: Exa is getting so busy. Argentina is is hot now. Argentinian food. And when we mix it with Moroccan food , it's just just fun.
S3: But that friendship gets tested when football enters the conversation.
S9: And football. Oh.
S10: Oh. Football.
S9: Football.
S11: Love football.
S9: Now Exa is not my friend anymore.
S1: To get things started , we asked them about some of their favorite football memories.
S9: The World Cup final of André 20. I watched it in his house. We saw it together. He took that part of the history out of his head. He forgot that it existed. He doesn't even know there was a mundial under 20 because Morocco played against Argentina in the final.
S12: There it is. Watch a story. It's Morocco's cup. It's Africa's cup.
S9: He invited me to his house. I was carrying weapons. He didn't see that. But I had knives and guns. Just in case he wanted to kill me or something.
S3: Moman was eager to keep testing his friendship with ex.
S9: Look , I traveled to so many countries. I walked in dark streets. I went to unsafe areas. But that day , watching the final in his house and winning Morocco , winning two zero against Argentina. That was the riskiest thing I've ever done in my life.
S1: Fortunately for women , X is a graceful competitor.
S10: To Morocco's Hugo. Muy bien. Hugo. Murcia , Campeon del mini mundial.
S3: To his credit , Xia admitted Morocco was the better team that day.
S10: Obviamente un poquito de in Morocco , pero nunca VI un certain feliz con un mi amigo un woman. ESE dia estuvo por el si muy feliz por.
S1: El for x a proud Argentinian who hates losing. Admitting Morocco was a better team wasn't easy.
S3: Still , seeing his friend so happy helped soften the loss.
S9: Despite all the war that's going to happen between us , we're still good friends. And you know , he was happy for me to see my country win the under 20 World Cup. And I will never forget the 2022 World Cup.
S1: The day Argentina lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar.
S12: Argentina champions of the world.
S9: I was actually watching the final in his house again and he was crying like a baby and I hugged him. I was holding my tears. Yeah , I remember. That was those. And that was huge.
S10: That was maybe also real. Mundial. Para me. Incredible. Samba mi padre. X.
S3: X. He remembers calling his father that day in December 2022. The two cried together over the phone despite being thousands of miles apart.
S9: And this year , this year , I'm gonna be the one crying at the final winning and he's gonna give me a hug. And this year is the annual event. Event says algo para nosotros Afrikaners. Come on.
S1: But that wasn't the memory that first made XV fall in love with the game.
S10: But in the Mundial. 026. Mexico. Victor Hugo Morales es muy Argentina. Bueno el football in Argentina y se relatos fantastico. Fantastico del gol. Diego , a Los Angeles's.
S1: Earliest World Cup memory , takes him back to the World Cup in Mexico in 1986.
S3: He remembers Diego Maradona s legendary goal against England , when Maradona dribbled past six players to score in front of 114,000 fans at Estadio Azteca. Immortalised by broadcaster Victor Hugo Morales's unforgettable narration.
S10: To La Fortuna , the experimenter. S ese mundial aqui en tu pais. Aqui en México. Qué mejor? Qué mejor para mi vida Como del futbol. Anos tener experiencia.
S1: At just ten years old. ESA says there was no better way to begin a lifelong love affair with football.
S3: But football memories aren't always joyful. Sometimes they end in heartbreak. Exit has experienced plenty of both , including losing to Germany in two World Cups , first in 1990 and then again in 2014.
S10: To me.
S1: He jokes that after that loss , he needed a little emotional anesthesia. Mama knows that feeling , too.
S9: Once you're you go to the semi-final. You start to taste the the the World Cup. It's crazy. You become. We were we were just hoping to get to the semi-final because that was a new thing for us , new territories. Then it's like we could actually win this World Cup.
S3: In 2022 , Morocco became the first African and Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final before losing to France.
S9: It was euphoria. It was. We were not shocked as Moroccans because we were a group of friends watching the games in a in a bar in , uh , in San Diego. We had a good team , very disciplined and stuff. I finished the game and I drive back to Mexico with a friend of mine in the car. My friend is crying. Crying like , if it's a funeral. This is when we won the quarterfinal. We went to the semifinal. Just. I told him , I am not going to cry. I am not going to cry because we can't. I'm going to cry when we win the final.
S1: So what is it about football and especially the World Cup that inspires this kind of passion from so many people around the world?
S9: Poor countries in Africa , football is the main sport. You have to know. The reason we all grew up playing football is because it doesn't cost anything to play football. So we create little fields where to play. All we need is one ball. One ball and we played with our shoes. I used to get in trouble because I played with the shoes I take to school , and sometimes they all open up and get torn. We all grew up. That's all we played is football. The football is something you do at school and in the streets. Either you get ten by ten , you get 100 by 100. Whatever fields you have in the street or in your neighborhood , usually it's dirt , it's football.
S1: And after all the talk , there was only one thing left to ask. Who's winning the World Cup?
S9: Morocco is going to the final. We're gonna beat Argentina in the semi-final. Then we're gonna. Movement is gonna eliminate X in the semi-final.
S10: Uh , what a.
S9: 3 to 1 , three , two , one. And but unfortunately , we're gonna lose out on the final battle. I will feel the pleasure to winning. If there is an Argentinian friend of mine that I love , I swim with. Gonna beat up. I'm gonna talk about it all year long if that happens.
S10: Moment , moment. Si.
S3: Port of entry will be back after a short break. You're listening to port of Entry.
S1: Okay , I have to admit , Moomin and SS football enthusiasm was super contagious. I left feeling a lot more curious about the World Cup , but there was something else that pulled me in that podcast that you played on the drive home , Julio.
S5: Oh , you mean Jasmine? Cards. The last cup?
S1: Yes , I finished it last week and I cried by the fourth episode.
S5: Walnut , if you're crying by episode four , I figured we should bring the person responsible of that.
S13: Now what? Yep.
S3: Yep. She's actually on the line with us from New York City.
S5: Alan , are you ready? Yup.
S3: Yup.
S5: Now are you ready?
S13: Oh my God. Oh my God.
S5: Ellen , do us the favor and please introduce her. Mhm.
S3: Mhm. Hello , everybody. Very excited to be here today with Jasmine Garsd. She is the border reporter for NPR. And also I will admit that I didn't hear it when it came out , but I recently started hearing the last Cup , which she is the creator and writer for , and it really is. I thought I was just doing my homework , but it's become one of my favorite podcasts and I'm hooked. It's a great honor to be here with you , Jasmine.
S14: Thanks so much for having me. I love KPBS so much.
S1: But actually I'm not a huge fan of football. And I have to say , I started following Messi when I finished listening to the Last Cup. I am curious to know what is your earliest memory of a World Cup?
S14: My earliest memories of football are of local football. I come from a family of Passionate fans , soccer fans. I'm going to use soccer and football interchangeably. My dad , like any good Argentine man , dreamt of being a soccer player as a kid. When I was doing the last cup , something I realized was what I loved so much about the experience of watching and playing football was that I grew up in an environment that was very sexist , like gender roles were very rigid , and when we would watch football , I was totally given permission to scream and like , emote with the men , with my grandfather and my father , these men who were super distant and otherwise completely unavailable , ask me about my therapy bill. But and like similarly , until a certain age , until I hit puberty , I was allowed to play soccer. And my father , it was this moment where he was so proud of me and I got to , like , scream and run and , you know , just really interact with the men and the boys. And my father would narrate the game as we played it , and he would narrate it as if it were una Copa mundial , a World Cup. He would call us by our names as if we were players in LA selection. And so , like from a very early age , soccer football meant so much more to me than a sport , and that's really how I wanted to tackle it.
S3: For people that that maybe have never followed the World Cup or see the World Cup every four years , can you maybe tell them what they're missing out on?
S14: It's so interesting because I have such a mixed relationship with it. I had a friend of mine from who's American , he's from the US the other day who does not watch soccer was like like I find it off putting that they only do 1 or 2 or maybe three goals , right? And I was like , yeah , but the beauty of it is the rarity of it. Like , you have to work really hard. Go go go. Maybe if you're lucky , you'll get 1 or 2. Yeah.
S3: Yeah. In America , they're just used to football. Like American football and basketball. It's like points on points. You just score all the time.
S14: So it's a totally different experience. It's not like baseball. Like the first time I went to a baseball. And I love baseball , right. But the first time I went to a baseball game , I was like , wow , this is like an eating and sitting and gossiping experience. And so it's like it's a totally different pace and rhythm. It is like 90 plus minutes of utter joy , suffering the most intense emotions. And then it's done. And I think because it is , it speaks so much to so many different communities. I've often wondered , like , okay , what is it that people who are not necessarily nationalistic by nature will see these ten players and will project pride and melancholy and sadness and , you know , like all these emotions on these on on these players and on the sport. And I also think it taps into , like I can say , as , as a soccer lover that it taps into ugly things. It taps into ugly nationalism and ugly racism and sexism. Like , as much as I can tell you , I loved when I grew up in in different parts of Buenos Aires , and I was always next to a soccer club somehow. And I loved when it was like game day and it was like intense and we were yelling. And it was also really like later on as a young woman who had , you know , friends who were gay. It was scary when a lot of those guys came into into the neighborhood. It was it was the threat of violence all the time. And so I think it taps into these really intense , hard core emotions. And the one thing I will say is , I think there's a tendency to think that sports in general , but football is just about sports. And to almost like look down on people who love it so much. Like when I did the last movie , there were several people who said to me , ah , okay. I thought , I thought you were like a serious journalist. What?
S1: What? What is that supposed to mean?
S14: And to me , sports. When? Well done. Like good sports reporting is an extraordinary way to talk about race , to talk about class , to talk about gender , to talk about dreams , social mobility , lack thereof. Like there's just. It's a perfect way to get into that. Yeah.
S3: Yeah. As someone who's not even into sports at all , it's just a conduit for all these other things because it's beyond just a game. It's clearly just not just a game.
S14: It's religion. I mean , like during the last World Cup , I had friends who were like , you know , I'm not a very religious person. And I was like , praying. We were burning candles. It was it's like it is it's like almost a religious experience. And I will also say , I think a true lover of the sport can also be very critical of some of the stuff it brings up. Again , as someone who grew up in a soccer several soccer neighborhoods , I love it. And there are parts of it that disgust me and used to scare me. And that's what we wanted to do with the last cup. We wanted to talk about the love of it , the disgust of it , and like this really powerful force that runs through us as a culture.
S1: You intertwined your your personal story of longing for home with the story of Messi. And I think what was more particular and beautiful about it were the personal stakes and how your you place your own life in the narrative. Could you talk to us a little bit more about that?
S14: I started tuning in to Messi , like specifically to him when , you know , I was living in New York already. I'd been away from Argentina for quite a long time , and I was in that , I don't know , I think the immigration experience has phases that they're so complex , like we don't talk about the moments when you're like , I'm kind of done with this , you know , like I want to just like , be. I need to be away for a while and focus on myself. And I was living in New York and I had an Argentine roommate , and she started just talking to me about Messi and how Messi was sort of like , had been like a national joke for Argentinos. Like , he was seen as like , I don't know , he was seen as someone who couldn't deliver and who was , you know , kind of like this weirdo kid who had left the country as a young kid as a result of the Argentine economic collapse and gone to another country. And now he wasn't. You know , Argentines can be very insular culturally. And like he left and now he wants to come back and he can't even deliver. And she would like , talk about this. I was like , wait , I'm a weirdo who left as a kid because of the economic collapse , and I'm far away , and I feel really alienated and weird when I come back. And so I started to think about that a lot. And then people started to point things out that like indicated to me like how much like how eagerly he wanted to still be part of the culture. Like stuff like somehow Messi has been gone for like probably like 30 years , and he still speaks a Spanish , like he's from his neighborhood in Santa Fe. Like he never left. But it was like a combination of , like how cruel. Like it was so cruel at times to see how they were treating him. I remember like , when he left Madison , he started crying. And then somebody started a company of handkerchiefs , like messy handkerchiefs. And I was like , oh my God , that's so mean.
S3: Oh my. God.
S6: God.
S1: What is it. Like?
S14: Like? Jesus. Like this poor guy. And so there was something about the complexity of , like , how angry the people who get left behind when you migrate can be. And how they can see people who migrate as like what you think you're hot stuff , you think you're hot shit because you left and now you're coming back. No lettuce. Mhm.
S3: Mhm.
S14: And like the person who left , who is so heartbroken and is like no , I just want to come back and be able to go back home. And around this time I started to read , reread The Odyssey. And the Odyssey is essentially the story about a guy who leaves home , gets lost. Like , his whole thing is like , I gotta get back. It's going to be great. When I get back. It's going to just be great. And I just kept thinking , like , Messi's story is the Odyssey and it's very universal. So many people listen to the podcast. Like people from like Colombia or Ecuador and who were like , I really saw myself in this , I left , I wanted to go back. I found that when I did , things had changed.
S3: So after everything you explored in the last Cup , like Messi's journey , the idea of home and what Argentina projected onto him , how did you experience that epic final against France?
S14: It's so cliche , but it's it's in the last World Cup. Like if that game against France had been in a movie like scripted , I would have been like , this is so lame and unbelievable.
S3: Yeah , it was unbelievable.
S14: I had to step outside of the bar and I just was like , I can't , I cannot do it anymore. I'm done. I'm gonna have a cigarette. I start smoking again.
S1: Oh man.
S14: And I was like , I'm not gonna watch this. This is too much. I gotta get out of here. And so I stood outside and friends of mine who were in there , and they would lean out and they'd be like , let the devil cut it.
S15: He got it. Right.
S12: Right. Scott Martinez is punching the air again.
S14: And then like , be like , okay , like. And then they would come out and be like , goal. It was a goal , you know? And it was like they just kept coming out to tell me. And then the last one , the one that like did it , I just , I like blacked out.
S12: I would say , dude , I got to go because I was a teenager and.
S14: It was such joy. And then I called my dad and you know , speaking of like men who you can only relate to through. Football.
S1: Football.
S14: I called him and I was like , like I he was crying and I still got very emotional because my dad's still alive. But I wanted him to see one more cup. And when we're talking about like the the Inter play with like personal stuff , my dad has had to leave Argentina twice , once for a dictatorship. He's lost people who just went missing. He had to leave for an economic collapse. He doesn't have the greatest memories always of Argentina , and to me it felt so important that he had one. One last thing to remember a greatness when he has so many wounds.
S3: This 2026 World Cup. What do you think feels different about this compared to others , and what do you think it means that this will be literally shared across borders.
S14: On the one hand. As a soccer fan , I'm really excited to be able to go see all these games. The cost is so prohibitive. It's grotesque. And I think it's grotesque that a game that is fundamentally for the people , that the beauty of soccer is that if you have something that is somewhat similar to a ball , you can play , soccer is like like it's something you play in le.
S15: Favelas and Le Vicious in low country. Clubs.
S14: Clubs. And so I think there's something about about that is is troubling to me. I'm more excited to go watch the games at a bar in Queens than I am in the stadiums. I think that's where the real.
S15: Food world.
S14: Is going to be. I think there's something , you know , yeah , exciting about it being played here. I think a lot about the moment the US is in right now. Who loves. Football.
S15: Football.
S14: The most in the US immigrant communities , it means so much. And , you know , I've been reporting on Delaney Hall where there's a hunger strike. The immigration , the Ice detention center where there's a hunger strike right now because conditions are so horrific , according to detainees. And that's 15 minutes away from where the final is going to be played. And so I think a lot about , like , what it means to have this massive event at a time in which there are an unprecedented number of immigrants , around 60,000 in detention , around 70% of which have no criminal conviction. What does it mean to have those two simultaneously? And how can I report on this , both with a love and joy for. Football.
S15: Football.
S14: And with a critical eye as well? I think it's happening at a really unique moment in U.S. history. And those are my thoughts right now.
S3: Thank you so much , Jasmine , for sharing your story and your thoughts with us. It says a lot about you and just who you are that you can light up the passion of two non soccer fans for soccer just through how you tell your stories , and it really was a great privilege to be here.
S14: Oh thank you so much Walnut.
S5: But now. I.
S6: I.
S16: Have a little crush.
S5: So you ready to watch a game?
S17: Let's do it.
S1: On June 11th , we headed to a World Cup watch party at a brewery in Tijuana.
S3: The brewery was already brewing with excitement , but pun very intended. Mexico was opening the 2026 World Cup against South Africa.
S1: People packed into the brewery wearing green and white jerseys , waiting for the kickoff as the national anthems played. The nerves started to show. We asked some Mexican fans what they were hoping for.
S18: Oh my gosh , I would love for them to make it to the quarterfinals , and the semifinals and finals would be even better.
S3: Raul from Bonita was optimistic but realistic.
S1: Ray Suarez from San Diego wasn't putting any limits on Mexico's run.
S19: That's a that's a belief. That's the goal we come in and the mindset and.
S1: Then it happened. The brewery exploded. People jumped out of their seats. Strangers hugging strangers. Even I had some beer. Flew everywhere for a few minutes. Nobody cared where anyone else was from. Then Mexico scored again.
S20: El segundo pueblo. Golden. Raul.
S1: And standing in a brewery. Surrounded by complete strangers. celebrating together. I finally felt a little of what Julio and our friends have been trying to describe. Mexico is about to win the first game of the World Cup. This is the best day of my life. It wasn't really about football. It was about belonging. Over the past few weeks , everyone we talked to had described the World Cup differently for Daniel. It was a pilgrimage for exile and movement. It was family , friendship and home. For Jazmin , it was memory and all the complicated emotions that come with leaving one place and building a life somewhere else.
S5: I see. Tell me more.
S1: Well , I mean , I love the experience , and not because I'd suddenly become a diehard soccer fan. I kind of did , but because for 90 minutes I got to be part of something much bigger than myself.
S5: So that's what I want to hear. Alan , you actually did something we weren't planning for this episode. You actually went to a World Cup game this tournament? How was the experience?
S6: It was really incredible.
S3: I saw some teams that I don't have any allegiance to Bosnia and Switzerland. But.
S6: But.
S3: Even though I'd never seen these teams play , I felt so connected to the thousands and thousands of people that were there. It was the emotional peaks of seeing someone score a goal , just it didn't even matter which side you were rooting for. It was just like all of us. Every single person in that audience just got on a connected high. It was really cool. Alan.
S5: Alan. Nat , welcome to the football family , guys.
S3: This episode of Port of Entry was written and produced by Julio César Ortiz.
S1: Franco Villalobos is technical producer and sound designer.
S3: This episode was edited by Chrissy Winn.
S1: Lisa morissette is director of audio programming and operations. Soldier.
S6: Soldier.
S1: Yo soy Natalie Gonzalez.
S21: Nos vemos pronto.
