It’s a day off from Brazil’s World Cup 2014, and what better way to relax our frayed nerves than with some great Brazilian music and dialogue about the World Cup from KPFK’s Global Village host and Brazilian DJ Sergio Mielniczenko. But first, Margaret Prescod from KPFK’s Sojourner Truth talks soccer with Mickey Cohen, the Goal Keeper Coach at Monroe College in New Rochelle, New York. He has played and coached soccer at the high school, college, and professional levels for forty years.
Radio Show
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This installment of The People’s Game features author Gabriel Kuhn on soccer and radical politics; columnist Gustavo Arellano on the Mexican National Team; filmmaker Pablo Miralles on the U.S. Team; Professor and soccer blogger Laurent Dubois on the Belgian team and the popularity of the World Cup in the USA; performance artist Karen Anzoategui on Lionel Messi and Argentina; Amazon scholar Professor Susanna Hecht on the roots of soccer culture among Brazil’s indigenous population; and Los Angeles organizer Manuel Criollo, who chaired a panel on radical politics and soccer.
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The Round of 16 concludes: Argentina prevails over Switzerland, and a heroic but futile effort by Tim Howard and Team USA to defeat the Belgians leaves only one CONCACAF team left standing. Alan and Meleiza recap the day’s events. Pablo Miralles hails the superhuman feats of Tim Howard and the guts of Team USA, while Gustavo Arellano laments the heartbreaking exit of El Tri. Finally, Karen Anzoategui shares her thoughts on Argentina’s win and its prospects for the quarterfinal.
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CAF, or the Confederation of African Football, ends its World Cup run as Nigeria and Algeria are both eliminated from the tournament, and Germany and France move on to the quarterfinals. Alan and Meleiza recap today’s dramatic games and preview tomorrow’s final matches for the Round of 16. Meleiza also asks Algerian fan Gortha Korchit for his thoughts, moments after Algeria’s heartbreaking defeat in extra time after shutting out Germany for 90+ minutes. Then, Alan interviews feminist sports blogger Jennifer Doyle on the rise of the women’s game and combating entrenched patriarchy in global soccer.
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Brazil and Colombia advance, and so we focus on Brazilian and Colombian football. On today’s podcast we feature our entire conversation with David Goldblatt, author of “Futebol Nation: A History of Brazil through Soccer,” on the past, present, and future of Brazilian football and the nation. KPFK’s Mark Torres discusses Colombian football with former Colombian national coach Vladimir Nieto, Argentinian club coach Ezequiel Dominguez, and comic-book artist Martin Ayala. At the top, Alan and Meleiza review the very eventful first games from the Round of 16, and look forward to tomorrow’s exciting matchups.
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We all take a collective breath and a moment for reflection before the knockout stage commences. Alan and Meleiza preview tomorrow’s matches in the Round of 16: Brazil vs Chile, and Colobmia vs Uruguay. Then, we feature a talk given in Oakland by Dave Zirin, who has just come back from Brazil and shares his trenchant analysis of the World Cup and its sociopolitical context. Finally, Lalo Alcaraz of KPFK’s Pocho Hour of Power is joined by People’s Game correspondents Fernando Romero and Bernice Espinoza, also just back from Brazil, as well as OC Weekly’s Gustavo Arellano.
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The group stages are over, and the stakes are high going into the knockout rounds. On today’s podcast, Pablo Miralles analyzes Team USA’s 0-1 “victory” as they lose to Germany, but go on to the Round of 16. Alan and Meleiza recap Algeria’s historic advance to the knockout stages in light of the team’s inextricably political history, and examine the many relationships between soccer and nationalism. Meleiza interviews Dave Zirin, just back from Rio and on his speaking tour about Brazil and the World Cup; and we feature two segments with Alan Minsky on the People’s Game that aired on KPFK’s Truthdig Radio and KPFA’s Letters and Politics. Finally, KPFK’s Lila Garrett relates the World Cup with the buildup to the USA’s re-engagement with Iraq.
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On today’s podcast, Alan and Meleiza discuss USA’s chances against Germany in tomorrow’s match, and the conflicted politics of rooting for Team USA. Karen Anzoategui recaps Messi’s brilliance on the field, his two magisterial goals cementing Argentina’s place in the Round of 16. Fernando Romero reports on his experience of the World Cup in Brazil, and traveling folk-punk troubadours Ryan Harvey and James Bar Bowen share their observations as they tour across the United States, watching the World Cup along the way.
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This week’s broadcast episode features highlights from the week’s podcasts, as well as commentary on today’s games. Alan Minsky interviews David Goldblatt, author of “Futebol Nation,” on the history of soccer in Brazil, and blogger Jennifer Doyle on combating entrenched patriarchy in global soccer. OC Weekly’s “Ask a Mexican!” author Gustavo Arellano celebrates the spectacular success of Mexico’s national team; and finally, Meleiza Figueroa speaks with urban geographer Chris Gaffney on the demonstrations in Brazil, and how the transformation of space inside and outside the stadiums affect Brazilian society and the very nature of the “beautiful game.”
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On today’s podcast, we take on the politics of food – specifically, Luis Suarez’s choice of snack in the 80th minute of the Uruguay-Italy match. Alan and Meleiza discuss today’s bizarre events. Then, we speak with David Goldblatt, soccer historian and author of Futebol Nation: The Story of Brazil through Soccer. Next, People’s Game correspondent Lezar Treschan helps us make sense of Uruguayan gastronomy; and finally, Gustavo Arellano celebrates Mexico’s glorious victory over Croatia and their advancement to the second round.