On today’s podcast, we speak to Teo Ballvé in Bogota, Colombia, who relates the experience of being in a country whose team captured the imagination of the world. Miguel Paredes of the Futbolistas discusses the radical fútbol culture of Southern California, the world’s most ethnically diverse metropolitan area. Alan and Meleiza discuss the political contradictions of Alfredo di Stefano’s brilliant football legacy, and look forward to tomorrow’s Brazil-Germany semifinal.
Today’s Radio Show
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With a couple of days off until the semifinals, Alan and Meleiza mourn the underdogs, but also celebrate the radical traditions of the four soccer powerhouses left standing: Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands, and Germany. We also speak with Costa Rican/Mexican fan David Orona on Costa Rica’s magisterial performance, and Karen Anzoategui, who watched the Argentina/Belgium quarterfinal live at the Estadio Nacional in Brasília. Finally, we feature our extended conversation with Laurent Dubois on the broader context of the 2014 World Cup.
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Today’s Podcast: Another super-hyper-mega dramatic day at the 2014 World Cup. Germany dominates, Brazil & Colombia play one for the ages, and Neymar exits. We review it all, and look forward to tomorrow’s matches. Plus, Meleiza’s brilliant interview with Amazonian scholar Professor Susanna Hecht on the deep history and political ecology of Latin American futbol, as well as the state of indigenous peoples in the Amazon.
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On today’s podcast we look forward to tomorrow when Germany and France will settle things once-and-for-all on the battlefield; and Colombia tries to conquer Brazil. We talk with Soccer blogger Elaine Teng from the New Republic, author of the article “Stop Treating Women like they don’t anything about soccer;” and also actor and writer Brendan Hunt, who is back from attending USMNT games in Brazil. We also check in with Margaret Prescod and Coach Mickey.
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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.