Gustavo and Alan hail the glory of El Tri, the Mexican National Team, in advance of their showdown with South Korea (which Alan dubs the LA Derby). They reflect on how supporting El Tri makes a powerful political statement in the Age of Trump; and why this might be further accented by Andres Manuel Lopez Obredor (AMLO) winning the presidential election on July 1st.
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Man, what a day for Argentina – as the much-anticipated team of Lionel Messi flames out against Croatia in a 3-0 rout that stunned the world. Alan and Meleiza discuss what the hell happened in that match, plus: France & Peru’s beautiful game; the misadventures of VAR in Denmark vs. Australia; and the potential for classic World Cup drama that is hopefully yet to come.
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Three teams advance; and three teams are eliminated. Alan and Meleiza discuss the day’s games – as Portugal & Uruguay secure their places in the Round of 16; Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt see their World Cup hopes fade; and Iran takes on Spain and the world of football in more ways than one. Ian Masters interviews author Ken Bensinger on his new book, “Red Card,” on FIFA’s ongoing scandals and how Russia may have stolen their host place in the World Cup.
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Alan and Meleiza recap this momentous World Cup Day 6: Japan becomes the first Asian team to defeat a South American side in decades; Senegal schools Poland for Africa’s first triumph; and Russia slays Egypt and its beloved king, Mo Salah. Plus: we chastise Mexican fans for homophobic chants; pay tribute to an American legend, Walter Bahr; and speculate whether Russia is hacking the game through ‘sports science.’
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We’ve watched 10 games in 3 days, and boy are our eyes tired! But getting up at ungodly hours to watch (and tweet) the World Cup live from the Pacific time zone is a small price to pay for some amazing moments of global joy. Alan Minsky & Meleiza Figueroa discuss the six games of the last two days, including the literal earthquake of Mexico’s victory over 2014 World Champion team Germany; and how, in this European-dominated group stage, El Tri has become a ray of hope for much of the world in a time of heightened social and political tensions. We also discuss England’s late victory over Tunisia, Belgium’s new strategies, and Brazil’s diminishing potential for a big-time comeback from the most infamous World Cup thrashing of all time.
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It’s the first Sunday of the World Cup – and on today’s podcast we focus on expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people across the history of soccer. Guest Estee Chandler, from Jewish Voice for Peace, describes the circumstances that led up to the Argentinian national team refusing to play in Israel a few weeks ago, in one of their preparation matches for this World Cup; one of the highest-profile gestures in support of the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
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It’s Day 3 of the World Cup and there were four matches today – and at the end of the show, Alan summarizes the dramatic action. Before that, KPFK’s Ali Lexa reflects on the most famous match of the century – Germany’s 7-1 thrashing of Brazil in the 2014 World Cup semi-final – from the perspective of a diehard German fan who leads a Brazilian samba troupe. Then, the People’s Game’s Fernando Romero joins us to offer his assessment of Germany’s opponent tomorrow – Mexico – as well as his thoughts on the upcoming Mexican presidential election on July 1.
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Today’s exciting group games – Uruguay vs Egypt, Morocco vs Iran, Portugal vs Spain – delivered all the elements of a classic World Cup in the making. Co-hosts Alan Minsky and Meleiza Figueroa break down the state of play – each game’s dramatic moments, expectations for this year’s tournament, and the social and political significance of the world’s most popular sporting event in these troubled times.
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On our inaugural podcast of World Cup 2018, Alan Minsky and Ian Masters reflect on the society & politics of the two opening countries, host Russia and Saudi Arabia: beacons of light in these troubled times, if you’re a 1-percenter realizing you have to crush the will of your people in order to hold on to your wealth.
Then: the Ambassador of Aztlan, Esteban Zul, reports from Moscow on the never-ending fiesta with the traveling fans of El Tri.
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