Jeff Rittener (00:00)
Welcome back to Rittener Reflections, Episode 32. For me, the first half of this year has been filled with incredible sports moments. It all started back in February when I attended the Super Bowl here at Levi Stadium with my daughter. Then came the Winter Olympics, where both the men and the women took gold in ice hockey. After that, the NBA Finals, where the New York Knicks finally

Won a championship after more than 50 years? And at the same time, I was cheering with my older daughter and my grandchildren for our local ice hockey team, the Carolina Hurricanes, who went on to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 20 years. And if that wasn't enough sports excitement, the 2026 FIFA World Cup began on June 12th. I attended an

Early match right here at Levi Stadium, watching my favorite team, Switzerland, play in my hometown at Santa Clara. So I'm going to take the month of July to focus on sports. First, for this episode, the World Cup. And then the next episode will shift gears to the upcoming NFL season.

Today I'll share some reflections on my history with the World Cup, how I've experienced this tournament so far, and why Switzerland is the team I'm rooting for. Then I'll bring in a very special guest, my friend Armando, and we'll have a conversation that covers the history, some analysis, and even some predictions for the final match.

During this month, I watched matches with friends at places across the Bay Area: San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Clara. And each place had its own energy. And so to capture these moments, I took my recorder with me to several matches and watch parties and a few other places. The idea was to capture some of the unique and exhilarating sounds that you hear when you

Are surrounded by fans from all over the world. I'll include those clips toward the end of the episode, and I hope that they give you an inside view of all of the emotions and the atmosphere of this incredible event. You know, I really knew nothing about the World Cup until the summer of 1982 when I was living in Switzerland.

Now, as a reminder, I am Swiss. I'm born and raised in the US, but with deep Swiss heritage from my father. I went to Switzerland during my college years really just to take a break, wanted to meet my family, and just experience another culture. Well, while I was in Switzerland, I experienced my first World Cup in a language I barely spoke, watching matches with people from

All over the world in a large community residence for travelers and temporary residents. I fell in love with the event. I fell in love with the global nature and the global mix of people. And that experience really kind of changed my life. I switched my course of study to international business, which eventually led me down a path to an amazing career working with.

Individuals from all over the world leading a global trade organization for a multinational semiconductor company. So my World Cup journey began in Switzerland and continued through the next 11 tournaments until today, right here in Santa Clara in 2026.

Jeff Rittener (04:18)
I remember the first World Cup match I ever attended, which was back in 1994 at Stanford Stadium. The US was hosting the World Cup that year, and several of the matches were played here in the Bay Area. Now, for that game, I recall sitting on the Bleachers at Stanford Stadium during a very warm June day, and I watched

Brazil play Cameroon. Now, the Stanford Stadium was probably one of the largest stadiums we had here in the Bay Area, and so it was given the chance to host a few games. And for this game, I recall there were 83,000 plus fans. And I was so taken in by the sea of yellow all around the stadium, which were the colors of the Brazil team. And just the way the fans sang and chanted their.

their their s their slogans and the consistent beating of drums and the sound of horns was just just mesmerizing. you know I don't remember too much about the game itself. I believe Brazil won easily like 3-0 you know as they went on from there to ultimately win the World Cup. the final interestingly was played down at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and it turned out to be an

Historic match because at the end of the full 120 minutes of play, the score remained 0-0. And this is the first time in a finals match that you ended up with a draw. And so I recall that from there they decided to do what's called a shootout, which is also known as penalty kicks. And so five players from each side have an opportunity.

To kick the ball at close range into the net, and the goal on the opposite side is supposed to stop the ball from going in. And so they go through this period of alternating one after the other for five kicks, and the one that ends up with the most kicks at the end

Brazil ended up punching in three goals and Italy only two, and so Brazil won the World Cup that year in 1994. Now I recall how frustrated I was with the idea that a championship game was being decided by a few kicks. You know, now I'm used to sports like American football, NBA basketball, and even US hockey.

Where the teams played for the championship and they played until there was a winner, no matter how long that took. You know, they call that sudden death. And so this was strange to me, and I've over time gotten used to it. But anyway, I was hooked in Switzerland, mesmerized at Stanford, and a little bewildered with the penalty shootout. But as a result, I couldn't wait for the next world.

Now, interestingly, I enjoyed the next seven World Cups, that were held in many places around the world while I worked at Intel. Now, working full-time made it difficult to watch all matches as I'm doing today. But I do recall as an international trade guy, I had so much fun with my colleagues around the world, wherever it was being played.

All around the world the company would would set up TV screens so employees could stay up and we could watch. And then of course the internet obviously helped. depending on the time zone, we spent many of our lunches, you know, watching a match. often you could hear the cheering and the loud noises coming from many parts of of the building. One of my favorite times is they had in our main building, they had a it was almost like a library set up with a few chairs and

And then this big TV screen. And I I know many times, but there were dozens of us that stood around and people would come and go to see what was happening. And just it was always a lot of fun. I also remember watching the World Cup while I traveled around the world for one memory is I would happen to be in Germany during one of the World Cup games where the US was actually playing Germany that day, and after work was over.

Bunch of us went down to a bar in Munich and we went downstairs and there it was on a big screen, the US playing in Germany. Now unfortunately the US was trounced by Germany that year,

but it was just fun to see, your home team playing in another country.

I also remember in Israel there was what during the World Cup and we sat out and had dinner outdoors and there was a big screen and we were able to watch the game while we had dinner.

And then of course Washington DC. I so I went there so many times and of course I caught multiple World Cups. Early on, I remember there was a number of very of very iconic sports bars. And what was kind of fun is you could go to a meeting, maybe you met with the government, you had something, and you had just a little bit of time, you could quickly pop into one of these places, see what was going on and what the results were, and just continue to kind of be part of the ongoing playing of of games during the World Cup.

in essence, every four years the World Cup kind of became part of your professional rhythm. And it was, you know, for me it was especially meaningful because I collaborated with so many people from different countries and we all really got into it together and just made it very special. So those of you, you know, listening most likely already know a lot about the World Cup, but I thought maybe I would just

what makes this particular World Cup so extraordinary. You know, this is the first time in history that the World Cup has been hosted by three nations simultaneously: the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Now, it's really been for me a lot of fun to see you know games being played in Toronto and then seeing the Mexican country host.

several games in different parts of Mexico. I especially enjoyed one of the matches that was being played at a stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. And I I really enjoyed it because that stadium is directly across the street from the Intel buildings, which I've been to a number of times. I've stood there, I've looked at that stadium. And it was really kind of fun because when the TV network kind of panned out and they looked back at the stadium from afar, I was I'm certain that those

Shots were taken from the Intel buildings which are right there by the stadium. So that was a lot of fun just seeing that. You know, the other thing is this is the largest World Cup ever. Normally they have 32 teams compete. This year it's 48 teams. And so we've we were able to see a lot of new entries into the World Cup, countries that had never been before. One country really caught the attention of most of us because it's so small. It's called Cape Verde.

It's located in some islands off of the coast of Africa by Portugal, and there's only 500,000 people that live there. And they they actually put together a very strong team that almost pulled off the upset of the century by beating the powerhouse Argentina. So it's been great to see so many new countries be able to participate. Another fact is the US diaspora energy that you feel here. Every match feels like a home game.

you see it in the stadiums on TV or whether you go down to some of these watch parties, but you see huge crowds of Colombians, Mexicans, Brazilians, Argentinians, Europeans from Germany and England. And they all wear the the the country color, and so the stadium is just beautiful. I remember one game with Colombia, the entire stadium again was kind of mixed with red and yellow, and just just beautiful. And then finally, Levi Stadium here in Santa Clara.

This is one of the most advanced venues that's being used. And as you recall, we hosted the Super Bowl and now the World Cup in the same year. And this stadium was fortunate to have five games here locally. Now speaking of Levi's, I was fortunate to get tickets to the opening game between Switzerland and Qatar. Now I actually got my tickets through a Bay Area Swiss club.

That I'm part of. And I think it was back maybe in February, March, I got an email from the Swiss club saying, hey, we have been allocated a number of tickets for Swiss citizens who live here in the US to be able to attend the match. And if you're in and it was three matches, one at Levi's, one in SoFi down in Los Angeles, and one in Vancouver. And so if you're interested, go ahead and register and we'll let you know. So I registered and you know, several months later I got an email. Congratulations, you have the opportunity to pick.

One game that you can go to, I decided to pick the local one here at Levi's, and I was able to actually purchase tickets at a much, much reduced price to what was going what the tickets were going for on the market. So I was very fortunate that I got two tickets. And I was able to pick a game locally here at Levi's that happened to be my team, Switzerland. Now, the Swiss soccer team is one of only a handful of nations

To have qualified for five consecutive World Cups, that being 2010 to this year, 2026. Now, for this match, I decided to invite a good running friend of mine named Armando who talks all the time about soccer, and I knew how much he loves soccer. And so I invited him to join me. And we went and had just an amazing time. Now, prior to entering the stadium, I took the opportunity to record.

our thoughts and our emotions as we got ready to go in and to see this game. And as we entered, th I could just feel such an incredible atmosphere of enthusiasm and cheering and just anticipation. It was very, very different than the experience I had at the Super Bowl, which feel felt more like a big party. a lot of the people attending the Super Bowl have no connection to the teams we're playing. Whereas this game

Everyone had either they were wearing the red jerseys of the Swiss or they were Qataris who were in their long white robes. But the the buzz of it all was was fascinating. And so you will find that this audio clip really does capture the moment. So I'm gonna go ahead and play it now, and then afterwards I will bring on Armando and we'll discuss our experience and so much.

Jeff Rittener (15:36)
Armando, welcome to the podcast.

Armando (15:39)
Thank you Jeff. I'm very glad to be here.

Jeff Rittener (15:41)
I am so excited

that we're having this conversation. You know, you and I over the last almost month have spent so much time together, whether it was at a stadium, at a bar, at a r and on a run, we have spent so much time together just talking nonstop about the World Cup. And you know, when we went to the game together, we just heard the clip of the beginning, we went to the game together, we had to walk from my

my special parking spot to the stadium which is about a mile. And during that walk we talked all about the World Cup past, present, future. And I was so impressed and amazed with your knowledge of the World Cup and of the teams and the players and so many stories from the past. I thought to myself, I have to have Armando on my podcast. I mean he can give some real color and some real commentary to this amazing event that's been going on for the last month

month. So I'm so glad you're here. Welcome.

Armando (16:36)
Thank you, Jeff. I really appreciate the the opportunity to be here, to be joining your podcast. And first I'd like to personally thank you for, you know, allowing me to come and see my first ever World Cup game. That was something I'll never forget. So I I am very grateful for that.

Jeff Rittener (16:51)
might be really good kind of to start like we did when we first met. I think we asked each other, what was when was your first World Cup, right? What was the first one you remember? And so I've kind of outlined mine a little bit earlier in in the introduction, but I'd love to hear your story of your first ever World Cup.

Armando (17:08)
Yeah, so let me take you back to two thousand and ten. for some context, I was I was about a year and a half new to the United States. I had migrated from El Salvador to the US and I was you know living with my grandparents and my parents in a tiny apartment. But it was the summer after my freshman year in high school. twenty ten workup was the first workup that I

Consciously saw from beginning to end that I watched every single game that I can remember. and I I I I'm very fond of it because I spent a lot of quality time with my grandparents that I had missed from my childhood. and you know, when I think of that, when I listen to the songs, the theme songs, it always takes me back. And the 2010 was very special. you know, as you know, Spain won that World Cup against

Netherlands. So it was a very special time. ⁓

Jeff Rittener (17:59)
That's great.

it's interesting your story because my first World Cup that I remember, I was living on my own in Switzerland. And I I had no idea there was a World Cup and I was living in a what they call a pension. And it was people that were all from all over the world that were staying, had a place to to a room to rent to stay 'cause they they were working or whatever going to school or whatever. And so I knew people from all different countries and so everybody kinda had their their country, the team they were watching.

As the tournament narrowed down, it ended up being four teams left. And I remember there was it was Germany, France, Italy, and I can't remember the fourth team. Anyway, so they there was a semifinal match, and I remember in those days we had these small little TVs, and in down in the hall where people would gather, they had the TV up, and we all kind of set up chairs, and it was Germany versus France. And in the area of Switzerland I lived in, it was the French-speaking part, but a lot of the people that were living there had

from the German speaking part because that was they were working and so on. So there was this this competition there was this this tense tenseness in the air as the French speaking were rooting for France and the German speaking for German. And the most memorable moment I I recall was the goalkeeper for Germany. There it was towards the end and the French shot the ball just like rocket right towards the goal the goalkeeper. And the goalkeeper instead of

going out and punching the ball out so it wouldn't go in the goal. Instead he and you could see it on on on the replay, instead on purpose, he went straight for the head of the player and knocked him out cold. And this player is just out on the field out cold and there was almost almost a fight. that's kind of one of my first memories of the World Cup. And it I actually it went on Italy went on to win that year in nineteen eighty two.

Armando (19:29)
Layer.

Jeff Rittener (19:43)
the World Cup. So

Armando (19:45)
That was in that World Cup was in Spain, right? It was held in Spain in eighty two. okay, yes. that year was the last time that El Salvador, my home country, appeared in a World Cup. It was the second time, but we have not been at a World Cup unfortunately since then. It's been forty four years, eleven World Cups. So it's been quite some time. Yeah.

Jeff Rittener (19:50)
Yes, it was in Barcelona, Spain. Yes.

So I've already kind of earlier in the the the episode I've already kind of outlined my my history so I won't go into that. what I'm really interested in, you've you've actually now been in watching, I think what, five World Cups. This is your fifth? If you started in twenty ten. Yes. Yeah, and so w which World Cup or which team is your favorite?

Armando (20:24)
Yeah.

Okay, that's a that's a good for some context, right? like I mentioned my favorite soccer team, it's the Barcelona in Spain. And during that time when I had moved to the US, it was the two thousand eight, two thousand and nine era, there was a player by the name of Lionel Messi who he was, you know

Coming on top in Barcelona and he was very young and and just started dominating the Spanish Soccer League. growing up in high school and and in college and the later on years, I always followed him. And it was amazing to see his career at Barcelona. But unfortunately, in in international football, for your national team, he wasn't having the the greatest luck. for some context for our list.

Listeners, Lionel Messi actually lost four finals in a row. he lost the 2014 World Cup against Germany. he lost two Copa Americas, 15 and 16 against Chile. so he had a lot of losses,

backpack of losses know for the national team. It was sad to see that. in 2016 he he actually retired from international football. He he quit the national team. The pressure was so high on him that he quit. And that led to a chain of events that you know worked for the better. But at the time probably he c he wouldn't have think that it would have been for the better.

But basically what I'm trying to get at is that during that time where he was off, there was a guy by the name of Lionel Scaloni, who's the current coach of Argentina, who picked up on on the team and started building a team of players that grew up watching Messi, who were very young. So after twenty eighteen, all of these players were you were so

hyped to have Messi come along and and that you know ended up they ended up crowning themselves in 2022 when they won the Qartara World Cup. So to answer your question my team that I support is Argentina and that's the team that I'm rooting for this year and we'll see how how far they go.

Jeff Rittener (22:31)
So the yesterday I think you you had a pretty big scare. What happened?

Armando (22:36)
Yes. So yesterday it was a round of sixteen game. Argentina versus Egypt. Versus Egypt. Egypt. Yes. Argentina Egypt. Mohamed Salah is a great player, Premier League player who leads Egypt and

The random sixteen game, it ended up being a two two zero lead for Egypt against Argentina, but Argentina came back in thirteen minutes, from minute seventy nine to minute

Ninety one, ninety two, they came back with three goals and they're back in 'cause they were they were out of the World Cup. They were out. And I watched that game at home with my family. I actually had planned to work from home. I I s I could not miss that game. I could not watch that game at work. and I I was just in tears, I was screaming, I was happy, so many emotions. that's the beautiful thing about soccer, you know.

it can bring out the best and the worst. and this time, you know, the the luck was on our side.

Jeff Rittener (23:34)
I would say there was more than luck. Messi had a an amazing goal. I I actually tuned in, I was working as well, and I I tuned in at s at at the 70th minute. Yes. And they were behind 2-0. And I I'd like you, I thought, my gosh, Argentina's out. And then I saw the first goal and it was 2 1 and I thought, I don't know. And then Messi had this incredible goal and tied it up. And the plu I mean it was and and he's crying. Yes. You were crying.

Armando (23:59)
you know Jeff the the interesting thing about that sorry to cut you there. so my sister was she's never been a soccer person. she's always been kind of in the background and she's never been interested for soccer. But yesterday during the game, she texted me and she says, Hey, like where can I watch the game? So I send her the info right away, the credentials to log in and then she ends up watching the game, tuning in at minute seventy, just like you. Yeah.

She watches the comeback and then she calls me later on and she says, That was an amazing game. Like I get it now. I get it, you know. So this weekend I'll be going back home again and we're gonna be watching it. And you know, the group of people that we're watching it with, it's is growing. More people are tuning in. and that's a beautiful thing about soccer. And about yesterday's game, the one thing about Lionel Messi that that was very interesting to see is that through the game in the past couple of

of games since the World Cup started. he has been playing in in the midfield. You know, that's his the the position that he has adopted in the later in the late latest couple of years, like three to five years, because he's not as fast as he used to be. So he is placed in the middle. He's supposed to help and distribute passes you know to the to the wingers, right?

But yesterday Egypt had a had a defensive block that was blocking him in the middle. So Messi from the minute seventy to ninety, what he did is he went to the winger. He went he went to the right wing. That was his natural position at Barcelona. That was prime twenty fourteen, twenty fifteen Messi. And if you recall from the two goals, the first two goals, they came from there. He they came from centers that he he threw from there.

worked and then he just he said screw it I'm going back to my natural position. So I am hoping that this coming weekend against Switzerland that he he tunes in and he he goes back again to that because that seemed to solve the puzzle.

Jeff Rittener (25:52)
Well, speaking of Switzerland, that very same day, yesterday, I happened to go up to San Francisco to watch the Swiss play the Colombians. Yeah. And that was also a pretty amazing and emotional and intense match because at the end of the game it was zero zero. Nobody scored in a hundred and twenty minutes. Yes. And so they had to go to penalty kicks. And fortunately Switzerland came out on top thanks to a very, very good goalie and a number of misses on the Colombian side. And so I am excited as a

Swiss fan for Saturday's game as well. And we both will be watching with much emotion, I'm sure.

Armando (26:26)
Yes.

I know. And the this past month, you and I have met bars, restaurants, in runs, we've talked a lot about soccer and you know we I've watched some of the Switzerland games with you and this is the first time that we're actually gonna be rooting for the opposing team, right? Right. So it's gonna be interesting to to see that. But may the best team win.

Jeff Rittener (26:46)
It'll be interesting. before I post this this episode we will we will give an update on whether I'm a happy person or you're a happy it's great. one of the things that has really

Armando (26:54)
How's that?

Jeff Rittener (26:58)
jumped out at me over the last month as you and I have talked so much is just how special this event is. Mm-hmm. You know, and we've talked a lot about that. But give us give the listeners some idea of why is the World Cup so popular and so special and you know what's so unique about it.

Armando (27:13)
Yeah, so for some context, the World Cup started in the nineteen thirties. In twenty thirty, four years from now, it will be the one hundredth year, you know. it happens every four years. So in th in on paper it should be the twenty fifth edition, but during the World War Two's two editions were omitted.

But I think what makes this so special is that it happens every four years, you know. The the scarcity makes it more valuable. Because as a soccer player, every four years, you know, you are a different place in your career. And

The the World Cup is won by by the best team, the one that plays the best. So every country has the pressure to to have a good squad, to have a good team. And you know, the World Cup is a is a it's a six now seven game tournament. it used to be thirty-two teams, now it it is expanded for the twenty twenty-six World Cup to forty eight teams. So that adds one extra game. Instead of being six games, now it's seven games. You start with your group stage, three games.

Then you move on to round of 32, then round of 16. we're about to get into quarters and then semis and then the final. so it's a short one-month period,

all the games are the best quality games you're gonna see in in many years. So enjoy it. You know, I I encourage everybody to watch them. Even if they're not soccer fans, just watch them because the the quality of the soccer, the

the emotions, you know. And another thing that makes this tournament so special, Jeff, is that it brings people together, you know, people from from different nationalities. we've seen it here in our local San Pedro Square in San Francisco. The fan zones. people who have one thing in common and and that is the love for their country. You know, even if they're not soccer fans but just being from that country, being with your people, it brings out that that community.

know that that com that community of of people supporting each other. And one of my favorite takes on it on why this is such a special tournament is that we you know we tend to use it as a checkpoint in our lives. We think about the past editions, where we were

where we are now and and in the future, where we'll be. so you unconsciously think about the places in life where you were, who your friends were, what were you doing, right? I I told you earlier twenty ten, I was a freshman in high school.

In twenty fourteen I remember being a freshman in college and that summer I remember I was in summer school. I I remember leaving my summer class, going into the library and and watching the the games. And I remember Uruguay England. how Uruguay beat England that year. I was in the library where you couldn't speak, you couldn't say anything, and I just I was just celebrating like the the best that I could, right?

And then I remember watching this the the host nation, Brazil, in 2014, lose a 7-1 semifinal in their home against Germany. That was very tough.

In 2018, I was in my first internship, about to graduate college. And I don't I don't know if I told you the story, but in 2018 I had just started my internship. It was my first week in. And that that week, Argentina had an important game against Nigeria. Argentina needed a win, and they were tied 1-1 on the 80th minute.

I looked at my phone and I decided to go to the the break room to watch the remaining of the game. So here I am, a brand new guy, first week on the job, my internship, and in the break room, and I'm sitting there and I'm watching the game the last 10 minutes. And everybody in the break room goes against Argentina. They're all rooting against Messi. They want to see Messi's downfall.

And then Argentina scores a two-one. And I was the only one person screaming, shouting. I was so happy. I was jumping jumping. I didn't care about who was listening. I didn't care what their perception of me was. I I was just so happy, you know. It's one of those moments where you just don't you're not aware, you're not conscious about who's watching you or anything. It's just the emotion takes over you. So that was a very special

I work up too because I I was my first internship and then twenty twenty two.

You know, I was already working in the industry, and it was the the one workout where I I really took the time to to watch every single game. I was following Argentina from not only just the games, but I I'm very passionate about, you know, the journalists. Like I like the commentators in Spanish. There I have favorite commentators that I listen to. I following the the fanzone.

the the news the everyday day to day news about the possible lineups, injuries, any kind of stuff like that. and it was very special because it was during the no November to December time, right? It was a little different. So I I took the liberty to take some time off from work and I was just enjoying it, you know? And then it made it very special when they wanted in in in December because right after it was Christmas so

All was right with the world.

Jeff Rittener (32:17)
I have memories of traveling around the world and being in certain cities when there was it was a game on and everybody's watching it of course, right? Yes. But I think the other thing that I that I think people really like about the World Cup is it's a tournament and it works a a bracket really well. People love that. I mean they love it with NCA double A basketball March Madness. They to be able to fill out their brackets and see how

And I understand you have a bracket.

Armando (32:42)
Yeah. so a couple of weeks before the World Cup started, I actually this is something I actually like to do a lot with my family is to put together a bracket and sit down and really just evaluate the teams and see make our predictions, you know. so I did that with my brother and my dad a couple of weeks before we the the World Cup started and for the round of thirty two,

I actually got f fifteen of the placements. I got them right and my dad got sixteen. so I guess I think we can safely say we know a little bit about soccer. but yes, I I did do my bracket and you know this workout has been very interesting to watch because there have been a lot of upsets and that

has thrown out a lot of brackets for a lot of people, including mine. Yes. I think one of the one of the biggest ones, you know, I thought Germany was gonna make it further along, but Paraguay. Paraguay kicked them out. Yeah. so that was that was that was one upset that really broke my bracket. But I still have a couple that I that I got right in in the bracket, in the quarters, so we'll we'll see what happens.

Jeff Rittener (33:47)
Well my round of sixteen, I I went fifty percent. That's pretty bad. Fifty percent right, fifty percent wrong. But my my f final four are still intact, so we shall we'll see what happens there.

So as we wrap up here, I'm I'm interested we've we've kind of looked at at the past, we've kind of looked at

the present tournament and what's happening. let's look future. there's eight teams left. Yes. Who's gonna be holding that trophy?

Armando (34:11)
it's it's very interesting, Jeff, because on one side you have France who on paper and we've seen it, they are dominating. They are I think they are the number one candidate to to take it. And it would be very impressive because the if they do make it to the final, it will be their third consecutive final, a World Cup final. That's inc incredible. Incredible. You know? Yeah. France has

twenty-six players who each of them are so good and the quality of of of their you know of the players there are are are very good. you have Spain who's trying to make a comeback since 2010. they're trying to earn that second World Cup. you have

Belgium who's never won it, I I believe, I may be wrong. And then you have Morocco, you know, the Afri only African team in in in the World Cup is Morocco. And then you have on the other side, you know, you have Argentina who's the only America team. Mm-hmm. Only team from America, from Latin America. Yeah.

You have Norway and you have England who are trying to you know put themselves in the top four. you know England has been has been trying to to make it this far for a long time. And every World Cup they always say, you know, it's coming home, it's coming home, right? Right. But they have a a great challenger which is Norway. I think Norway has been the surprise of the World Cup. you know, Erling Haaland has been amazing and Norway will

not make it easy to to England. I am I'm biased, you know. I'm I I I have a lot of love for Argentina, for the current squad. I love what Lionel Scaloni has been doing for the team and I hope

I if they don't win it, I just hope that they put a good fight, you know? That they d they go out there and defend their their title, and they put a good fight. And if they go down in semis, I hope that they go down fighting, you know, putting a good fight. it's going to see be really interesting. My prediction is Spain, Argentina in the final. you know, what about you?

Jeff Rittener (36:11)
Well you mentioned all the teams that are in the quarterfinal except one. You didn't mention Switzerland.

Armando (36:17)
Yes.

Jeff Rittener (36:17)
But yeah, Switzerland is also playing very good right now and they have some very talented players. So obviously we'll see h how they they go against Argentina. I'm

Gonna go a w with France. I I just I've watched them several times and as you said, they look very, very strong. on the other hand, Spain has not given up a goal to this point. So if those two meet, what happens there, right? That's yeah. in the Argentina bracket, England, Norway, that those are two really good teams. One of them's gonna be eliminated, so that only leaves one. So my guess in the semis you're gonna see Argentina.

Armando (36:36)
Exactly.

You think so?

Jeff Rittener (36:52)
I don't know. I mean Cape Verde. Yeah. It's a small little island community not far from Portugal, they almost beat Yes. I saw tears on Messi's eyes in that game. And then Egypt almost beat them. So what could lowly Switzerland do? I kind of I'll go out on a limb and say I I I kinda have a feeling we we might see a France England.

Armando (36:54)
Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay. Yeah.

Jeff Rittener (37:16)
I think England, you know, the it they they've played very well. I mean there's they've got great talent and maybe this is their time.

Armando (37:24)
Yeah, in the last World Cup England made it to the quarterfinals, I believe, against mm Morocco or France, I think. Yeah. but yeah, England is is very very strong. Touchel the coach, he's very good. And they have a a really good a good group. but I think Switzerland, you know, may have a chance. They have only conceded three goals in five games. Yes.

the goalkeeper, he's the goalkeeper for Borussia Dormund, who I was just telling you about. Yes. So the fact that he's the undisputed goalkeeper in that team says a lot. And Switzerland is a very organized, very compact and the the defense is is probably Switzerland's one one of the their biggest strengths. Yeah.

Jeff Rittener (38:05)
Well we will see. That's what makes it so fun. You just never know what what will happen. But it's very exciting. as we finish here, again, we could go on and on and on. There's just so much to talk about. But and I appreciate all your your insight and just your memory of things. It's amazing, Armando. what's one thing you want to say to the listeners about the World Cup?

Armando (38:24)
it happens every four years. These kind of games only come around every four years. And I would say I would encourage them to, you know, to sit down and and and watch them with their loved ones. because it creates memories, you know, like I said, it's a checkpoint in life, you know. It makes you wonder where you'll be in the future, who you'll be hanging around with. Yeah. And me personally, I am I know that I will take forever. when I'm older, I'm always gonna look back and think, I remember in twenty twenty six

I was Swiss for one day. You know? So I got to go to my first ever World Cup game, thank thanks to you Jeff and I got to be Swiss for a day, you know. So that's a story I'll I'll be able to tell and it gives you stories to tell, you know.

Jeff Rittener (38:55)
Red shirt.

Maybe you'll get a second day on the nineteenth of July.

Armando (39:09)
Yeah, we'll see. We'll see, we'll see. Hopefully.

Jeff Rittener (39:12)
Yeah. Anyway, thank you again Armando. Fantastic conversation. And we will we'll be talking more I'm sure. So

Armando (39:20)
Thank you, Jeff. Likewise, I look forward to talking some more. Thank you. Thank you.

Jeff Rittener (39:25)
Well, I hope you enjoyed that very good conversation with Armando. He truly is a soccer expert and knows so much about

Soccer, so I was very excited happy to be able to spend some time with Armando. So now what I'd like to do is take you into the sounds of the World Cup based on my recordings over the last month. And I'm gonna play several of these for you and I will interject with a couple of comments just to give you some context. But the first recording you're gonna hear next was recorded live from Intermission at the

World Cup game at Levi's between Switzerland and Qatar and then it'll be followed by a discussion with Armando and I as we left the stadium and some of our reactions to the day at Levi's.

Okay, this next clip was recorded in a bar in San Francisco off of Lombard Street, not far from the Presidio. it was a bar that was jam-packed with people. I don't know how you could have got another person in there, and everyone was rooting for the US who was playing that day. and I went with my running friends. We had an event in San Francisco, several of us went into the bar and only

Jay, my friend Jay and I stayed for the entire game. We stood up and watched the entire game and I'd like to share two clips. you'll hear the first one was the end of the singing of the national anthem and the next clip is was a very favorable ruling to the US and you can just see the the incredible enthusiasm and reaction of the fans from the United States.

Okay, now I'm shifting. I went one evening to San Pedro Square in San Jose, which they had a a very long part of a street that was c blocked off on both ends and they had massive screens on both sides so people could s could go in there and there were several thousand people. And when I arrived I w I went to go watch the Columbia match and the

Argentinian match where they were playing this Cape Verde, the very small nation, was still finishing up. And so when I walked in, I could I could feel the intensity as people were hoping that Argentina would hold on and win. And so listen to this clip and you'll get a sense of the the mood and and the celebration.

right after the Argentina match was was was the match with Colombia. And I I have kind of a lengthy section here of about three or four different clips during the match and you'll you'll hear the start with the singing of Colombia national anthem all the way to the very end where you'll hear drums and some dancing and people were celebrating the fact that Colombia had won. So just take a listen to this. it gives you just an incredible sense of how the Colombians

celebrate a soccer match, complete with horns and the rest. So anyway, enjoy.

Now we're gonna shift gears completely. I went up to San Francisco with a friend named Carol. We went up there to join the Swiss watch party down in downtown San Francisco, right on the heart, tall buildings all around us, and they had a massive screen set up and a number of Swiss fans and even some Colombian fans were were there as well. And again, this one's a little bit lengthy, but it gives you the full flavor of just the excitement. and what made this match so special was it went to zero zero, so it was very intense.

And then at the end it was decided based on penalty kicks. And a lot of these recordings that you're hearing in the cheering were during the penalty kicks. So you'll get some of the the flavor of what it was like to watch each kick and at the end obviously the Swiss won. So I hope you enjoy and you'll notice complete difference between the Swiss and the Colombians.

I hope you enjoyed these incredible sounds and moments of World Cup soccer.

Jeff Rittener (49:11)
As I look back on this month-long World Cup extravaganza, a few things really stand out for me. First, I loved having the time to enjoy it all. There was no travel, no time zone challenges, just the ability to watch matches at normal hours.

To go to watch parties and to follow the tournament day by day. I had my bracket, I tracked the results. I even bought my Swiss team shirt the night before the match at Levi's. I enjoyed seeing so many people wearing shirts representing their country and who they were rooting for. Even at our Thursday night run club, many runners showed up with their national shirts on, and the conversations were dominated by

The current state of play and the aspirations for each team and you know each game and what we saw and what we were expecting. You know, being on US time made everything easier. Morning matches, afternoon matches, and evenings filled with watch parties across the Bay Area. I believe this cup gathered so much interest because it was so convenient, so many of us.

Work from home. I'll ask you, how many meetings did you attend with the game playing on your computer or on your TV in the background? my favorite game, as I thought about that, I really had two. The the Switzerland versus Columbia match that I went up to San Francisco to watch was probably the most enjoyable. It was very intense. It ended up being a penalty shootout.

But the energy and the style of play and just the atmosphere of the whole event was was just exciting for me. And then I also, you know, watching on TV, I also really enjoyed the England versus Mexico match. And that one was just on high octane the whole match. both teams trying to score. And especially at the end when Mexico was behind, just the continual push to try to get that goal that would tie it up and which unfortunately did not happen.

both of these matches for me had great storylines, there was great fan bases, and of course, there was always always the great the great tension. You know, one of the things I learned from all the watch parties that I attended is just how much soccer creates community. You know, I watched matches with friends like Jay in a packed US bar in San Francisco, with Carol.

ringing Swiss cowbells at the Swiss Club watch party. And with my daughter and her husband Kat and Keith at a Colombian gathering in San Jose where we got sprayed with beer when Colombia scored. You see, every country was proud, every fan base was hopeful, and every moment just fell like something we shared. One of the biggest things I learned from the watch parties is that every country

Demonstrates their allegiance and their exuberance in different ways. Whether it was the Colombian horns in San Jose, the US fans chanting USA in a small San Francisco bar, or the Swiss club ringing the cowbells in the middle of downtown San Francisco. Every group brought its own identity, its own traditions, and its own heartbeat. Soccer creates community, it creates connections.

And this World Cup made that more visible to me than ever. You know, a quick thought on the US team and US fans. You know, at the beginning of this tournament, there was such enthusiasm and excitement for the US team. It's a good team. And the first game they won handedly, several goals to nil, and everybody c got on board. Everybody thought maybe this is it, maybe this is the year.

The US will go far, and there were even some pundits that were saying maybe the US could even win it. However, there was incredible disappointment when the US never got out of the round of 16 and they played a very poor game and lost to Belgium. But it was nice to see the fans really get into it this year. The energy in the bars and the parks and the stadiums show just how much the sport has grown here. The US may not have gone far as people hoped, but the passion.

Was clearly there.

Jeff Rittener (53:36)
As for Switzerland, I will say this. Watching Switzerland this year felt personal. As a Swiss citizen, surrounded by the Bay Area Swiss community, every match felt meaningful and full of excitement. And I loved hearing all the cowbells during the match.

It was also fascinating to see the Swiss reach the quarterfinals for the first time since the early 1950s when my dad still lived in Switzerland as a young man. In closing, as promised, I want to provide you an update from the Argentina-Switzerland quarterfinal that was played yesterday, July 11th, after I recorded this episode.

It was a game that did not go as the Swiss expected, as they lost one player to a red card for what is called flopping. The whole thing is somewhat controversial. I will let you look it up. Nevertheless, Switzerland had to play the latter half of the game with one man down.

This changed their strategy, and they did everything they could to hold the game to a 1-1 tie. But Arduchina finally broke through the Swiss wall and scored in the last 10 minutes of extra time. I am sad that they lost in this way, but I am very happy for my friend Armando.

As his dream for Argentina and his childhood hero Messi to win back-to-back World Cups remains alive as we go into the semifinals. And speaking of the semifinals, they begin today,

July,

14th, with France playing Spain, and tomorrow, the 15th of July, with England playing Argentina.

One of these four teams will be crowned World Champions 2026 by next Sunday evening. I wonder which one. And finally, I'm already looking forward to the next World Cup that will be played in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. And a few games to be played in Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil.

in to honor the hundredth year anniversary of the World Cup. This just might be a great opportunity to travel, to reconnect in Europe, to revisit some of my early World Cup memories, and to experience another tournament in a completely different part of the world.

Thank you for listening. I know this episode is a little longer than usual, but there was so much to talk about and so much going on for more than a month. I will leave you with the sounds I recorded from the crowd at San Pedro Square in San Jose as they reacted to Argentina's win over Switzerland. I'll be talking to you again real soon.