Azul y Chrome! A New Era of Soccer in the Borderlands

S1: What a time to be alive.

S2: There's anywhere in the world that deserves to be in the Major league. It's right here in San Diego. It's our team. Let's show the world San Diego's version of the beautiful game.

S1: And no , I'm not talking about all that's going on in the world right now. I'm talking about being a food or soccer fan in San Diego and Taiwan.

S3: Hola , chicos. I had a last minute change of plans and needed me to cover him , so I'll fill in today.

S1: Which is perfect because Allan doesn't know anything about soccer and neither do I. So honestly , Julio , it's great that you're here today with me.

S3: Okay ? Don't mind if I do. Yeah.

S4: Yeah. Go. Olé , Olé ! Hi. Folks.

S3: Folks. We have a full soccer deck Wave FC and now San Diego Football Club , or SFC , the region's first Major League Soccer team. Franchise and excitement is through the roof. And.

S4: And. Hell.

S2: Hell.

S5: Throw dry.

S3: Boasting a competitive roster with the likes of Danish star Anders Dreyer and dream marquee signing Mexican soccer superstar Irving Chucky Lozano Lozano. And the team ? Well , they've had a fiery debut to the league , beating current cup holders Galaxy in Carson City , two nil and MLS darlings LFC three two.

S5: For San Diego FC , it's honours drier. It's a giveaway from the Galaxy. The expansion side pounces and San Diego lead an opening night one nil.

S3: And at the time of recording this , San Diego bagged another home win with a rout against Seattle Sounders , making it two consecutive home wins.

S6: It's two straight wins for San Diego FC.

S5: There is an energy and a confidence that is absolutely contagious throughout this entire San Diego franchise. Top to bottom ownership , front office coaches and now players. It starts with belief that they can dictate the game , that they can put you on your heels.

S1: It's safe to say the team shows promise. At least the fans at Snapdragon believe so. We were there last Saturday in the match against Seattle to tap into the excitement , and we got the sense that San Diegans were waiting for this moment for a while.

S7: Well it's wonderful. I wondered why it's taken them so long.

S3: Just like Steve from downtown.

S8: It's about time. Yeah , we've been waiting a long time.

S1:

S8: I mean , they are playing an aggressive attack , so that's promising. Uh , they've had a good start to the season , but for the first year , uh , I mean , that's a tall order.

S1: Some people are still in disbelief that they have an MLS team in the city , like Alex from la mesa.

S9: Oh , I'm so excited. Couldn't be happier if you told me this when I was in , like , seventh grade. I would have been the most excited kid in the world.

S1: And he was feeling a bit more optimistic when we asked him if they had a chance at the trophy.

S9: I hope so. That's all I can say. I don't know as of our first season in the league , I think that would be crazy to achieve either of those. Well , I mean playoffs. Playoffs is definitely more likely. I think we could achieve the playoffs , but to win the Cup in our first season would be absolutely insane. But you could only hope so.

S3: Yeah , yeah , but if that doesn't happen now , the fans still feel that the team's future is looking bright and has what it takes to eventually nab the championship. Yeah.

S10: Yeah. You know , they're recruiting some good people , so Chucky's on the team , and , uh , they're got young talent. I think they're gonna grow and and make a good impression on the league.

S3: If this is your first time tuning in , we are taking a slight detour into what has the city and the region swept up in a soccer euphoria.

S1: Today is one for the fan. Boleros and the aficionados.

S11: Even low intensity football.

S3: Today is all about soccer in the region.

S1: Stay tuned.

S3: From KPBS. This is Port of Entry.

S1: Where we tell cross-border stories that connects us.

S3: I am not Alan Lilienthal.

S1: And I'm Natalie. These are exciting times for the San Diego soccer fandom.

S3: You see , the MLS was the only league keeping San Diego from boasting a full professional soccer deck with the San Diego way of see that plays in the Women's National Soccer League. The two sister clubs on the other side of the border.

S1: In La Liga matches and Liga matches from Manila.

S3: And now TFC. We're practically the soccer capital of North America.

S1: You heard it here first , folks.

S3: In all seriousness , there has always been a hunger in San Diego to have a top league soccer franchise. That is evident in the number of wave of fans and in the fans that live in San Diego.

S1: In fact , some years ago , the port of entry highlighted superfans who live in San Diego.

S12: The word family comes up a lot when you talk to fans of Tijuana's professional soccer team , the angels.

S6: And when the team is doing well , the family is happy , and if the team's not doing so well as they're not doing so well in front of us right now. Trailing four nil at Hidalgo. But we're still here as a family , and that's what it's all about. Through thick or thin. This is La familia. And it don't matter whether you're a gringo Mexicano San Diegan. It all comes together when it comes to this team. And that's what I love. That's what I love. When you get people like that over here in the corner having a good time.

S12: That's Nate Barela , a freelance writer and broadcaster who lives in San Diego and works as a sports broadcaster covering games for an FM radio station in Tijuana and Mexicali.

S1: If you haven't checked out the Gringo Cholos episode , go take a listen whenever you can.

S3: Now , these soccer aficionados don't need to look further. In fact , Safc has made some fans from south of the border.

S13: I'm looking for herky jerky. Yeah.

S6: Is it a.

S13:

S1: George Teresa , currently residing in Tijuana , is part of Barra 18 , an official supporter group of Safc. They are also known as Los Locos de la Frontera.

S3: The group invited us to their watch party at Le Nacional Bar in Chula Vista to catch the away game versus the Colorado Rapids. The bar goers were either sporting blue and chrome or brown and yellow , as if it was a multi-sport gathering.

S1: On one screen there was the Padres playing the Rockies and on the other screen , San Diego FC versus Colorado Rapids. Padres fans were rubbing elbows with San Diego FC fans. We asked about the cool merch that our team members were sporting.

S14: I do all the stuff for the other merch. I do design and do all that stuff.

S13: So all the.

S14: Yeah , all that I did , the logo , I did that , I did.

S1: Uh , from jerseys to hoodies to fisherman hats to scarves and baseball hats.

S3: All blue and chrome , proudly displaying Playing Boro 18 insignia.

S1: One banner red Los locos de la Frontera. Jorge , who is a seasoned graphic designer , designed all of it.

S13: What's your name ? Omar. Omar.

S1: Just as the lineups were about to be announced. George pointed to a guy sitting next to us who was one of Bahrain's co-founders.

S3: Omar was sporting one of the hoodies designed by George , and proudly displayed a large Club America crest tattoo on the back of his left hand.

S1: He said the idea for the supporter group came about before the team was officially announced.

S13: In the beginning , it was just me and my other friend Esteban , but he's in Denver right now. We met because Club America. We used to go watch the games everywhere. But when they start the rumors , there was going to be a San Diego team. We're like , let's do something. And we're like , yeah , let's do it.

S3: And then you see , in Latin America. Barra is short for barra brava , which are supporter groups that are made up of a team's most loyal and diehard fans. Usually , every soccer team in Latin America has at least one bar. They range from passionate aficionados to sometimes violent hooligans. But it seems that the more chill side of the spectrum. Passionate , yes , but chill.

S13: In the 18 is because of the 18 communities. Yeah , yeah , yeah , yeah , it's San Diego , so the club does that. You know , the 18 communities , curiously enough.

S3: To support rival teams in Mexico. Omar is all about Club America , while Jorge is a Chivas supporter because of his family. Though , he jumped into the bandwagon when the club started in Tijuana. Many other variety members supporting different La Liga teams also coalesced when the rumors of a San Diego football club began.

S14: No , I was not really into any soccer besides World Cup and Chivas. And then actually so when they came in to see Tijuana , that was the closest thing. So I went to a few games there , you know , with my cousins because my family's from Tijuana.

S3: I never was , like , a hardcore fan.

S14: No no , no.

S3:

S14: It's San Diego , bro. It's like , that's that's where I'm from , right ? That's where I grew up. So anything that's San Diego on it , I'm gonna support 100%. So MLS to me was like , okay , now we have another team to support 100% like the Padres. The Chargers. They laughed. Okay , cool. Now they came in. They kind of replaced them to me. And that's why I'm a full time Safc fan.

S1: As the game kept rolling , more and more members of 18 kept coming and the venue came alive with a full life baratunde. The enthusiasm was through the roof , despite losing 3 to 2 that day.

S4: I knew.

S1: So it is pretty evident that the soccer craze has swept the county. And KPBS is right in the mix. The station produced a mini series dedicated to the roots of soccer in the region. Julio sat down with the series producer , Jacob Ayer to talk about the series. Soccer a la Frontera.

S3: Soccer la Frontera is a digital mini series that explores soccer culture in the border region. And since we are the station's own border focused podcast , it is only fitting that we speak to Jacob about his experience making this series. Jacob , welcome to Port of Entry.

S15: Thanks for having me here.

S3: All right.

S15: The project's kind of been one big experiment , just in terms of not only what it's about , but how we're releasing it. It's a social media first project , so it's coming out on Instagram and TikTok and then being transferred over to other mediums. But yeah , reception's been good. Ton of good feedback. It's gotten good viewership and a good amount of engagement. So happy so far. Yeah.

S3:

S15: The timing was right. This year you have San Diego F.C.. It's the first Major League Soccer team ever to be in San Diego. This is a big deal. Of course , there's always queens on the other side of the border for the men's and the women's team. And you had wave what this means. And this is very unique. You now have four top flight teams within 25 miles of one another on both sides of the border. This isn't common across the US or anywhere really in the world. So talking about how this happened and re rewinding the history , talking about our unique border culture , it just made sense with the new MLS team. Yeah.

S3: Yeah. If you go travel around Europe you have or anywhere like in South America you have soccer clubs within 1015 miles of each other. This was unheard of in in the region because we're so far away from any sort of big metropolitan area. So the biggest , the closest was la. La has its own franchise for different , um , sports. Um , but it's so interesting that there's , it's the first that it's divided by a border. Yeah.

S15: Yeah. Right.

S3: Right. And so that is just so unique.

S15: I mean , you look even behind the scenes. Swallows and CFC have signed a five year partnership to do a friendly match each year , so it just makes sense. I think if you're a soccer fan in this region as a whole , you've been following the swallows for years. But if you're someone who's maybe newer to the scene or for whatever reason , you hadn't been to Tijuana , this is like the beginning of a rivalry for sure , because they're both binational , focused teams. So there's going to be this interesting push and pull. Like , of course you're going to have your diehard fans and you'll have your diehard TFC fans , but I think there'll be a lot of people who are maybe a little bit of both.

S3: I'm a sports fan as well , and I'm just curious who's going to have the deeper pockets to get those marquee signings. I know San Diego managed to get Chucky Lozano , which is a big deal , a big deal.

S15: He's an icon in Mexico for.

S3: Soccer and he's here in the area , right ? What a signing.

S15: It was a difficult scenario. There was a lot of journalists trying to talk to him all at once , but he was kind and he responded to my questions , and he had a lot of good things to say , not just about this team , but our greater border region. One of the big reasons he's here in the first place , it's not just because it's San Diego or Tijuana in great weather. He was drawn to this idea behind the club , this Right to Dream Academy. And that's what we dive into in episode five. It's the future , right ? The people who play here. He really liked this concept of developing a new generation of young boys and girls.

S3:

S15:

S3: Tell us about it. Tell us.

S15: About it. It was good overall. The wait times now are long. If you don't have like , sensory or anything like that , as you guys are well aware , so I didn't. We went down. I've been there for work. Other times I've covered stories in Tijuana. I've been in Mexico City for work , but going to Estadio Caliente , I hadn't been there before , so it was cool to see that large complex. It's maybe a little bit different than what you would see in the US , but in some ways not too different. They still have these tailgates. The stadium itself is this weird hybrid between like football , American football stadium and a proper soccer stadium.

S3: So you have a casino next.

S15: To it and the casino.

S3: Just in case you want to go gamble.

S15: So seeing that and then also the really large development pitch for all their young players , seeing how that came together , I was like , oh , SFC might be maybe looking to something similar to this , trying to do it for their team. So drawing those lines. But we ran the interviews with Joe Corona , Mayra Pelayo Bernal and a few other folks involved with the Academy. It went great. We had access to the field coming back , as getting in to Mexico is not usually an issue coming back , here's the gringo move. We go into the wrong line and we were waiting in century and we go all the way to the front. I try and explain myself. You can imagine what happens , you know , turn around one way traffic. So I weave my way upstream like a sad little fish.

S3: Were you driving ? Yes.

S15: Yeah , it was pretty bad.

S3: Wait , so do you. Did you get your hand slapped or something ? Because it's a hefty fine. Like it's five grand.

S15: Just so. Right. So they turned me around. Like I explained , I was a dumb journalist , basically. Who ? I'm a gringo , right ? I was like , I'm sorry. Like , I really didn't know I got in the wrong line. Thankfully , I speak some Spanish , so I think that maybe helped the situation a little bit , but we ended up having to go back. In the original.

S3: The Mexican officials turn you around.

S15: The U.S. officials. Okay , but I think just navigating that whole scenario , like I speak not perfectly , but I speak Spanish , so it helps to navigate the scenario. But I got to the front. I was so embarrassed. It was so bad.

S3: All right. So tell us about some of the differences , the similarities of the soccer cultures across that you got to maybe see as you were doing putting this together. Yeah.

S15: Yeah. It's interesting I think. A good way to sum it up is when I was talking to Alejandro Guido , who's a frontiersman himself , he grew up. He was actually born , I believe , in Tijuana. And then he came over and grew up in San Diego , South Bay , as many people did , similar with Joe Corona. And he was talking about how there used to be these differences between the soccer culture , where maybe there was this intensity of play that you'd see in Mexico that wouldn't be rivaled in the US because it was more focused on maybe organizational excellence or something like that. And I think it was mirrored , he would say , even like in the pitch quality or where the games were played. So maybe it's dirt instead of a nicely trimmed grass or turf field , but over the years and you could see it now it's really become more similar. It's not the same. But when we were down at the Colts training complex , this is a high quality soccer development setting rivals anything here. So he said , over time you've seen this change where the US and San Diego maybe have rubbed off on Tijuana and then vice versa. You've seen Tijuana rub off on San Diego. More passionate here now and maybe over there some degree of further , maybe organizational with the youth programs all the way up to the pros. These differences in soccer culture have largely become more similar. That's not to say there aren't differences. Like you have your supporter groups like la massacre in Tijuana , which are like these diehard fans and culturally things maybe go there that might not go in the US. So there's differences on that front. Of course , just the passion for soccer is unrivaled in Mexico compared to the US as a whole , but specifically in our border region between San Diego and Tijuana , because we have so many fronteras , so many people crossing every day , it really has become more mixed over time.

S3: Any interesting findings that you find completely surprising that you were not expecting.

S15: In the series as a whole , a lot ? So many things. Like I said , I came into this with a background in sports reporting , but not into our niche of San Diego and Tijuana soccer. I found a lot. Just the extent of the history of professional soccer in San Diego goes all the way back to the 1960s. Pele played in San Diego. That's crazy to me. I didn't know this going in.

S3: That took me completely by surprise when I saw episode about the soccer's. Yes , that was crazy.

S15: And how they didn't play Pele here , but the previous teams before the soccer's had , and that's still blew my mind. Like surprising moments , whether it was Pele or like on the women's side of the game in Mexico , like the degree to which you have women's soccer in Mexico , there's so much of it is tied to Tijuana. And just having this now , these four teams here , it just brings these stories full circle in a way that I wasn't aware of before I dove into this series.

S3:

S15: Just the fact alone that the men's World Cup is going to be here in North America between Canada , US and Mexico. You think about the timing of this MLS team. Wave told us on both sides with men's and women's. And now you're putting the World Cup here. If soccer is already hitting a level that's never seen before , the World Cup could take it to another level because it's just about soccer fandom as a whole. So whether it's national teams playing us , Mexico , whoever , you bring that back to the local level , it's just about finding passion for the game , the passion for football , the passion for soccer. I think it's only going to make our local teams bigger. Soccer culture has always been here. The passion for the game , the fans , whether you're supporting national team , clubs , whoever. Now that you have these local teams here. And we talk about this in episode five. There's something people can finally grab onto , and hopefully the World Cup is just going to make it grow bigger.

S3: All right. I think it's a good point to end the conversation. Thank you. Jacob Ayer , thank you so much for what you did for the region , for soccer and for joining us. Thanks.

S15: Thanks. Hopefully you liked the series.

S3: Folks , if you want to check out Soccer La Frontera , look for the link in the description of this episode or go to KPBS Port of entry. We'll be back after a short break. Before we go , we wanted to catch up with an old friend.

S6: And all this just hyperbole spewed everywhere. Us just doing what we do that shouldn't be that big of a deal.

S3: At that time , Nate described the political climate that revolved around the border issues when President Trump served his first term.

S1: Well , we got a hold of him recently to get a sense of how he felt now that his own city of San Diego has an MLS team.

S3:

S16: First and more. Soccer is good for everybody , and these are as much as people want to create rivalries in life and in sports. Those are community celebration events. And so I think more soccer is good for the cross-border community. And I think CFC is good for solos. So I tend to take a step back and look at what's good for everybody else. And I think the arrival of CFC in terms of how it relates to solos , I think it's a good thing for everybody.

S1: It was quite evident that Nat feels at home whenever there is a football team present. He loves the excitement , the food and the culture around it , especially tailgating.

S16: And I think the number one response from people that's made me happy is hearing and seeing about and seeing something that I will eventually get out to , which is the tailgate culture. And that was something that that elevated Club Tijuana and really originally tied the cross-border community together. And that was a big influence of people who came down from San Diego and from the era of charger games at the old Qualcomm Stadium of San Diego State history. And really , that practice of tailgating , of getting to a game eight hours early and lighting up the barbecue and having a cooler full of beer and having bands and music. And I think the tailgate scene outside of SFC at the new Snapdragon Stadium is something that was immediately endearing to a lot of my familia , where they're like , man , we. This reminds us of the heyday at Caliente , which we gotta keep going because that tailgate culture is something that's very special in this region. It really ties the Mexican American cultures together , and the American sports history and the Mexican sports history together. So long live the tailgate. Whether it's in Tijuana or in the parking lot of Snapdragon Stadium.

S3: Lastly , we asked Nate if he thought that some in Tijuana would find a home in CFC as he did with Carlos.

S1: And what he said really highlighted the significance of this moment. Even for a non-football fan like me.

S16: When I came here , there was such a unique kind of dream that I had of connecting specifically with Mexico at large , with Tijuana , but really with northern Mexico. Was was this this thing for me forever ? And access to cross-border radio signal and old school border blaster radio , whether it was in Texas , Arizona , New Mexico , Southern California , signals out of Monterrey , signals out of Tijuana. So that was what drew me initially. And then all of the just incredible connections that I was able to make in Tijuana that are our lifelong connection. That's my story. If anybody else wants to make SD FC a focal point of their connection to San Diego , whether that's someone living in Tijuana or whether that's someone living anywhere in the world who they want to make CFC a part of their San Diego. You're a local. You've lived here your whole life. You're a transplant. You moved here for school. You moved here for the military. You moved here to pursue a dream of broadcasting in Tijuana. Whatever brought you down here ? If you want to make soccer and CFC a focal point of your time here and of your life here , you can do that. It's there to be done. Soccer is an avenue into so much more. Soccer is the beginning of the book and you get to create your own adventure with it. So I encourage people to use CFC as a focal point of their San Diego. I think people are ready to support , and that is whether they're on either side of the Frontera. I think people are ready to spread love and see positivity in the beautiful game. And that's what I always come back to with this. I think it's a very special time to be a soccer fan , to be a soccer media member , to be a journalist , to just be a lover of the beautiful game in this region , in the Comunidad Teresa. This is a good time to be a soccer fan. So Fuerza Ticos , go Sdsc go San Diego , go Tijuana. I'm all about supporting the community as we venture in to the rest of this era.

S1: San Diego FC has a deep pool. From word to pool , new fans from.

S3: The region was hungry for their arrival and with their presence , the San Diego Tijuana metropolitan area now has a full soccer deck north and south of the border.

S1: So no matter what side of the border you are from , the blue and chrome is here to stay.

S3: Football is here to stay. Diego.

S4: Diego. Papa died. Olé , Olé ! I do recall.

S1: This episode of Port of Entry was written and produced by Julio Cesar Ortiz.

S3: Franco Villalobos is technical producer and sound designer.

S1: Elma Gonzalez Lima Brandao is our interim editor.

S3: And Lisa J. Morrissette is director of audio programming and operations.

S1: This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting , a private corporation funded by the American people.

S3: This project was also made possible with the support from California Humanities , a nonprofit partner for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Yo soy Franco. Nos vemos. Pronto.

S1: Pronto. Regreso. Alan.