Win or lose, World Cup brings community in Central Valley and around the world
Volleyball has taken Ashley Fantazia Albuquerque de Souza from Turlock all over the world.
A professional overseas, she has played in Portugal, France, England and Luxembourg for more than 10 teams.
She did not grow up in a soccer family. She played volleyball and basketball and originally thought she would play at the University of Tennessee, a legendary women’s basketball powerhouse for decades.
“But the funny thing is,” Fantazia explained on a phone call to The Bee from Luxembourg in early July, “when Portugal played, we made sure we watched the game. We didn’t watch (Major League Soccer), soccer wasn’t a big thing. There’s just something about the Portuguese team that unites everybody.”
That has continued recently. She is around the world while her brother, Brice, and other family members are in the Central Valley. The World Cup has drawn the family together. The family members also will text one another updates, and highlights from social media.
“It’s one of those things that even though we’re all so far away, when Portugal plays, it’s like the distance kind of disappears,” Fantazia said.
Portugal is well-represented across the Central Valley, with large groups from Merced to Hilmar to Turlock.
Fantazia had a long night planned after she talked with The Bee on July 6. Portugal and Team USA played on the same day, and she planned to watch both. The Portuguese took the field at noon and the Americans at 5 p.m. But Luxembourg is eight hours ahead of California.
“The older I got, the more it became a passion,” she said of watching and supporting the Portugal team. “You just lean into the identity of it. Especially when I moved back to Portugal.”
Ways to form community in the U.S.
Modesto pubs and restaurants hosted watch parties where community, in addition to football, was the overarching theme.
At CasaMaestros downtown, a standing-room only crowd enjoyed watching Mexico advance to the Round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Ecuador on June 30. Fans donned Mexico jerseys and anything red, white and green they could find as all eyes were fixated on the two large TVs above the bar. It wasn’t just two and a half hours to watch a match. It was a celebration of their Mexican heritage.
Saida Alvarez told The Bee that day, “We don’t even know the people here, but we feel like we can connect with them.“
It was a celebration whether you were a die-hard team Mexico fan who paid the $100 ticket for an authentic Adidas jersey or someone like Kobe Sayas, a first-time watch party attendee, “It’s very fun to watch, especially when your team and, like, your culture is a part of that team. I’m very proud to be Mexican.”
The Modesto chapter of the American Outlaws, the largest fan group for the U.S. national soccer teams, has a routine: Watch parties for nearly every U.S. soccer match — men’s or women’s — at P. Wexford’s.
Doors opened as early as 9:30 a.m. for Team USA’s noon match against Australia, a 2-0 United States win. The Outlaws and the fans who joined them were encouraged by the high-scoring, electrifying offense the U.S. produced through the group stage, beating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0. They dropped the final Group D match against Turkiye, 3-2, but the offense was still promising.
The Bee talked with spirited fans as Team USA beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the first knockout stage match.
Elijah Suarez, a Team USA and San Jose Earthquakes fan, is happy the United States is gaining a new appreciation for the game he has loved, literally, since before he was born.
“My mom was pregnant with me in ‘94 when her and my dad went to the World Cup, and first (saw) it, and now, I felt it was only right to go,” Suarez told The Bee during the Bosnia and Herzegovina match July 1. “So, I went to see Switzerland and Qatar and dropped some of my dad’s ashes off at the stadium.”
Losses don’t stop the pride
Portugal was eliminated by Spain in a 1-0 heartbreaker a few hours after Fantazia wrapped up her interview with The Bee. It marked not only the end of this year’s World Cup run but also the end of the World Cup career of one of the greats, Christiano Ronaldo. The Fantazia siblings, like many Portuguese athletes, related to Ronaldo even though they did not pursue soccer. His hard work, determination and dominance in his sport made them strive for the same in their sports.
“I’m not a bandwagon fan, so win or lose, I’m going to be extremely proud of how far they’ve made it,” she said. “I’ll definitely be devastated (with a Portugal loss), but extremely proud.
Team USA was eliminated later that day in a 4-1 loss to Belgium.
Just one team can win it all. That will be determined Sunday when Spain and Argentina face off Sunday at noon. Saturday at 2 p.m. France and England play for third place.
