Opinions expressed are my own. For more details on South American World Cup Qualifying and all other World Cup Qualifying competitions, please visit www.fifa.com

Ecuador 1-2 Peru

As Argentina and Chile both failed to win Tuesday, Peru cashed in on a big win in Quito and surged to fourth-place. Edison Flores opened the scoring for the guests in the 73^rd-minute, and Paolo Hurtado doubled Peru’s lead three minutes later. An Enner Valencia goal in the 79^th gave Ecuador some hope, but it wasn’t to be, as Peru would hang on to win.

The tough news for Peru is they have a mammoth game at Argentina on October 5^th followed by an October 10^th home game in Lima against Colombia to close out Qualifying. But if they close out qualifying with the grit and strong performances they’re capable of producing, soccer fans may very well see the Peruvians in Russia next summer.

Argentina 1-1 Venezuela

Jhon Murillo denied Argentina three points in what has been a nerve-racking qualifying campaign for a team that historically dominates. Argentina benefited from an effective attack that led to a Marcos Acuna cross deflecting off of Rolf Feltscher for an own-goal. It was another winless game for the Argentinians, who at least must be relieved that they merely fell to fifth-place when they could have fallen to sixth had Chile beaten Bolivia.

Bolivia 1-0 Chile

One of the elements that makes World Cup Qualifying awesome is the impact of home-field advantage. Playing big games with tremendous fan support is one reason why teams that aren’t expected to win on paper can cause upsets at home, or even dominate at home. The Bolivian national team fans and the altitude in La Paz were factors in Bolivia’s 1-0 upset of Chile Tuesday. Chilean defender Marcelo Diaz stretched his arm out to block a Bolivian shot, resulting in a penalty kick. Juan Carlos Arce stepped to the spot and scored what proved to be the game-winning goal.

Bolivia deserves credit; the team is merely playing for pride at this point, but it still put together a winning performance. As for the Confederations Cup runners-up, the Chilean national team is in sixth place, one point behind Argentina for the Intercontinental playoff spot.

Paraguay 1-2 Uruguay

Uruguay won its first away qualifier since 2015. Federico Valverde had a big performance and scored one of Uruguay’s goals in the 76^th-minute. Four minutes later, Gustavo Gomez scored an own-goal to double the lead for the visitors. Angel Romero was able to draw the Paraguayans one back in the 88^th, but it wasn’t enough for Paraguay to avoid defeat.

Uruguay now moves a step ahead of the traffic jam in the middle of the table, moving into 2^nd-place. The team’s final two games are against the two teams at the bottom of the table (Bolivia and Venezuela), and while both of those teams avoided defeat on Tuesday, Uruguay is in favorable condition to qualify for Russia 2018.

 Colombia 1-1 Brazil

In a collision of South American heavyweights, Colombia snapped Brazil’s nine-game winning streak in Barranquilla. Willian scored in first-half stoppage time for Brazil, but Radamel Falcao scored in the 56^th-minute for Colombia to draw level with the world’s current top-ranked team. Colombia is in third-place and will host Paraguay on October 5^th before traveling to Lima to close against a formidable Peruvian national team five days later.

The post South American World Cup Qualifying Update appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The game itself is quite simple. You and your team have 90 minutes to score a goal. No hands, except for your goalie but he/she is there to stop the ball from going in. You and your team have to pass the ball to each other in order for someone from your team to score. A total of 11 play at one time, this number includes the goalie.

Soccer also includes no timeouts. Your coach can’t call a timeout in the middle of the game to tell you what you’re doing wrong or to give you a quick breather. Nope. He/She has to wait until 45 minutes have gone by and its halftime or the game ends. As for substitutions? Most competitions allow for only three substitutions.

From June 3 until June 26 the Copa America will be taking place. The hosts? The good old USA. (I sadly could not get any tickets for any games). The Copa America brings together every country, who qualifies, that belong in either North, Central, and South America. Due to being hosts, USA automatically qualified. Mexico also automatically qualified. There are a total of 16 teams who will be attempting to win the trophy.

You see, like any sport, winning a trophy gives you pride at the fact that the team you supported won. At the international level in soccer it’s more than just team pride. It’s national pride. Nothing feels better than telling people your team is better than theirs. Bet on your team at fun888asia. Actually, one thing does and that’s telling people that your national country is better than theirs. No matter the topic.

The reason I’m bringing this up is because there is a stereotype that all Latinos are obsessed with soccer. This stereotype is both true and false. While you can find about 30 Latinos sitting around watching a game. You will also find about 30 other Latinos who couldn’t care less. The enjoyment of soccer has nothing to do with race, culture, or family. It has to do with personality. My mother hates when I spend all day watching soccer games but my uncle will be seated right next to me.

There are may reasons why some people choose not to watch soccer and the main one is that there are times when neither team is able to score and the game, if it’s not a championship game, will end in a tie. This leads many people to say, “Soccer is boring because sometimes it ends in a tie.” Well yes and no. Matches sometimes do end in ties but that’s not boring. That’s the beauty of it. In basketball, you know that scoring will consistently happen. In soccer, you don’t know. It’s the suspense of knowing that the game could go on for 89 minutes and then someone scores. Your team could lose the game at the very last minute. On the flip side, your team could win at the very last minute.

In honor of the 2016 Copa America I wanted to show not only amazing talent done by these soccer players but also the goals in an attempt to convince people to watch the Copa America and cheer on their national side. (Or just pick the team with the hottest players).  I will of course be cheering for Mexico and USA.

The 2015 Copa America was hosted by Chile. The final came down to Argentina and Chile with the winner of the tournament being Chile due to penalties. Hopefully the host’s winning will be repeated this year.

If neither USA or Mexico wins, you will find me crying in the corner.

Here’s a video of moments that made up the 2015 Copa America. Some moments are goals and skills and others are fights and arguments. (Which to be honest, are probably my favorite part).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPzhXwm8184

As I said before a total of 16 teams will be playing in the tournament. I have decided to include those teams here as well as how they did in the 2015 Copa America and their current FIFA Ranking. From these, you can go to the Copa America website and create a bracket. If you so wish.

If you don’t care to watch, that’s fine. You can join my mother in her judgment of me. If you would like to see what the big deal is then I highly recommend you watch. You can watch on ESPN, Fox, find the matches illegally online, find the matches legally online or you can watch on the Spanish channel, Univison. Even if you don’t want to watch the actual game, just listen to the commentary. It’s hilarious.

Soccer isn’t something that every single Latino loves and it isn’t a boring sport. I would rather watch a 90 minute scoreless soccer match than a basketball game and basketball is my second favorite sport.

Regardless of whether or not you want to watch:

Here’s a video of fights that happened in 2015. Because they always make me laugh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fFABx6mAy4

Here’s a video of goal celebration fails. Because these always make me laugh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5sF4PUtnpQ

Here’s a video of some goals from 2015.  If you don’t want to see all 100, skip to 14:58 to see the top 20. 16:37 to see the top 10 and 17:30 to see the top 5. (Order is subjective).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UCGGpQCszQ

My point is, watch soccer. It’s eventful, suspenseful, blows your mind, and at times, hilarious.

UPDATE on 2016 Copa America:

Group A: U.S. and Colombia advanced to Quarterfinals. Costa Rica and Paraguay knocked out.

Group B: Peru and Ecuador advanced to Quarterfinals. Brazil and Haiti knocked out.

Quarterfinal Matches: June 16: U.S. vs Ecuador

June 17: Peru vs Colombia

Group C: Current leaders are Mexico and Venezuela.

Group D: Current leaders are Argentina with Chile and Panama.

Quarterfinals take place June 16,17, and 18.

Semifinals take place June 21 and 22.

Third place takes place June 25.

Final takes place June 26.

Click here for easy to read schedule.

This is the eighth article of the column titled “Living in White America.” Every month there will be a new article discussing how one immigrant group, Latinos, live in America. This column will have articles dealing with anything and everything that concerns Latinos, this could include political and social talks. Some articles may discuss a culture of a different Latino group and interviews with a variety of Latinos will be added as well as interviews with non-Latinos asking for their opinion. Discrimination against Latinos has gone on long enough and now it’s time people get a look into a world they dislike so much. 

The post Living in White America: Soccer appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Location, talent of national soccer teams, and culture are just a few things of many that Hispanic and/or Latin countries differ in. One that may be surprising is the language. “What?” is probably the question you’re asking right now, so let me explain.  There are countries whose national language is Spanish and are classified as Hispanic and Latin countries, but there are also countries who speak languages other than Spanish and are still classified as Latin countries. While people from Spain do speak Spanish they ARE NOT a Latin country.

Short Lesson: Hispanic is in reference to language while Latino/a is in reference to geographical location. Hispanic is for people who are from a country whose primary language is Spanish. (Some don’t like to identify as Hispanic and that’s okay. Just ask before you call them that.)

Latino/a means anybody who is from a country in Latin America. (Which is mostly every country below the United States of America.) This being explained, the terms Hispanic and Latino/a are used in the US to determine groups.

If you go to a Latin country, I doubt they’ll say “I identify as Latina/o” and if they do, videotape it because I won’t believe you. That being said, even in the United States there are people who don’t want to be labeled as Hispanic or Latina/o, but by their nationality. It’s always important to make sure you know before you begin labeling people.

For example, I identify as Mexican-American and since Mexico’s primary language is Spanish, then I can say I’m Hispanic. Since Mexico is below the United States of America, I can also call myself Latina. Therefore, I am Hispanic and Latina, but I only say this when someone asks me what I identify as when I’m in the Untied States. I don’t go to Mexico and tell people I’m Hispanic/Latina. (They’d probably stare at me like I was crazy and run away.)

Let’s say that Maria is from Spain. She speaks Spanish and identifies as a Spaniard. Maria can identify as Hispanic due to Spain being a Spanish speaking country, but because Spain is in Europe and not a part of Latin America she cannot identify as Latina. (If you are still unclear about the difference between Hispanic and Latino/a click here.)

While a large number of countries in Latin America speak Spanish, the reason that I say the language is different is because of the way that it is spoken. In Latin America, just because Spanish is spoken by a large number of countries it DOES NOT mean that every person in different countries are the same nationality. Labeling everyone who speaks Spanish as Mexican is absurd for many reasons but I’ll stick with the language thing for now. (Check out this video that talks about why not all Latinos are Mexicans.)

As examples of dialects I shall compare male soccer players. There’s no special reason that I’m using them as examples other than the fact of their nationality and that a few of them move around from place to place but still retain their native dialect. Well that, and the fact that I love soccer.

Before we get in to it, I need to clarify one thing. These dialects aren’t the only way that the people of these certain countries speak. There are countless others but if I was to talk about every single Spanish dialect in every single Hispanic and/or Latin country I don’t think I would do anything else for a solid month at the very least. If you don’t know Spanish thats quite alright. Just listen to the way that the words are pronounced. You should be able to hear the differences. (I hope. Either way here’s a video of soccer players doing cool stuff.)

Okay. Let’s get started.

First up, a Mexican Soccer Player. His name is Javier “Chichartio” Hernandez. (That’s not his middle name, that’s his nickname.) He plays for the German club Bayer Leverkusen and for the Mexico National Football Team. He currently resides in Germany, but before that he lived in Spain playing for Real Madrid, and before that he lived in England where he played with Manchester United. He started his career in Mexico before heading off to Europe. The reason that this is important is because while he has lived in different places and speaks English, he is Mexican and regardless of where he has lived you can still hear the dialect of Spanish that many people in the United States are used to hearing. Such as the speed of which it is talked, and the vocab and pronunciation that you may learn in Spanish class. The actual interview isn’t important. Oh, and he’s the guy in the jersey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ygO_Qm9VAA

Next up, is James Rodriguez. He is a Colombian soccer player who currently plays in Spain for the team Real Madrid and is a part of the Colombian National Football Team. Before arriving in Spain he played for teams in Argentina, Portugal, and France. The speed at which he talks Spanish makes it clearer to understand. His vocab varies than that of Javier’s which helps demonstrate how Spanish varies from country to country. Again, the interview itself isn’t important unless you think he’s cute. (A lot of people do. I won’t judge.)

Sergio Ramos is a Spanish soccer player who plays for the team Real Madrid and for the Spain National Football Team. He has played in Spain for the his whole career and the way he speaks is how people from Spain typically speak. There are parts of Spain that don’t speak Spanish, but thats a whole other thing. Once again, the interview isn’t important and Ramos is the guy in the jersey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyUEw7uilI4

Let’s go to South American countries.

Claudio Bravo is a Chilean soccer player who plays for FC Barcelona and the Chile National Football Team. Bravo played in Chile before moving to Spain. His Spanish varies from that of Javier’s, James, and Ramos but it is nonetheless Spanish. Listen to him speaking below, and once again the actual interview isn’t important just the way he speaks.

Next up on our dialect tour is a Uruguayan player. His name is Luis Suarez and he currently plays for FC Barcelona in Spain and also plays for the Uruguay National Football Team. He has played in Uruguay, the Netherlands, and England before arriving in Spain. However, even with all these location changes, you can still hear the difference in the way he speaks Spanish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32XbkgRpTkM

Next up is Lionel Messi who plays for FC Barcelona and the Argentina National Football Team. Sidenote: He’s the best soccer player in the world. (Open for discussion, but he’s the best player in the world.) Messi is an Argentinian player who, after leaving Argentina at a young age, traveled to Spain and has played there ever since. Here you can tell that he has managed to keep his native dialect even though he’s lived in Spain for a large portion of his life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7k0aAb-Sec

Sidenote:  I should point out that I only used soccer players who have played or currently play for FC Barcelona and Real Madrid which are two teams in Spain. There are different soccer players that I could have chosen but I didn’t feel like it.

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have the biggest rivalry in Spain. When they play each other it’s called “El Clásico” and just watch this video so you can see for yourself how intense games can get. Real Madrid is in white and Barcelona are in the blue and red stripes.

Their fans constantly argue about who is the best team but the most heated discussion comes from the question who is the best player in the world: Lionel Messi or Cristaino Ronaldo? Messi plays for Barcelona and Ronaldo plays for Madrid. The reason I’m explaining this is because it gives me a chance to tell people that FC Barcelona is the best team and Messi is the best player in the world. Of course, if you talk to a Real Madrid fan, they will say that Madrid is the best team and Ronaldo is the best player in the world but I think they’re just confused. However, they may say the same thing about me.

Soccer is a lifestyle in many Hispanic and/or Latina/o countries, so I thought I  would give you a small insight into these two teams.

Moving on…

Spanish is spoken by many countries but each country has a distinct way that they speak it. The dialects that you heard are only a small portion spoken in these countries. It’s important to realize that because you can lump nationalities under the term Latino or Hispanic, it doesn’t mean that they are the same thing. Language is one of the most important aspect of culture. It is unfair to minimize that by simply saying, “They all speak Spanish so whats the difference?” There is a huge difference and hopefully this small dialect tour gave you some insight into the Spanish language.

(I also hope you decide that Barcelona is better than Real Madrid, but you know. Whatever you want. No pressure.)

This is the fifth article of the column titled “Living in White America.” Every month there will be a new article discussing how one immigrant group, Hispanics/Latinos, live in America. This column will have articles dealing with anything and everything that concerns Hispanics/Latinos, this could include political and social talks. Some articles may discuss a culture of a different Hispanic/Latino group and interviews with a variety of Hispanics /Latinos will be added as well as interviews with non-Hispanics asking for their opinion. Discrimination against Hispanics and Latinos has gone on long enough and now it’s time people get a look into a world they dislike so much.

The post Living in White America: Difference in Spanish Dialects appeared first on KRUI Radio.