Argentine reporters impressed by KC in World Cup run: ‘Something special here’
When you’re over 5,000 miles away from home for a good chunk of the summer, you have to fill in the void somehow.
For a group of Argentine journalists, that means playing in a few soccer games at Soccer Lot near Union Station, according to Sebastian Varela del Rio. He’s a journalist with the Argentina National team’s official streaming channel. He said that’s something they would do two to three times a week back in Argentina.
“We just get together, play futbol and talk. We made that happen here, and it was spectacular,” he said.
Varela del Rio is one of many Argentine journalists who’ve made KC their temporary home as they watch Argentina chase a second straight FIFA World Cup. The national team is a step closer to that dream after a 3-1 victory against Switzerland at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium on July 11.
Varela del Rio has been covering the team since 2014, before joining Argentina’s streaming channel in 2022. That means he got to be around the team during their World Cup run in Qatar in 2022. Four years later, he’s in Kansas City with the team, enduring culture shock when he was shown what Midwest nice is like.
“The most impressive thing that I’ve seen here in (Kansas City) was the kindness of the people. The people were so humble, so kind,” he said. “I was in a lot of cities in America in the last few years, but that surprised me.”
Argentine reporters have been following the team across the country during its run. That includes going to the bigger cities such as Atlanta and Miami. Ezequiel Guisone, a writer for Argentine newspaper Diario El Notre, has been “really comfortable” when it comes to his time in KC.
Guisone has been a journalist for 25 years, writing for Diario El Notre for 20. It’s a regional newspaper in Buenos Aires. He returns to the states to cover Argentina two years after they won the 2024 Copa América.
When it came to visiting these NFL stadiums, these ain’t anything like the ones back home, according to him.
“(Arrowhead) is really wonderful. In Argentina, we don’t have this kind of stadiums,” he said. The largest stadium in Buenos Aires is the Estadio Monumental, which seats over 80,000, though he said that one wasn’t as nice to see compared to Arrowhead, which may be because it seats around 69,000 for the World Cup.
Just like other KC visitors (and some locals), Guisone is still learning the difference between Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas.
“The stadium, where are we now?” he asked.
How does KC barbecue compare to Argentina barbecue?
Though he didn’t recall which restaurant, Guisone was pleased with Kansas City’s ribs. So much so, he spoke to the chefs at the establishment, who told him the meat gets cooked for roughly 12 hours.
“In Argentina, We don’t cook (the meat) for so many hours. So here, it’s more flavorful,” he said. “I really liked it, but it’s so different than the way we cook the meat. I think I’m really a fan of the meat in Kansas.”
In South America, Asado is the go-to barbecue option. Beef, pork, lamb, mutton and other meats are cooked using an open fire or grill. Asado refers to the method, as well as the event where the food is cooked.
It’s different from KC barbecue, which is smoked or grilled with a dry rub, then topped with a tomato-based sauce. Regardless of how it’s made, both barbecues bring people together the same way, according to Varela del Rio.
“To get together, to eat the meat, and chat about whatever it is, and to enjoy our time.”
Argentine journalists watch a GOAT chase history
Kansas City is used to seeing Patrick Mahomes make unbelievable plays in Arrowhead. But when Lionel Messi scored a hat trick to open Argentina’s tournament run, it added just another chapter in the history of the NFL’s third-oldest stadium.
“It was amazing because here another kind of GOAT plays, Patrick Mahomes,” Varela del Rio said. Mahomes has been in attendance throughout many of KC’s six matches, including the final game July 11.
The hat trick also adds to the legacy of one of soccer’s undisputed GOATS. Varela del Rio has spent plenty of time around the team and raved about covering the 39-year-old superstar, in what could be his last World Cup.
“The GOAT expression is small to Messi. He is another kind of human, another kind of sportsman,” he said. “For me, he’s the best athlete of all time. The numbers are for everyone, but the magic is another thing, and Messi has the magic.”
It was fitting that the hat trick occurred at the NFL’s loudest stadium. Even in the press box, the crowd’s reaction throughout that night was unreal for Guisone.
“It’s something special here in the stadiums from the United States. In the press box, we can hear the really loud crowd,” he said. “ I really enjoy that because the people turned crazy. The people were incredible.”
While Kansas City’s World Cup run officially comes to an end, Argentina moves on as they face England in semifinals, another team that held its base camp in the heart of America this summer.
