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Seattle Artist Sol Talks Haiti, Hip Hop, and the World Cup
317 Plays3 days ago
Seattle hip-hop artist and lifelong Sounders fan Solzilla joins Noah Riffe to break down Haiti's first World Cup appearance in decades, the international buzz around Seattle as a host city, the case for more pedestrian streets and better transit downtown, and why the expanded 48 team World Cup format is a win for smaller footballing nations like Haiti and Cape Verde. Plus the lasting cultural impact of the tournament on the city and how Seattle holds space for community as it grows.
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Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show brought to you by Sounder at Heart. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
Well sir, we got a scorcher today. Gonna be a real scorcher today. Quite the scorcher today. Well it's gonna be scorcher.
World Cup in Seattle
00:00:21
Speaker
The World Cup is in full swing and we wanted to talk to people here in Seattle about who they're rooting for and why they're rooting for them.
Meet Saul: Artist, Photographer, Soccer Enthusiast
00:00:30
Speaker
Today, my guest is an artist, a photographer, a local legend perhaps, and someone who I am very happy to call a close personal friend, my friend Saul.
00:00:40
Speaker
Welcome to the show, Saul. All right. How are you, man? I'm good, man. World Cup. I'm man. World Cup season. World Cup, World Cup. Sol's also a massive Sounders fan as well. ah You've done some projects with the Sounders as well. Maybe yeah we start. We'll start with who you're rooting for, actually. If you if if people couldn't tell from the flag already.
Saul's Haitian Heritage and Soccer Connection
00:01:01
Speaker
Haiti. Yeah, my mom's from Haiti, born and raised in Port-au-Prince. Still got family over there.
00:01:08
Speaker
Big soccer country something that a lot of people might not know. um Definitely the most popular sports there. And um people play it in all sorts of places and conditions, on the beach, on the street, um anywhere that you can kick a ball around. People are playing soccer.
00:01:27
Speaker
and um you know also super into you know EPL, Champions League. And um yeah, I'm sure we'll talk more about it, but there's a really interesting history of soccer or football in Haiti and also some interesting connections and relationships with other countries that are ah based around soccer or at least influenced by it, specifically Brazil.
00:01:52
Speaker
So that was an interesting game. um And yeah, it's it was a big part of my life growing up, both being Haitian and then also being super into the sport. Connecting being Haitian and loving soccer, you told me that you've been a couple of times to Haiti, obviously, to to visit. your Your mom's from Haiti and your grandma still lives there, correct? No, my my aunt aunt. My mom's oldest sister by like 14 years. She's like the matriarch of the family.
00:02:20
Speaker
She's still back there and some other families are are there. And she's super involved in the village that my family's from and like running this ah She's basically a superintendent of these schools out, out, out in the village. yeah
Soccer Memories and Personal Reflection
00:02:34
Speaker
And so you know she's just dedicated her life to Haiti. She'll never leave. She'll she'll never leave the village. And um that's who I visit mostly when I go back there. Yeah.
00:02:45
Speaker
That's awesome. And when when you're out there, you know did you play at all when you were out there? Yeah, yeah. I played it on the beach in Abrico, which is where my family is. and but My mom is from Port-au-Prince, but my aunt and my grandpa moved out to like...
00:03:02
Speaker
Haiti is like a crab claw. and And the Dominican Republic is over here. And Port-au-Prince is here. And my family now is mostly based out of Les Abricots, which is close to Jeremy, um over on the tip. And um beautiful, beautiful countryside, mountainside, really. And it all kind of um It's close to the water at the same time. And so people play on the beach. And um you know there's not a whole lot of flat land in in Haiti in general. It's actually super mountainous. um So the beach, I would say, is one of the most popular places to play.
Career in Music and Art
00:03:36
Speaker
That's super. I feel like there's a lot of places like that. I visited Italy recently in Spain and that's where people play because that's where they are. It's like wherever they are. That's super interesting. I want to I want to tap back into your connection to soccer. What's your earliest soccer memory? We were playing this this kind of soccer quiz game yesterday with some friends and we were talking about earliest soccer memory.
00:03:57
Speaker
It took me a minute to recollect where I was at when I when i first like clicked with soccer. yeah Do you have one that you can kind of point to? I have a few that popped into mind. um ive I was playing soccer as long as I could remember. was the first sport that I played and kind of the only sport I played until about third or fourth grade when I started. my ah My friends kind of convinced me to join the baseball team, and I was – really bad at baseball but i was always pretty good at soccer i played right back and left back um and when we were younger i just played defense you know and but as we got older i found myself kind of on the wing you know crossing the ball in and um uh early early memories for soccer are one playing during recess and hitting my head on the goal post and getting a concussion I'm surprised you remember that. I remember waking up and seeing stars. And i also, a very core early memory was seeing the Sounders at Memorial Stadium, you know, before the MLS and George Carl being there when he was still the coach of the Sonics. And I remember, like,
00:05:11
Speaker
I forget if if my parents or me were like being kind of shy about asking for an autograph. We were trying to be respectful. And then somebody else recognized him and went up. And then there was just an onslaught of kids. And I and like i i ah just was thought it was so cool to meet the coach of the Sonics. And that was like ah not even my first Sounders game, but like a core early memory. Everything else before that is a blur because it was just I just grew up in it. you know Yeah, and then you've you have worked with the Sounders. I think maybe before, I keep teasing this, but you know you are an artist, you make music, you do photos, you run some amazing ah community events as well with STG. um
00:05:57
Speaker
Why don't you tell us a little bit about your career trajectory and maybe even inlay how soccer's played into that, if there
Collaborations with Seattle Sports Teams
00:06:04
Speaker
are moments in there. Yeah, you know, I came up in the Seattle hip-hop scene. i was super lucky. Well, first day I started rapping.
00:06:11
Speaker
like at age nine or ten, and I found myself in the studio around 11 with a great mentor, this gentleman Isaac Meek, who really kind of put me through artist development and low-key rapper boot camp, like all throughout middle school and high school. And so from a very early age, I viewed it as like, this is my craft. this I have to like put in the groundwork if I want this to be a career, you know? And so all throughout, like, that young age when other kids are thinking about, you know, going and being president or playing in the NBA or the MLS, like, I was just thinking about being a rapper. And so I was on that trajectory from a young age.
00:06:54
Speaker
And then because of that, you know, I chose to stay in Seattle. Like, it was really important to my family that I went to college and I got into UW. And I, you know, had...
00:07:05
Speaker
a pretty deep connection already with the Seattle music scene, so I didn't want to leave. So I stayed at UW while like just cutting my teeth and getting deeper into the scene, doing every open mic that I could. um and I kind of used being in the college world as a way of kind of getting out and playing shows at Wazoo and Western and you know just kind of getting the ball rolling so that college wasn't like a pause on my career.
00:07:31
Speaker
And then by the time I graduated, i was able you know to pivot and to just I just put all my eggs in that basket. And I just s went full music, full time. And I was able to make a career out of it. Super blessed. And um over the years, you know, um the different sports or organizations in Seattle you know ah have had their own kind of dabbling and in ah connecting with local musicians. And whether it be like, OK, the Seahawks are popping and we're in the
00:08:05
Speaker
you know, playoffs and we want to have a local performer, you know, play at halftime or it's the season opener or, you know, so various things throughout the years. I remember one year when the storms won the when the Storm won the championship, that WNBA finals game in Seattle, I don't remember. wasn't like the, it was towards the end of the series, but it was the WNBA finals I played at halftime for the Storm. um I played halftime for the Seahawks and then I would say the Sounders are probably the team that I've had the deepest connection with. Both personally, I'm just most excited about soccer, but also i think they've done a great job throughout the years of of looking to the local community, whether it be you know partnerships with the Hendrix family you know and different foundations and through the Rave Foundation and Obviously, you know, even like that year when they did the Bruce Lee stuff and, you know, they've had seasons where they plug in a lot of local performers before games, during games.
00:09:06
Speaker
So I've done everything from, you know, play. I think it was halftime or it might have been before kickoff, you know, and they've had they've had me come in and do the. um what do you call it you scarves ah scarves yeah you know and it's funny the uh scarves hub came i've wanted i'd done a lot with them at that point already and i've been like when are we gonna do scarves up and they finally asked me to do scarves up and it was the it was the week that COVID was exploding. oh But it was like nobody knew quite how bad it was going to get.
00:09:42
Speaker
So it was like everyone at the game had a mask. Attendance was affected heavily. And they had asked me to do Scarves Up. So I'm there with my mask on, and I take it off to do the Scarves Up. And
Performances, Festivals, and Upcoming Projects
00:09:54
Speaker
like I remember it was like five minutes before the whole Scarves Up thing. And I look around, there's like barely anyone there. But luckily,
00:10:01
Speaker
Like people showed up. But maybe not. Maybe was a super spreader. I don't know. But it was like definitely the last game before everything shut down. And so that was a funny like funny memory where it was like, oh, man, everything changed. ah But you know i got to I got to check that off the list. And um yeah, it's always been a pleasure to to work with the Sounders, yeah. It seems like you need a redo.
00:10:27
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. I feel like you need a redo at this point. due for Scarves Up. Still still looking forward to throwing out first pitch. You know, what's up, Mariners? They let, like, four people throw out the first pitch nowadays, like, in a row. Have you seen that? They'll do, like, the pre-pre-first pitch where it's, like... not really they're like oh yeah yeah come throw out the first pitch and it's like like a social media clip and then they do like the second first pitch there's like a lot of first pitches nowadays i feel like they can they should be able to fit you in there so you're saying there's a chance i think there's a chance no right for sure i think there's a chance um i feel like they should have you throw out the first pitch man maybe yeah man
00:11:05
Speaker
Yeah. if If they got, you can open up for me. There we go. Okay. I'll be your opener. I'll be your opener. ah Speaking of openers, um you were recently played two shows, right?
00:11:18
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Yeah, I was just in Boise in Spokane. You weren't opening. That
Seattle's Influential Music Scene
00:11:22
Speaker
was a bad transition. I tried my best to do that. But right do we have more shows on the docket? Or we just yeah's what's the what's the vibe? So I have some festival stuff this summer. i'm playing a festival in Olympia called South Sound Block Party.
00:11:35
Speaker
And then after that, or during the summer, I'm like locked in working on my next album. And then I'm not going to do my next like headlining tour until that album is done and and out.
00:11:48
Speaker
So I've learned to not announce or like promote a tour for an album until the album's done. That's smart. So you know um I'm just focused on like getting that mixed and mastered. And then I'll set the rest of the dominoes in motion.
00:12:06
Speaker
Listen, sometimes things need a little bit of time to cook. Yeah. That's how it goes. at Personally, like one of my favorite hip hop groups from Seattle, Brothers From Another. Yes. Which we've talked about quite a bit. They just they just were radio silent for what, like 10 years? Probably. and then just showed up and were like here you go boom yeah just so dropped an album you know it's uh i feel like there's those artists for for everyone where you you know will just be happy to get more music from them yeah you know for me it would be like outcast i remember when d'angelo dropped black messiah it was like
00:12:44
Speaker
I had almost just accepted that that we might not ever get another D'Angelo album. And then he dropped another classic. And and so yeah, within the Seattle music scene, you know there's bands like that. And Brothers From Another is one of them. The Physics are another one of them.
00:12:58
Speaker
People who I came up with, who to me were always like just so ahead of their time and just made timeless music and also really embodied what it, like if there was a Seattle sound,
00:13:11
Speaker
I would say that they embody it, you know both of those groups.
Seattle as a Soccer City
00:13:14
Speaker
And um you know of course, the Seattle Sound has expanded and evolved. But definitely for the time when we were all coming up, I feel like they were just, you know that you you could just take Seattle Summer in a bottle and and package it. It would be Brothers From Another and The Physics, yeah. I love that. Speaking of like Seattle culture as a whole, i feel like we're very unique as a city. i mean, we saw this U.S. game, just how many people were out. I mean, all of social media was basically just talking about how this is the best venue in the entire World Cup. This is the best atmosphere, the best city. i spoke with Lyme. They were like, oh, we shattered our ridership record. They shattered the light rail and transit record. Everything's walkable, amazing.
00:13:59
Speaker
Is Seattle the perfect soccer city and why is it the perfect soccer city? So as far as the U.S. goes? Yeah, sure. Yeah, because i just want I want to travel more before I can even try to answer in the U.S. We'll talk. yeah We'll talk u U.S.
00:14:15
Speaker
i I think it's it's got to be up there because just off top, already working for Seattle, is that is such an incredible city. And it's un... Can we swear on the podcast? Yeah, absolutely. unfuckwittable when it comes to the summer. Yeah. So, I mean, I'm just imagining being like...
00:14:34
Speaker
You know, and someone from like a totally different part of the world, or you know maybe you're in a different part of North America, and you're you're traveling to different places for the game, and you don't really know what to expect in Seattle. And you show up, and you know it's a sunny day, and you have you know the Olympics to the west. You have the Cascades to the east. You look down south. You see Mount Rainier. There's the Puget Sound. The ferries are coming in and out.
00:14:59
Speaker
You know, who knows, maybe you catch a whale. i don't know if there's been whale sightings, but like you can go whale watching. You hit out you go out to Vashon on the day off. like you know um you can you know You can go on and on about what you can do in like just within 45 minutes of the city center. And regardless of where you're staying, there's bodies of water close by.
00:15:21
Speaker
You know, it's been raining for nine months, so everything's green. you know And of course, they didn't have to experience that. They're just visiting. So they really just get like the the sexy side of Seattle.
00:15:33
Speaker
And i mean, even and then you add soccer in the mix and you have all these viewing parties and there's games happening here. And then, of course, people have flooded the city from all over the world, so it's even more diverse than it normally is.
00:15:48
Speaker
So like you know Seattle isn't the most diverse city in the world, but right now it might be. you know So um you know ah yeah, it's it's hard like it's hard for me to imagine.
00:16:01
Speaker
you know and each city has has its own things going for it. But like you know what are some of the other? you know I mean, there's there's a lot of locations for for the US. for the World Cup, but like, you know, I can't. You have LA. Boston, Dallas. San Francisco, yeah. Which stadium is the San Francisco one? Levi, so it's not actually. not even in San Francisco. It's like a weird suburb situation. Miami, which you have to drive. Is that outside of the city? Yeah, and then it was also 103 degrees and then poured rain. No, yeah.
00:16:34
Speaker
I'm familiar with because being from the Caribbean, like the summer, it's with the you add the humidity and it's just like brutal yeah being out there. And yeah, I mean, it's been fairly hot here, but in general, Seattle weather is never too unmanageable.
00:16:51
Speaker
And... um Yeah, the stadiums are right there in the mix. And Pioneer Square has always been one of my favorite parts of Seattle.
World Cup's Influence on Seattle's Culture
00:16:58
Speaker
And, of course, now with it just being you know flooded flooded with people and there's ah like this historic element to the area, it's super beautiful. um You say it's back? It's back. Yeah.
00:17:12
Speaker
And that now they've built out the waterfront. I know. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see. What do you think... ah will be the after effect of the World Cup in Seattle when it comes to, like, people moving here or just, like, the local businesses that maybe have popped up or done well from this, like, maybe getting some momentum.
00:17:34
Speaker
you have any thought on that?
00:17:40
Speaker
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00:17:54
Speaker
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00:18:22
Speaker
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00:18:50
Speaker
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00:19:01
Speaker
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00:19:32
Speaker
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00:20:11
Speaker
I think it's a good question. Like I was asking a lot of people this as well. I talked with Mayor Katie Wilson about this and just a lot of people who are kind of like on that side of things.
00:20:23
Speaker
And a lot of people are saying, you know, it's it's it's yet to be seen. But I think what it is showing us is that we can bring people out. We can host these big events.
00:20:35
Speaker
And even more so, like our transit is amazing and we need to continue to invest in it. And when we encourage people to take it, they take it. i mean, it breaking ridership records, right? Being outside in the summer, creating public spaces where you can be more outside and communal is important and it's worth the investment. I think, you know, you're seeing that the money that they spent on the waterfront I always knew it paid off, but from these viewing parties and these community events, it's so paid off. You're getting tons of people coming and visiting. um I think, you know, and that's just from like a financial standpoint. Like, I don't think you always need to justify those things, but...
00:21:12
Speaker
I think it also showed that like, for me, the impact, I feel like we're finally out of COVID in a way. Like people are really outside doing fun stuff. They're in the streets, like early morning to late night. Like people are taking time off work, doing all this stuff. I think it'll be good for businesses, but I think even more than that, like,
00:21:33
Speaker
we're a very seattle's a very weird social city like it's it's reclusive through the winter and then normally we like come out and explode and just out and about all summer and i think that's been lacking the last few years and i think this was a really big jump start to that and i think that that'll help with like future events in the city future concerts future things like that like just getting people out being like oh no it's worth it to wait in that line it's worth it to like go out in the heat and sweat a little bit because i'm gonna have a ton of fun so That's what I feel like there's there's gonna be a big cultural impact and I think you know It's also going to help us be like all right The light rail should run every two minutes like we should have a train every two minutes. We should have all these other things So I mean that's politically but I also just love seeing people out and about Having almost all of the streets closed down by the stadium and but also having people in those streets just hanging out restaurants all of that
00:22:31
Speaker
It makes me feel really happy and like the city is is together. And yeah I feel like we don't always feel that here.
Community and Public Spaces in Seattle
00:22:38
Speaker
do you think those streets should be only for foot traffic in general?
00:22:42
Speaker
I mean, i think i think that i think that. I don't think it'll happen. i think that there are more pedestrianized public spaces. And now we're going to get into the urbanist talk here. This is the urbanist talk show. I think more pedestrianized public spaces are good for everyone. They're good for businesses because people...
00:23:03
Speaker
people will like congregate there. They're flocking there. They're going there because it's unusual for a city. And I think it's counterintuitive to what the businesses will tell you, which is what people can't drive and park here. They're not going to come.
00:23:16
Speaker
If there's bad parking somewhere and I still have to drive there, I'm not going to go. But if I can hop on the bus or hop on the light rail and it's chill and I can hang out there and there's other stuff to do around that business, I'm going there 10 times out of 10. So I hope. Or even if it was just like certain days of the week. or Yeah.
00:23:35
Speaker
Festival style, like like on on Sundays, how we have farmer's markets, like that kind of vibe. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's interesting. like I guess the the only thing I'll say in general about post-World Cup and just like with Seattle on the trajectory that it is, is like with it being this city that is just continuing to grow and and just get more and more on the map, I think we have to um be creative about how we make sure that
00:24:06
Speaker
we're holding space for culture to happen and also creating situations where people feel connected to each other, especially when you have so much new Seattle coming in. And you know i think if people are exposed to local community diversity,
00:24:25
Speaker
music, art, um they'll feel more invested and more a part of the city that they've came to, whether that's tourism or whether that's like people who have kind of migrated here, for lack of a better term, for for job opportunities and stuff. And so you know sometimes people show up, and that's part of the problem with the gentrification is like you land somewhere and you don't think about what you're landing on top of. yeah and and you're not really interacting. And so the more community space and open kind of ah
00:25:02
Speaker
open space for people to interact and ah cross-pollinate, for lack of a better term, the more connected you feel with each other. And when issues come up in community, you you feel more connected and invested in how those things are going to play out and how how your neighbor is really doing because you've interacted with people outside of your bubble. And um so whether that's things showing up on the ballot or you kind of hear about certain issues or you see somebody dealing with something, you don't really turn
Empathy and Connection in Community Building
00:25:33
Speaker
away. And um I think as life continues and things happen and life, you know,
00:25:39
Speaker
community mate may deal with challenges, i think the more empathetic, the more connected we are, the more empathetic we are, and I think the healthier Seattle will be. And so, you know, I think things like, um,
00:25:55
Speaker
I think also a really big thing is just like free like and people being able to feel welcome. So it's like, for example, you talk about an area like Pioneer Square where there's a lot of new businesses and a lot of tourism happens there, but there's also a lot of poverty there. you know um I think it's important for those spaces to be accessible for everybody. And um like if somebody wanted to put together like free concerts in ah the park in Paranir Square. And it was like every weekend of the summer, you know, um you don't need the World Cup to like pack out Paranir Square, you know. And there has been a bit of that. And so I just want to see more of that. Yeah, I think, yeah, to your point, bringing community together makes it impossible for people to be, for a lack of a better term, like on their phone, on the internet, complaining about Seattle. And like, yeah, you you get more empathy when you're around your friends or you hear new perspectives or you get to experience things that you wouldn't and gain a new respect for the city that you're a part of. Because like, you know, I think i think we we all have...
00:27:03
Speaker
as people who are from the city and grew up around here, like there can be a, there can be a kind of like, all right, you're, you're like, you came here, you got to prove that you care about this city. And so, yeah, like having people more integrated and ah and able to integrate into the community by just being around is like, it's incredibly helpful. I think for everyone, like we, can, I think I can be kind of negative sometimes towards, but I like, I prejudge some people, Oh, you moved here for tech. Like, Oh, you know, no disrespect, but it's like, you know, maybe I don't, maybe I don't trust you a hundred percent yet. So it can change my perspective on that too. Like if I got people out there and they're like, Oh no, like I'm trying to find community too. And it's like, I want more community too. So it's definitely good. And I mean, to speak about like, you know, protecting your neighbors and everything where we're in the international district right now, where our studio's at. And since we've moved here, like I know all my neighbors around here and like I'm connected to new issues that I never knew were a problem.
00:28:03
Speaker
And, you know, I feel lucky enough to to to be able to be a part of their advocacy now and for what they need. And it's not what I need, too, because they're just as much a part of me as I'm a part of their lives now. So it's.
00:28:17
Speaker
i love I love community, and I think soccer can bring that, but also, like you were saying, having those public spaces, having those parties, having everything, it's, like, so important.
Haiti in the World Cup
00:28:27
Speaker
Yep. I want to talk more about um how you...
00:28:33
Speaker
like your reaction to when Haiti qualified for the World Cup. Yeah. Kind of like how excited you've been and and watching some of these games so far. Yeah, it's been incredible because, you know, like I mentioned before, haiti has... um always been a country that is full of soccer enthusiasts.
00:28:54
Speaker
um But usually we're having to kind of root for um people that are not Haitian, you know, and and feeling and finding connection to players and teams um kind of outside of that affiliation. So to be able to root for people who are also either you know living and from Haiti or part of the diaspora and choosing to represent the country. um It's really powerful. I mean, I would say like just like an anecdotal example of what this type of representation can can do for somebody. When I was a kid, one of the only celebrities that was kind of in my
00:29:39
Speaker
ah universe of of popular culture that was Haitian was Wyclef from the Fugees. And because of that, the Fugees were my favorite rap group. Wyclef was my favorite.
00:29:55
Speaker
And it was a huge point of pride. And it helped. It gave me a reference point. being a Haitian-American kid growing up in Seattle, where there was only a few other Haitian families that we kind of knew and hung out with, and I wasn't really super tapped in. And there's a small community out here in general. So to have somebody kind of on the big screen that was also proud to be Haitian gave me a identity kind of reference point.
00:30:22
Speaker
And I think about what Haiti being in the World Cup likely means for a lot of Haitians in general, but especially young Haitians and also young Haitians who may or may not ah already be super into soccer, but now, you know, may their relationship with soccer might get turned up as well.
00:30:44
Speaker
And that's great for the future of Haitian soccer. And I think like not just Haitians in Haiti, but just Haitians all around the world, whether that's you know in Europe or here in North America, or you know there's Haitians in South America as well, there's Haitians all over. And so, you know, thinking about what that reference point is on the biggest stage, the world stage of soccer might mean for the future as well.
00:31:11
Speaker
um That was the thing that got me the most excited. And, um yeah, also just like... I really hope that we score today. you know We haven't scored yet, but we've we've had some performances to be proud of, especially that first game against Scotland. I really think we're unlucky to not come away with at least a point.
00:31:31
Speaker
um And um you know especially considering you know recent times with all the turmoil back home in Haiti and also just not being able to even play in Haiti for like years, all of our home games have been like elsewhere, I think it was in Curaçao or somewhere else in the Caribbean, like just because of the situation in Port-au-Prince has been tough. And so to give Haitians an opportunity to come to games, obviously World Cup is expensive, but Haitians have been showing out for these games.
Diverse Representation in the World Cup
00:32:04
Speaker
So to give people an opportunity here in the United States To to go to to go to the game and see the team also is great. But also, you know, it's main cable. Like, people can just tune in. So it's just, yeah, it's a win being here. And representation matters so much.
00:32:23
Speaker
That's a really interesting point, too, because I've I've heard a lot, mostly from from European fans about how, oh, I hate the expanded World Cup. Like, why are we letting these minnows in? Like, why are we letting Haiti in? And why are we letting, you know, Cape Verde our Our camera up here is Cape Verde in. So we've been very excited and rooting for Cape Verde. But for me.
00:32:45
Speaker
it has been so fun to watch those storylines and it's just like it's just like ah college basketball right you always have 16th seed or the 18th seed and it means a lot to those communities it means a lot to those schools but I want to know from your perspective like how have you felt about the expanded world cup and like getting more opportunity for for smaller nations to have their day on the world stage and show off they're also footballing nations yeah i mean being able to like be a part of the mix with qualifiers is one thing but there's nothing like being in the world cup and um
00:33:29
Speaker
You know, we'll see kind of how how it plays out when it comes back to, you know, player fitness. And because like i honestly you might have to hit me a little bit to like how the bracket breaks down. The one thing I know is that they didn't usually used to have a whole lot of like the third place teams playing for something. right Correct. the things changed Yeah. It was just one and two. Right. And so, yeah, that'll be interesting to see. But I also think, you know, when you're in a tough group, by the way, like being able to be a third place team that has performed well enough to have an opportunity to keep going, I think is good for the for the tournament because, you know,
00:34:08
Speaker
the luck of the draw of having a really tough group or a really easy group i think can totally kind of influence what the knockout stages look like and so i think that might be a good thing when it comes to making sure that teams that did well can still go through um and then when it comes to you know creating more space for smaller countries i i think i mean obviously i'm biased being haitian but like um I think it's it's kind of um representative of what is the best about soccer is that it's a global sport. And the more global that the that the field of teams is, I think the more inclusive and more international um the excitement can be. And um I think it's really interesting and dope
00:35:05
Speaker
learning about different cultures through this tournament. When I was a kid, you know, I'm going to date myself, but first of all, soccer wasn't nearly this as popular in United States. Cable and the internet were not what they are now. And the only way to really watch Soccer for me was the World Cup unless we had a big ass satellite dish on our house and we were somehow tapping into the Premier League. um It was the World Cup.
00:35:32
Speaker
And, um you know, for me, that was also like I have my own. it's It's like I have a deep kind of history with Brazil as well. I've been there a few times and I speak Portuguese and and that is has been a big part of my life.
00:35:48
Speaker
And it's honestly started with seeing the Brazil team in the World Cup and falling in love with Joga Bonito and just the way that they play and, um you know, players like R9 and Ronaldinho. ronaldino and um yeah, it was just like it created a ah connection that went ended up going way, way beyond soccer. And um i think now to bring it back, I think
00:36:21
Speaker
there's Obviously, that's a big country, but there's people who are now learning about more about... like I think it's amazing that Iraq and Iran and and Cape Verde and all these different countries that... and For example, Haiti and Iraq, two totally different reasons, but two countries that Americans have been fed only negative information about for the last few decades.
00:36:47
Speaker
Right. You know, when people hear about Haiti in the news, it's only because of devastation. And there is a lot of difficult things. And Haiti has a very hard time. And we could go deep into the the geopolitical reasons for that. It's not just bad luck, although there has also been bad luck, um you know, but people only see negative news about Haiti.
00:37:10
Speaker
Obviously, like the United States and the relationship with countries like Iraq and Iran. and the news that we get and the times and the places that we see the names of those countries and we and many Americans think about folk from that part of the world, it's in a certain light. And now here we have an opportunity to just watch athletes represent their countries proudly and see fans and people who, you know, love their identity and it has nothing to do with politics.
Supporting Saul's Music and Artists
00:37:37
Speaker
You know, of course, we're not going to talk about FIFA in this moment. We're just talking about people rooting for their country. um It just brings it all back to a human level. And the more countries we can represent in that way, it's just better for the global relationship.
00:37:54
Speaker
I think that's a perfect place to leave it there because that's exactly how I'm feeling. Saul, do you want to shout anything out? Where can people find you and your music and your art? Yeah. Most of my social media is at Saulzilla. S-O-L-Z-I-L-L-A. can find me on streaming, of course. But by the music. Yeah. But buy the music, guys. Don't stream. Buy the music, buy the merch. Not just for me, but any artist that you love. It's the best way to support.
00:38:23
Speaker
And um yeah, maybe I'll catch you at a sounders game.