Agid Gonzalez and Jose Calero (photographed above, left to right), groundskeepers at the UCSF Mission Bay Campus, will be part of an estimated five billion people who watch at least a portion of this year’s FIFA World Cup on television.
“I think Argentina is the team to beat,” Calero said. Both Calero and Gonzalez played soccer as kids and Calero continued to play until about 10 years ago. Now he keeps a close eye on the Copa America championships, which features the top South American soccer clubs, and the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Gold Cup, the championship league for North American soccer.
Playing futsal at Parnassus.
In the past, Facilities employees played an indoor version of soccer called Futsal on Friday afternoons in the Millberry Union gym (shown left). Futsal traditionally has five players on each side and while the games started with Facilities employees, they soon attracted players from across campus.
Of course, few sporting competitions draw the attention of fans from around the world like a World Cup and that means even casual fans have an interest in the game every four years.
“My wife and stepson are avid soccer fans,” said Gonzalez. “They’ll get into fights over different games. One cheers for Barcelona and the other for Real Madrid.”
And while Copa America and the CONCACAF Gold Cup are huge events, the World Cup, which is held every four years, is the biggest sporting event in the world. This year’s tournament takes place through Dec. 18 in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. A total of 32 teams from around the world will participate and 64 games will be played.
Calero and Gonzalez both played soccer when they were younger. “I used to play at 16th and Bryant and I would also play at school,” Gonzalez said. “I continued to play until about 10 years ago.”
France is the defending champion in this year’s World Cup after beating Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 tournament. Brazil has the most World Cup titles with five.
The US men’s team has never won the World Cup. The team made the semifinals in 1930 and the quarterfinals in 2002. They failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Brazil is favored to win the tournament followed by Argentina, France, Spain, and England. Who is least likely to win? Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, Iran, Tunisia and Australia have the longest odds. Calero said he expects Argentina, Brazil and Germany to be the teams to beat.
This will be the final time the tournament will feature 32 teams. In 2026 the FIFA World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams and will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. San Francisco will be one of the 16 host cities for that World Cup, with games to be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Both Calero and Gonzalez will be watching the United States team with interest, but neither expect much success. The US will be in Group B with England, Iran and Wales. They opened the tournament against Wales and will play group stage matches against England (Nov. 25) and Iran (Nov. 29).
