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ANDRES CANTOR: Goooo (ph)...
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
A voice of soccer for millions of fans in the U.S. and around the world...
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CANTOR: ...Ooooooh (ph)...
SIMON: Andres Cantor. World Cups - they come and go. But as Telemundo's play-by-play announcer, he is as much a fixture of the World Cup as players who flop on the ground to try to draw a yellow card.
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CANTOR: (Yelling) ...oooal (ph).
SIMON: He's also appeared in "The Simpsons" and "Muppets Most Wanted" and many, many ads, like the one from Visa we've just heard. Andres Cantor joins us now from Kansas City, Missouri. Thanks so much for being with us.
CANTOR: How are you, Scott? Thank you for having me.
SIMON: How has this World Cup compared with the 10 World Cups that you've called?
CANTOR: Well, definitely, it's different because it was the largest World Cup in history, with 48 teams, with 104 matches and 39 days of competitions. It's been a long, long, winding road. I was fortunate enough to be in all three countries. I was in Canada in Vancouver. I was in Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico, and throughout the U.S. So definitely, that is something which has been totally different than the other World Cups, especially the last one where the tournament was held in one city, basically. Having said this, it's been wonderful to see the excitement of all three countries, and so many cities have been really, really good.
SIMON: Got to ask you about the Argentina-Egypt game because it looked like the world champions were about to beat it back home, and then, in the 83rd minute, Lionel Messi scores the goal for Argentina that ties the game. The crowd goes wild.
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CANTOR: Goal. Goal.
SIMON: You lost your voice.
CANTOR: I kind of did. The crowd went so wild - and that is a dome stadium - that the crowd noise got into my headsets so much, I couldn't balance my voice on the headsets, so I couldn't hear myself while I was yelling goal.
SIMON: (Laughter).
CANTOR: So I had to, like, take off my headset and try to find my voice in the middle of the crowd. And obviously, I was overcome by emotion because, you know, I really thought, like pretty much everyone else that was watching the game, Argentina's title reign was coming to an end. So yeah. I did lose my voice for a little bit.
SIMON: How did the - and I apologize for my very bad imitation - but how did the goal start?
CANTOR: It started because that's the way I grew up listening to play-by-play in Argentina when I was a kid, mostly on radio. Everyone in Argentina yells a goal the same way, and pretty much, I would say everyone in Latin America. So I always said, Scott, that I never invented something. I don't have any proprietary rights to my goal call. I was very lucky and fortunate to be, I guess, in the right place at the right time during the 1994 World Cup when my way of calling games got a lot of attention in the mainstream media.
SIMON: Is there a difference between the Spanish language announcing, say, on Telemundo and, (impersonating British accent) you know, those guys on Fox?
CANTOR: Definitely. I'm not passing judgment. Each to his own. Every broadcaster has its own style. In Spanish, it's like we have a feel for the game. You know, we are a little bit more vibrant, if you will. We're a little bit more enthusiastic, to say the least. I'm not saying one is better than the other. I think it has to do with the way we see soccer in terms of in our cultural identity.
SIMON: Do you have a most memorable moment in your announcing career?
CANTOR: I have many. I can't pinpoint one. Obviously, the last penalty kick that Argentina kicked in 2022 that won the World Cup - that will be one of my fondest memories.
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CANTOR: (Speaking Spanish, crying).
I have a favorite moment that happened during the 2015 women's World Cup in Vancouver, when Carli Lloyd scored a hat trick and won from midfield - truly one of the best goals in World Cup history. I mean, I cherish, you know, every final as a very good memory because I always get the best seat in the house, and I'm there in the most important game of this most important tournament around the world.
SIMON: How has soccer changed in the U.S. over the past 30-some years? 'Cause the worst World Cup games here were in 1994. You, of course, were there.
CANTOR: Yeah. It has definitely changed in the sense that the fandom is so much greater. Back in 1994, I remember I worked for Univision, which was the only network that carried soccer on a weekly basis. We had either one or two games per weekend. Nowadays, you can watch any league in the world on your phone, on your tablet, on your TV. Kids are much more engaged. The youth movement is - it's incredible. There are more and more kids playing. So the fandom of the game has exponentially grown since 1994.
SIMON: So you'll be announcing the Argentina versus Switzerland game. What are you looking forward to?
CANTOR: I'm looking forward to a very close game. I'm looking forward to see if Argentina can respond after the emotional win against Egypt. It is very hot and humid here in Kansas City. But, like, last night, I went out specifically at the time of the match. I walked about 15 blocks, and I was soaked. It was really, really hot and humid. So I think that will be a factor that could play against Argentina because they're not in the best physical shape. But I think, overall, they're a better team than Switzerland. But this is win or go home. It's clutch time, so we will see who prevails. Hopefully - in my heart, I hope it's Argentina.
SIMON: Well, the world will enjoy hearing you, Andres Cantor, sportscaster for Telemundo and NBC. Thanks so much for being with us. Please rest your voice. We need it.
CANTOR: Thank you very much.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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