I have joined the Guardian today as a soccer correspondent in the United States. This is why I cover the sport
There’s an old pennant hanging on the wall of my office here in Washington DC, tucked between a poster of indoor soccer legend Steve Zungul and a photo of Pelé riding a horse. “Soccer,” it reads, “the sport of the 80s.”
For a century or so, soccer was always the sport of the next decade. Clear-thinking businesspeople tried everything to sell it to Americans, but soccer was always considered too foreign and exotic, an activity best practiced and consumed by outsiders. Even in the mid-80s, when I started playing, it was still very much othered. It’s what drew me to the sport in the first place.
Pablo joins the Guardian as part of our ongoing expansion covering soccer in the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup. He arrives alongside two other new hires: soccer correspondent Jeff Rueter and assistant sports editor Ella Brockway. He is based in Washington DC.
Continue reading…I have joined the Guardian today as a soccer correspondent in the United States. This is why I cover the sportThere’s an old pennant hanging on the wall of my office here in Washington DC, tucked between a poster of indoor soccer legend Steve Zungul and a photo of Pelé riding a horse. “Soccer,” it reads, “the sport of the 80s.”For a century or so, soccer was always the sport of the next decade. Clear-thinking businesspeople tried everything to sell it to Americans, but soccer was always considered too foreign and exotic, an activity best practiced and consumed by outsiders. Even in the mid-80s, when I started playing, it was still very much othered. It’s what drew me to the sport in the first place.Pablo joins the Guardian as part of our ongoing expansion covering soccer in the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup. He arrives alongside two other new hires: soccer correspondent Jeff Rueter and assistant sports editor Ella Brockway. He is based in Washington DC. Continue reading…
