Moments after Argentina secured victory in a high-stakes World Cup semifinal on Tuesday, a rapturous crowd thronged downtown Buenos Aires’ largest thoroughfare. Among those celebrating was an Atlanta soccer fan who had flown into the country for the occasion.
Katlyn Stevens, 29, is a former Atlanta United professional soccer team staffer who became a freelance digital marketer, working remotely and traveling the globe. She got a last-minute plane ticket immediately after the Lionel Messi-led squad won their quarterfinal round because she wanted to experience “World Cup energy” in its most vibrant form: on the streets in soccer-mad Argentina.
To her surprise, she was quickly embraced as an honorary Argentine. Videos she uploaded online of her impromptu visit – and of her excitement over being in Argentina – went viral, landing her a primetime interview on national TV, where an on-screen graphic described her as “la yanqui de la Scaloneta,” or the Argentine squad’s American member.
At the end of the interview she joined the journalist she’d been speaking with in chants of “Vamos, vamos, Argentina.”
Credit: Courtesy of Katlyn Stevens
Credit: Courtesy of Katlyn Stevens
“I don’t think there’s one person in this entire city and country that is not into the World Cup and living every second of it. You can’t look anywhere where there’s not blue and white stripes … Everyone is talking about the game,” Stevens said. “I love that the game is growing in the U.S. but to have an entire country where everyone seems to be bought in is really beautiful.”
In a video posted shortly after her arrival, she described the city as akin to “Disneyland for people who love soccer.” The clip has since amassed over 300,000 views.
It was a preview of what she says has been standout hospitality. She has already been invited to someone’s home for a traditional Argentine asado, or barbecue, and has taken part in pickup soccer games.
When it was time to watch the semifinal encounter against Croatia – a 3-0 win for Argentina – Stevens headed to one of the public parks outfitted by the city with giant LED screens, coincidentally located near the U.S. embassy. Each of the three goals were punctuated by huge roars. And when the final whistle blew: catharsis.
“I hugged a lot of people, saw a lot of people crying, screamed a lot, got beer thrown all over me,” Stevens said. “It was really cool.”
Later, Stevens joined the tens of thousands of fans who gathered to celebrate around Buenos Aires’ obelisk – one of the cities’ most iconic monuments.
“Someone told me, ‘It doesn’t matter where you’re born, you’re Argentinian also.’ Almost everyone I’ve met has been so welcoming and so excited to share their passion,” she said. “The love that I’ve received and just the kindness has been really special. It’s something I won’t forget.”
Stevens said she has heard from other Americans who are getting on planes to be in Argentina for Sunday’s final.
Two Buenos Aires-based travel agencies told the AJC that they also noticed an uptick in interest from foreign tourists as the national team progressed through the tournament.
“The celebrations [around the World Cup] have become an attraction on their own right,” said Mauro Marianeschi, owner of Argentina On The Go, via email. The competition is a “unique event to which our culture assigns this superlative importance.”
Besides adding to the World Cup frenzy, the arrival of foreign tourists could be a boon for the embattled local economy, as incoming tourists contribute much needed inflows of hard currency to the country’s coffers. That’s especially true after the Argentine government rolled out a new initiative earlier this month that disincentivizes tourists from exchanging their dollars in the black market, as had been the norm for years.
But at least through Sunday, the economic anxieties that have been front and center for many Argentinian households throughout 2022 will recede into the background.
If Argentina can get over the hump in what soccer legend Messi has said will be his last World Cup game, it will be their first time clinching the sport’s ultimate prize since 1986. And Stevens will have been there to watch it happen.
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