The World Cup is bringing Tucsonans together like nothing else can | Michael Lev

Not just a round-of-32 knockout match. The whole damn thing.

That’s how vibrant the afterparty was on the plaza behind Hotel Congress Tuesday evening.

Hundreds of fans of “El Tri” danced deep into the night after Mexico’s 2-0 victory over Ecuador. They danced on chairs. They danced on tables. They danced with one another. I saw one woman dancing with her dog.

What began as a watch party morphed into a rave. People were jumping, spinning and celebrating. The energy was off the charts. The vibe was pure joy.

Short of Arizona men’s basketball winning the national championship, I can’t imagine the result of any sporting event having such a profound impact on our city. Similar scenes of revelry played out at watch parties all over Tucson.

I wanted to get a sense of the Old Pueblo’s fervor for the World Cup, so I hit a handful of spots downtown to take in Mexico vs. Ecuador and U.S. vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina the next night. My 14-year-old, soccer-loving son, Merrick, served as my wingman.

Although the scene was comparatively tepid for the U.S. match — more on that later — Merrick still issued a heartfelt plea as we departed downtown Wednesday: “No more games at home, Dad.”

I had to give him the bad news that I can’t expense bar meals if I’m not on assignment. So, unfortunately, we’ll have to watch some games at home.

But I liked where his head was at.

It just means more

We arrived at Playground about 5 p.m. Tuesday, an hour before the scheduled start of Mexico-Ecuador. A Mexican flag hung in the window facing Congress Street. Fans steadily streamed in. Most donned green El Tri jerseys.

Every table in the main restaurant area was reserved, so Merrick and I grabbed spots at the end of the bar. Neil the bartender told me it’s been “really busy” for matches involving Mexico during this World Cup and that he expected another full house. He also said he prefers the Telemundo TV feed (a no-brainer) and that he doesn’t care for FOX studio commentator Alexi Lalas (another aspect of the World Cup that is unifying America).

The game was delayed an hour because of inclement weather. It didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm. If anything, it allowed more time for the post-work crowd to gather and grow.

By the first hydration break, it was standing room only. The rooftop was overflowing. I spotted a couple of people wearing blue Kylian Mbappé jerseys. Everyone else sported green, white or black Mexico shirts. Several people waved or wore mini-Mexico flags.

“This is what we do,” said El Tri fan Ana Grijalva, who had a prime spot on the first-row couch on the rooftop.

I chatted with Grijalva and a handful of other fans in attendance, and they all expressed the same sentiment: The World Cup brings everyone together in a way nothing else can.

Downstairs, families filled the reserved tables. Jonathan Vazquez and his party of nine sat in the corner. The group included his nephew, Emilio, 10, who brought a yellow World Cup replica trophy he had made out of cardboard and aluminum foil.

Jonathan, a lifelong Tucsonan whose parents are from Mexico, has attended a watch party for every El Tri match, no matter the start time. We agreed that the World Cup being in North America makes it more convenient for most folks. But Jonathan fondly remembered getting up with his brother at 2 o’clock in the morning to watch 2002 World Cup matches taking place in Japan and South Korea.

That, he concluded, was even cooler than this.

But this was pretty cool. And it was about to get cooler.

The crowd cheered as the last bars of the Mexican National Anthem were played. It exploded when Mexico’s Julián Quiñones scored the first goal in the 22nd minute.

Fans leaped out of their seats. They hugged and danced and whipped out their phones to capture the moment. Neil the bartender clanged metal cocktail cups together. Thunderous chants of “Meh-hee-koh! Meh-hee-koh!” rang throughout the bar.

Then Mexico scored again. Rinse and repeat. Only louder this time.

The second half was relatively stress-free as El Tri held on to that 2-0 lead. Applause broke out when it seemed for a moment that legendary Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa would enter the game. The crowd went berserk when Ecuador’s Piero Hincapié got a red card in the 95th minute.

I was told that Hotel Congress was the place to be after the match, and it didn’t take long to figure out why. Music blared from the plaza as the victory celebration raged.

I bumped into Jonathan in the hotel lobby. He reminded me of the significance of the win, which ended the curse known as “El Quinto Partido” — Mexico’s 40-year drought without making it to a fifth World Cup game.

No wonder everyone was so happy.

Different vibe

The plan for the U.S. game was to attend the watch party at Hotel Congress. We arrived at 4:25 p.m. for the 5 o’clock match ... and nobody was there.

Well, that’s not entirely true. A DJ pumped out music. A woman occupied the 106.3 FM tent. A dad arrived with two little girls.

Maybe it was the earlier start time. Only about half the seats on the plaza were in the shade. Temperatures were in the triple digits.

Or maybe it’s that, unlike Mexico, soccer isn’t the undisputed No. 1 sport here. Or even No. 2.

That’s how Jon Pearlman explained it. The founder/president of FC Tucson — and soccer’s biggest proponent in Southern Arizona — happened to be hanging out at Playground Rooftop, where Merrick and I headed in pursuit of shade and fellow U.S. fans.

“That’s their No. 1 sport and team,” Pearlman said. “People are still discovering it here.”

Pearlman spends every waking moment trying to promote soccer. Like many, he was worried about the U.S. hosting the World Cup amid turbulent political times.

But since the first ball was kicked, Pearlman said, “it’s been refreshingly apolitical. You’ve seen the best of humanity”

“I want to bring people together,” he added. “That’s what this sport is all about.”

Although fewer people came together to watch the U.S. match — the main bar at Playground had about as many patrons as Tuesday while the rooftop had maybe half as many — that sense of community was still palpable. There was no inkling of us vs. them. Just U.S.

We watched the first half at Playground, the second at The Monica, which had a decent crowd and better audio. U.S. jerseys were few and far between. I spotted a boy wearing a Christian Pulisic replica. One guy wore a Jim Craig USA hockey sweater, while another donned a Tetairoa McMillan UA football jersey. At least they’re red, white and blue, right?

The crowd booed vociferously when USMNT’s Folarin Balogun got a controversial red card in the second half. “No way!” someone shouted.

The fans roared when Malik Tillman put the game away with a gorgeous free-kick strike in the 82nd minute. “USA! USA!”

As we walked back to our car, Congress Street was quiet. Less than 24 hours earlier, delirious El Tri fans were blasting their horns and waving their flags as they cruised through downtown.

Because they’re on opposite sides of the bracket, the U.S. and Mexico can only meet in the World Cup final or third-place match. As far as fandom goes — at least in our part of the country — it’s no contest.

That’s not really the point, though. No matter their allegiance in the World Cup, Tucsonans are out and about, having fun and creating memories in the heart of another sweltering summer.

The beautiful game is bringing us together. That’s a beautiful thing.