We go all the way back to the 1994 World Cup with legendary UMBC head coach Pete Caringi, who joins Nestor to assess just how far American soccer has come during his lifetime and the joy that this 2026 tournament has brought to this country and an new entire generation of fans of The Beautiful Game from Highlandtown to Holland and your town.
Overview
Nestor Aparicio and Pete Caringi discussed the recent World Cup exit of the U.S. men’s soccer team to Belgium. Caringi shared his experiences, including attending the 1994 World Cup final and working closely with FIFA. They reminisced about past World Cups, including the 1998 and 2006 tournaments, and the challenges of hosting the event in the U.S. Caringi expressed frustration with the lack of American coaches and the reliance on foreign players. They also touched on the political and financial aspects of FIFA and the World Cup, including the corruption surrounding Qatar’s hosting. The conversation concluded with plans for future storytelling sessions about their soccer experiences.
Action Items
- [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Host a special soccer segment at Pizza John’s in about two weeks featuring Pete Caringi, including bringing out 1994 World Cup memorabilia and photos for a story-telling segment.
- [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Prepare and bring 2006 Germany World Cup materials (ticket stubs, photos, and stories) to the planned Pizza John’s event to share with Pete and the audience.
- [ ] Gather 1994 World Cup memorabilia and prepare a short list of key memories to share during the upcoming Pizza John’s segment.
Outline
World Cup Exit and Soccer Segment Introduction
- Nestor Aparicio introduces the soccer segment, mentioning upcoming events and sponsors.
- Nestor expresses disappointment over the United States men’s soccer team’s exit from the World Cup.
- Nestor reminisces about past attempts to host the World Cup in Baltimore and Washington.
- Nestor mentions the involvement of Pete Caringi in community soccer programs and past attempts to meet him.
Pete Caringi’s World Cup Experiences
- Pete Caringi shares his experience of attending the World Cup final in LA between Brazil and Italy.
- Pete recalls the efforts to bring the World Cup to Baltimore and Washington, including the involvement of M&T Bank Stadium.
- Nestor and Pete discuss the excitement and logistics of hosting the World Cup in the US.
- Pete shares a humorous story about managing the Mexican and Italian teams during a World Cup game.
Reflections on the US Men’s Soccer Program
- Nestor and Pete discuss the progress and challenges of the US men’s soccer program over the years.
- Pete expresses frustration with the lack of American players in the national team and the preference for foreign coaches.
- Nestor and Pete reflect on the impact of hosting the World Cup on soccer popularity in the US.
- Pete shares his thoughts on the need for better development and support for American soccer players.
The Impact of Hosting the World Cup
- Nestor and Pete discuss the positive impact of hosting the World Cup on soccer in the US.
- Pete highlights the increased visibility and interest in soccer due to the World Cup.
- Nestor and Pete talk about the importance of having American players and coaches in the national team.
- Pete shares his excitement about the future of soccer in the US and the potential for further growth.
Personal Memories and Future Plans
- Nestor and Pete reminisce about their personal experiences with soccer and the World Cup.
- Pete shares stories from his time coaching and playing soccer, including memorable games and players.
- Nestor and Pete discuss plans for future meetings and storytelling sessions about their soccer experiences.
- Pete expresses his appreciation for the support and friendship over the years.
Nestor Aparicio 0:01
Welcome home. We are W N S T A M 1570 Towson Baltimore. We are Baltimore positive. This will be a soccer segment before we get going, but on Friday, we’re going to gather at Fade Lee’s and lament the fact that the United States is not going to win the World Cup on home soil next weekend. We are going to have some crab cakes on home soil. We’re going to be at the Fatelies on Friday. We’re moving around. We’re going to be at Costas. We’re going to be Pizza John’s later this month. We’re going to be Coco’s in early August. All that brought to you by friends at the Maryland Lottery. We got racehorses, bridges, crab cakes, things are partners at GBMC, putting us back together again all summer long, as well as Farnham and Dermer, the HVAC comfort guys, that when it gets a little hot out there under the collar, you can give them a call at 410 36777 I’m a little hot under the collar at the way the United States men’s soccer program appointed itself on Monday night out in Seattle. I have not talked a lot in and around the games, and I’m bringing on probably the only guest I’m going to have on. We’ve lost Grant Wall along the way, you know. I’ve had some other guests on in recent weeks, but the World Cup came to America. Pete Corinji was doing things with kids, as he’s always doing whatever next community college. I tried to lure him out to Green Mount Station. Our paths didn’t cross on the Sorrento of Arbutus day, so we were trying to get together, even at DiPasquale’s, and maybe have a sandwich, maybe have some sausages with Darren, the Sausage King, DiPasquale’s, but none of that happened. It’s our first meeting together on the air, which very unusual, because you used to come out what, three, four days a week, you come out, sit in the studio every single day, and we would do this back in oh 206, 10, before you were the big time Final Four, you NBC guy, when you were just PD from Island Town, and your neighbor, not even PD from Island Town, you’re PD from like what from the little village where you used to play, was it with neighborhood, it
Pete Caringi 2:02
was PD from Hollandtown on
Nestor Aparicio 2:04
Pompeii, Pompeii, Pompei, Pompeii, and Holland, Pompei PT. Um, but you’ve always been my dude, and we haven’t talked about anything. I don’t know if you made it to Philadelphia to one of the games. I know you talked about it. We had talked about housing the German team over at UMBC, getting the lot guys together over there to give them the old, maybe have some beverages in the pile, no, but none of this happened. We dreamed of the World Cup in Baltimore, we dreamed in DC, you and I dreamed of going to game together, and last I checked, unless we’re going to go to see Argentina play Sunday night in Kansas City, we’re not going to do that. How did it, how’s it been for you? How’s the last couple of weeks? Just in a general sense of how other World Cups have gone in your lifetime, because it’s a, it’s a true holiday in the Kerinci family.
Pete Caringi 2:50
It was totally different, because the last World Cup I actually was involved, I was working over in DC, I was in the locker room, I was on the field, I had all access, so, and I went to the World Cup final in LA, so it was, oh,
Nestor Aparicio 3:08
wow, you went to a final
Pete Caringi 3:10
to the final, yeah, so
Nestor Aparicio 3:12
Brazil, and who was it,
Pete Caringi 3:14
Italy,
Nestor Aparicio 3:14
Italy, oh, wow, so
Pete Caringi 3:16
I went, so I was really more, much more involved than this one, I think. When we tried to get it to come to Baltimore, I think you were up there when we were the FIFA people were here, and we tried to get it Baltimore, Washington. It looked good at times. M and T was going to be the perfect stadium to play in, and unfortunately we lost out on the bid, Baltimore, Washington, and you know, I think with
Nestor Aparicio 3:43
you that day when Dick Cass was sweating his nuts off, and we were all out there. I mean, literally, it was 123 It was really hot that day. It was really hot, and there was a thing on the field, and I guess we’re going back five, six year, whatever it was. You know, I mean, Hasseltine BS to me 20 years ago, and I had, I have a USA 22 number jersey on it that said Baltimore on the back, that was gifted to me back in 2010 when I put together the ill-fated a World Cup event in Towson, that few people came to Comcast, never paid the bill, they stuck me with a $10,000 bill. Anybody sees the Comcast Xfinity, people tell me, stole me 10 grand from that event, but like I’ve been through the ringer with soccer and your game that you love, and this time around I eased into it. You know, I didn’t watch like every minute of every day, but I’ll be honest, Pete, the last week once we get knocking out, once we started to get to the double games, the same time, the third games, those rounds, I got sucked back in, because it’s just such a great game, and I just want to give you that as a guy. Listen, you love the Orioles, you love me, you love baseball, you love football, you know, like we’re American guys, we grew up two miles from each other, you’re a. Legend, and I’m up, I’m whatever I am, but like your game, you have a beautiful game. Your game’s a great, great, wonderful game that I’m glad that in your lifetime, since you’ve gone gray, and we’ve been at this 35 years, you and me 50 years, 60 years, you, but like the it should warm your heart that it stopped America on Monday night, and there was some level of disappointment, even though it’s not even logical, because they were the better team, and we’ll get to that, but, like, you’ve seen this come a hell of a long way, Petey.
Pete Caringi 5:34
It’s almost the same old song, because you know, I remember in 1966 the first time I watched the World Cup game, you know, England won the championship and was on the wide world of sports, and obviously I was playing soccer as a little kid, and in Holland town soccer was everything, so you know we would actually get like a car full of guys, one of the older guys would drive, and we all go over to DC to watch the games, because it was on closed-circuited, and it was the only way you can watch World Cup back then. So, that was like 60, it was like
Nestor Aparicio 6:09
a total,
Pete Caringi 6:11
yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 6:11
nerd club to be a soccer player, not in your neighborhood now. I mean, listen, man, I’m East Side, and dude, I should drag you over to Pizza Johns, and let’s just sit and tell stories. I’d love to do that with you. I mean, I’m doing the show there later on in the month. I’d love to just like tell those stories at length, where we’re not doing it on iPad. So many
Pete Caringi 6:31
stories to tell, and so many, so many amazing stories, like you know, like going all over the DC, like the World Cup. You know, me being on the field and having to call out Mexico and Italy when they come out, I had the headphones on and ESPN is telling me, “Bring them out, and I’m sweating because Mexico don’t have all its players in line, and they keep screaming, and I’m like trying to get them to come out now, and I’m all sweating, and just a funny story, because I’m literally on the field trying to bring both teams to walk, do the walk, and one’s not ready, and you know that you’ve been in TV and radio your whole life, when they want you out, they want you out now, and the Mexican team wasn’t budging, and I was, needless to say, I was sweating bullets, just because it was really scary.
Nestor Aparicio 7:24
Listen, man, promise me in the next couple of weeks we’ll figure this out. If you’re at the beach, I don’t know, like next couple Fridays we’re doing a crab cake tour. I want to get you out at length to like tell stories, because like that’s what this is about. Like, it’s it’s unbelievable in my lifetime that I’ve lived long enough to have the 20 years. Did you see the videos I put up from Germany 20 years ago? Yeah, like I found the videos of me and my wife and Ken and Meg walking in Gelsen Kirchin. We had sat in traffic three and a half hours. You almost missed kick, like we left. We gave ourselves eight hours, and it just.. it did you know, like it was that much of a mangled mess in Germany in 206 when we had a rental Volvo driving from Amsterdam, you know, guy, guy, I got a $90 speeding ticket, right? So we remember all these stuff, you know, and I told this great story about how we wound up at the USA Italy game, and you remember that vividly, I mean, had the radio station, you came in, you were at, so I mean, I attended a USA-Italy game in Kaiser Slaughter, and I have my tickets, I could.. I can’t find the videos, PD. So, when we get together, let’s story tell about World Cups of past, because I want to hear all your 94’s your 60 sixes. Maybe by the time we get together, England will win, and we can tell some Billy Ronson stories, I’d love to do all of that, but let’s talk about the United States and the team and the game, just in this segment, and you know, you and I can, we’ll do Orioles when we get together, be trading deadline too, but the United States team and I go back to John Harks and the Winalda and the Love Gate, and Steve Sampson was in my studio. Do you remember the friendly they played with Ecuador here in 97 right? They stayed in my hotel at the Sheridan and Towson, Freckie, Tab Ramos, Roy Lassiter. They all came to the studio. Steve Sampson, I bought a jersey with my then girlfriend, Robin. Love you, Robin, and they were going off to France, and I had an eight. I still have a 98 jersey. I’ll wear that when we get together, and from that moment forward, like I started to support the team through you, through me, through oh two, Ronson, sitting in Healy, all of you know, Tariq Lance, all of those guys, not Ryerson or Desmond. I would have loved to have had those kind of guys be involved. Dennison 0206 10. I went to the cup in 610 I wanted to go to South Africa 14. My wife was fighting for her life. I remember these are snapshots in my life, like presidencies or Olympics every four years and. And to see what the American program, what happened in oh two when you were with me at Racers Cafe at seven in the morning for the Germany games and Oliver Kahn and all of that, it’s been 24 years to exhale a little bit for the program and I know Alexi Lawless was doing that in the in the post game, I know Carly Lloyd was, you know, the real serious people that have been at this a long time, like you’ve been at this a long time. Where are you on the American program? And whatever happened, I mean, I’m not ashamed of losing. For I, we sat here, my wife and I said, they’re going to lose. I just, they’re just gonna lose the Trump thing, that the forward, the reg.. I just, you know, even Seattle.. I just felt like in the end we’re getting there, but we’re not there yet, and that’s.. that’s okay, it’s okay, I think
Pete Caringi 10:56
you sum it up, because you know we were so close, and I think obviously the hype of playing here, and with the crowds, and I mean every bar was packed last night, you know, with with people watching the games, and just bringing the World Cup does bring people together for a short period of time, that you know some don’t even like soccer, but it’s it’s USA, it’s, hey, we got a chance, you know, we always have a chance once you’re in it and you host it, but last night was one of those realistically they were the better team, you know, I know we read the hype and and I’m very disappointed that we lost, but I’m more disappointed in how we played, I didn’t think we played our best, I don’t think there was nowhere near our best, and you know, now looking back, the draw was kind of favorable to us, so it kind of led us to that point where we’re going to get there, win the one game yesterday, and then you know we’re probably on, not on this call, but we’re talking about, you know, what’s going to happen next, which would have been unbelievable, really, but it’s almost for people who have been around, it’s almost well, it’s almost the same thing. We get to a certain point and then we stop, and now, now we question, where are we as a soccer country? You know, why can’t we get better? Why can’t we produce this? Why can’t we produce that? And I’ve heard that, you know, now I’m tired of hearing the same old story, to be honest with you, because I think we still should be further along than we are, and I think we should be further along with the pool of players, but having said that, you know, my hat’s off to those guys yesterday, and you know, it was, it was a fun run, it’s always a fun run when you’re in the World Cup. Look at Italy, you know, that’s the other one of our teams that a lot of us root for. They haven’t gotten in it the last three years, so that’s shocking as it is. But the United States was there, probably played at the beginning. The first game was the best game I’ve ever seen them play, to be honest with you. But then again, look back, it’s you’re not playing the best you know, one of the best teams that’s in the tournament, you’re playing a team that’s kind of there for the setup to win the game.
Nestor Aparicio 13:12
Pete Corinji is my guest. Um, if you’re a soccer fan anywhere, and I need to explain to you who Pete is, um, Google Pete, that’s all I can say, C A R I N G I. Look, man, we’ll do Chicago Music. We’re going to do pizza crab. We’ll do all of that. I’m trying to stay on this because I’m coming up with stuff that, like, I feel like I’m having a beer with you, Peter, a sandwich or a sausage at this point down at DiPasquale’s, but I’m ignorant about your game, and whenever I stand with you, or people like you, anyone who played the game, Stitz, and I were going back and forth, we played Little League together, but I stand in awe of remembering his power, like being down on the field, seeing him kick a ball as a professional soccer player, as a 30 year old man, when I was doing color with Drew, and running around, and seeing, talking to guys like him and Dieter, who are really good, and I was trying to express to my wife, you’re a legend, I mean, you’re a Final Four coach, I’m not blowing smoke up, you’re, I’m not Final Four coach, you played on a national championship team, and I’m thinking to myself, Steve Sampson, John Harts, Bruce Arena, the people that have been around the program, that have been American people, not sons of immigrant, we’re all sons of immigrants, I mean, first language American, born in America, here, what, let’s say, in, you know, the Harrisburg Heat used to play here. Little did I know the father’s name, Pulisic, Pulisic. We didn’t even know how to pronounce it, but I said it on the radio, you know, when I called the games in the arena to think that that kid would be the prodigy and be the legend of all of this, that when it comes. It’s time to get a coach, though. We go get a German coach, or we go get an Italian coach, or an Argentine, whatever it would be. Back in the day, we had Bora Military, right? Had to learn how to say that. I’m not pimping for you or someone like you. Tell me why you wouldn’t be qualified, and why this guy was so special in the money and all of that in the end, and are you qualified? I’m only asking like my buddy Pauly Lamantia, who plays guitar as well as anybody I know, and when I’m with him, or my buddy John Allen, I would say, are you qualified to be in kicks if the guitar player would be out? Are you qualified to sing in Stone Temple Pilots? And I’m thinking to myself, with your final four qualifications, you would be in a pool of humans, American coaches, that they would say that someone wouldn’t trust Steve Sampson, Bruce Arena, anyone like that. I’m just wondering why we outsource coaching, and why that wisdom, or that motivation, or that he is good at the mental side of the game, he coaches them, and I’m thinking, well, you know, Petey did pretty good, and not just you. Well, I’ll throw your Maryland compadre in down at College Park or North Carolina, any of the great American coaches. I don’t understand the international game because I began with, I’m ignorant, put me on your lap and educate me, Uncle Pete, about the importance of that part of this that I’ve really never been able to explain for 35 years.
Pete Caringi 16:30
Yeah, it’s a, it’s a great question, and one that hardly ever gets brought up. But clearly, do I think I’m qualified? You know, I think I’m qualified, that’s my confidence that I have, I just don’t believe I don’t think that I’m in the right circle, and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about, you know, getting in the right circle. US soccer runs, they just.. and I’m not.. I’m going to maybe throw a little shot, but you know, even the players, the amount of players that we used to have from Maryland on the World Cup team, the national team, you know. Why are we? We produce some of the best players in the country. Our teams are always in the finals of the tournaments that they produce. Our players go through their system, and then you look out there today, and all the kids who were young kids who could have been maybe at least one of them that that chance, which we’ve had in the past, is not there, so you know it’s the people at the top. You know, once you’re in power, you’re always looking for the same people, your friends or friends of friends. You know, it’s always better to get a pro coach than to take a chance on a college coach, or I mean, and I was fortunate to have coached professionally with the Maryland Bays when we won the whole thing, so you know my credentials are there, but you know, I would have never gotten that chance, I don’t think, unless you know the right people, and I didn’t, I knew the right people, but I didn’t associate, hang out with the right people to even get that chance to move up, but yeah, it’s.. it’s..
Nestor Aparicio 18:02
I have no doubt that it’s political, Pete, but I mean, at the end of the day, is it.. I’ve never understood where the money went, like, you know, even when you’re buying tickets and they’re playing friendlies, and how the players get paid, and why Cristiano Ronaldo even shows up.. like, you know what I mean? Like, these guys, they make a lot of money. like,
Pete Caringi 18:20
that’s. it’s, you know, like our top athletes attend the Olympics. Imagine if there was a World Cup in basketball to this magnitude, all our top players would go. I mean, it’s it’s just one, you represent your country too, there’s a money and exposure to be had. I mean, and the World Cup is the ultimate, you know, as far as Cristiano Ronaldo is going to be here, one to represent his country, and he wants to do that. The other two is just the marketing of him, but where does all the
Nestor Aparicio 18:49
money go? These $1,000 tickets, where does it all go?
Pete Caringi 18:53
That’s.. I can’t.. I can’t answer. We don’t even know that.
Nestor Aparicio 18:58
I mean, you know, just to some degree,
Pete Caringi 19:00
they tell you that it goes back into, like, FIFA sends it back to Italy, it sends it to us, they send for the betterment of soccer, so it should help with youth soccer, it should help building programs, that’s where they tell you the money’s going in soccer
Nestor Aparicio 19:15
your whole life, you ever seen a nickel from FIFA?
Pete Caringi 19:17
No. All
Nestor Aparicio 19:18
right, well, let me, hey dude, I, you know, I’m trying to call it the way it is, you know, not the way it should be, but while we’re in the middle of it, these are the problems, I mean, just the fact that the thing ever went to Qatar, I mean, and how crooked all of it was with the guy from Trinidad and Trump’s buddy with the parrots, the fat guy that lived at the top of Trump Tower, like, you know, all of the corruption of all of this, and then let’s talk red card. Pete Crensy is here, by the way, in the aftermath of the US meltdown against Belgium. The red card, where, and like, I’m sure you took in 100 texts from 100 different kinds of people, some of your Italian buddies, your kids, your daughter, you have. Ever, where were you on just the fact that he was allowed to play? I think we can all agree, was, you know, was probably.. it was a bad call. It wasn’t a great call. I’ll agree with that. The bad
Pete Caringi 20:09
call, it was a bad call. I’ve seen other players get that were allowed to go back in, but I think the timing of this was all kind of crazy, because it happened, and then he’s not playing, and then he gets a call, and then next thing you know, you know this person’s involved, that person’s involved, and he’s playing the actual, you know, them redoing and reevaluating is not, they’ve done that before, they’ve done that with hot big big players in different situations, so I don’t think this was the first, I think the timing of it kind of drew everybody a little bit off, because hey, he’s out, and then all of a sudden it’s like he got a call in the middle night that he can play, and that was surprising to me, but I’m not surprised that he had the opportunity to play, because, like I said, you know, they want, they do want their best players they can get in this tournament, but the big but is if you’re following the rules of the game and he was red carded, you have to have a legitimate reason that he’s back in. So,
Nestor Aparicio 21:14
well, you know all that being said, none of it really helped them, and you mentioned the fact that look, when the things on your turf, you set it up, you know, in the way that Brazil would have set it up in 14, or Germany, when I was over there in oh six, to give yourself home for, you know, you don’t want to be playing Mexico in the LA Coliseum or the Rose Bowl anymore, right? Like, there’s just things you don’t, you don’t want to do to give yourself a chance to win that Mexico City had happened for England. God rest Billy Ronson. I can’t think of the England team without.. I’ve spent a lot of World Cup days watching Ronson lose his mind when they lost, you know. I was there when all of the legendary red card for Beckham. I was sitting with Ronson when all that stuff happened through World Cup, so I am pulling for England, you know, in this thing, but they went down to Mexico City, the home field advantage for the Canadians to make it further in the, in the cup, and see in Morocco. At some point, the US would have been seeing Spain this week. They haven’t given up a goal. I mean, there was going to be an end of the line, because they’re not as good like the Germany thing in 02 which was amazing, like, and you would say we haven’t come that far in 24 years. And then I looked at, like, last I checked, your Italian buddies didn’t even qualify, PD. I know that doesn’t sell well down at DiPasquale’s or Richie or somebody, but your little Italy, but it’s hard, you know. This isn’t, you don’t win every year. Ask Brazil, they’re home right now, they’re unhappy, right? Like, and Brazil went on, went the biggest embarrassment ever, that Germany game back in 14, when they got embarrassed at home. It’s hard to win, but when you get the home advantage, the games in Seattle, glorious, LA, glorious. Had they won again back to LA, then it would have been New York, and they made it to a final in this miraculous way, they would have toured the country and all of that, and bought in, I, I’m happy with how this has gone, given all that you talk about with corruption and Qatar and Russia and Trump, and the US, our Baltimore DC didn’t get a game, this thing’s been a mess from the beginning, but as it was set up, and now that it’s in progress, and hopefully it goes off without anything weird happening between now and next week in New York, and you and I can get a slice of pizza, and a crab cake, and pizza John’s, and talk about all of your World Cup memories. It’s a great game, man. This has been a really good week or two of soccer, and for soccer, and for your game, and for the program, and for whatever has been built here, and more than that, tourists have been here, people have come, natives have come, people have gotten in and out of stadiums, transportation aside, you know, just trying to get to the end of it through New York next week on the 19th, see the Bon Jovi show that night in New York, go party, and you know, this has been a really neat World Cup to have it have happen here, even though we weren’t a part of it, and all of that. I, I’m digging it. It’s, it’s getting my seal of approval, even though it’s incredibly corrupt. The games have been great, and the presentation’s been great for me.
Pete Caringi 24:17
You’re 100% right. I think it’s one of the more exciting World Cups that I’ve ever watched. Obviously, with the United States having the success game in, game out, only added to it. But you know, one, how far we’ve come with soccer. You know, just to have every game televised, every game on live, you know, like I said, we used to have to go to DC to go watch a pay-per-view, to go into a movie theater to watch the World Cup, and now I think more people who haven’t really, don’t really watch soccer or like soccer have gotten on the on the bandwagon, for lack of a better word, to say, “Hey, I really enjoyed this, it’s a great game, how exciting it was. Yes, and it wasn’t us. You watched the England Mexico game, that was probably one of the best games from a standpoint of everything involved with it. What’s on the line, the crowd? It was one of the best games I’ve seen in years, that’s for sure.
Nestor Aparicio 25:15
Pete, we’ve come a long way. Where I mean, I took phone calls here in the 90s, right from all your our Dundalk and Highlandtown meet head buddies that love the Orioles and the Colts and the or lacrosse people that would just look down upon soccer, and you would always say this to me, I gotta find Kenny Cooper too, I want to talk to him about this England thing, I can get him to settle down a little bit, but like just my soccer people, you know, the people in my life that have always preached it, that have been a part of it, the way you’ve been a part of it. Does it feel good that you’ve lived long enough, maybe like a Knicks fan, that you’ve lived long enough that you don’t have to explain why you love it and other people don’t anymore?
Pete Caringi 25:59
I think I think we’ve always said one day soccer was going to be here, and I’ve been tired of hearing that one day our team, we’re going to win the national world cup, one day we’re going to do this, one day we’re going to have a league, one day, one day, and you know, I think that day is is here in one respect, as far as most people in the US are very familiar with soccer. They’ve watched the game now. If they watched any one of these World Cup games, I think they came away with being more impressed than if they hated soccer. Oh, that’s only going to turn me away. Hold on
Nestor Aparicio 26:32
a second now. People that hated soccer in your life, would they admit that to you? I’m sure they.. I mean, you’re Holly Town buddies. You got you got buddies just didn’t like soccer, they like you, they’re your friend, whatever, they just aren’t soccer people, they’re proud of you, you like, you all, you, but they’re just not soccer people, right? Like, have you converted any of those people through a lifetime that you can look at and say that person was watching the game Monday night back in 1984 96 2003 they didn’t like soccer, but I, but they at least watched the game on Monday, and I can die happy,
Pete Caringi 27:06
no question. There’s people now that watch soccer become diehards, that especially the international game, or the even the game that’s on, you know, the English Premier League. You got to go back to just 2530 years ago, when Nestor, when you know, when I first came on the show, you literally can go and, you know, you wanted to watch a national team game, or you wanted to watch the English premiere, you had to have a special satellite. Now it’s on every Saturday. Now these kids are growing up, you know, with English Premier shirts, they have their own team, they’re rooting every Saturday morning, Sunday, messy
Nestor Aparicio 27:42
jerseys, right? Bessie
Pete Caringi 27:44
jerseys are all over. The game is here. It’s part when I was younger to see a commercial on TV was impossible. A soccer commercial, now with this World Cup, there’s more soccer commercials. I mean, it’s here, it’s part of our everyday fabric, and whether you like it or not, you know it’s here to, it’s here to stay. And now it’s just a matter of our league, professional leagues, now only getting better and holding our own players and building our own league, where we can be more proud, or rather than having to constantly go overseas to bring players in, and that’s been my pet peeve for years. There’s too many good players here, and every American league, and every other sport is based on the American player. Soccer is still based on bringing over foreign players, is perceived as being better, and that’s not true.
Nestor Aparicio 28:38
Has the messy thing been great in America, as you see, and he played right here in Baltimore, couple of things, so that’s an amazing thing that Messi played, scored a goal in that stadium.
Pete Caringi 28:46
Amazing that he trained at UMBC. He is amazing that you know he played here one of the greatest players of all time, if not the greatest. And you saw
Nestor Aparicio 28:59
Pele play Memorial Stadium too, I’ve seen Pele,
Pete Caringi 29:01
and I went up to see him in the Baltimore Hotel, Lord Baltimore Hotel. Remember that name? And we were looking all around for me, Sonny Askew, and Ernie Cox. We were looking all around for Pele. What floor is he on? He’s on the 10th floor. We found him up there, autographs, everything, so unbelievable. All
Nestor Aparicio 29:24
right, we’re gonna get pizza together, but I’m gonna leave you with this. Pete Coringes, I love Pete. Everybody knows that when we get together, we’ll tell some Chicago stories. All right, you mean
Pete Caringi 29:34
Walter?
Nestor Aparicio 29:36
Well, you know, I interviewed Walt Parizator, right?
Pete Caringi 29:39
No.
Nestor Aparicio 29:40
Oh, see, you’re not on my Facebook. Let me get out on my Facebook page. I’ll share this with you for a minute, because you know I’m happy to do that. Tell this story, because I haven’t told it on the air. Um, Pete Corinji, longtime UMBC coach, soccer legend, is a huge Chicago the band, Chicago fan, and so am I. We’ve attended a couple Chicago concerts here. Your wife, we’ve, we’ve had a. If the four of us, your wife, our spouses had dinner, Ruth Chris showed together at Chicago, so we love Chicago. They’re playing with sticks in a couple of weeks, you know, here locally. Walt Paris aider died a couple weeks ago. What is your favorite Chicago song, Pete? I need to know that.
Pete Caringi 30:18
I like too many to have one favorite. Just wait, I mean, beginnings would be the beginning of the one song that I like, but it’s just too many. Wouldn’t be fair to my group one song.
Nestor Aparicio 30:31
Well, listen, I got this for you, and I’m gonna try to share this with you for the audience to add on my Adam on my Facebook, but you know, I put this up. Can you see this? Here, the death of the great Walt Parizator. So, back in 1985 I interviewed Walt Parizator of Chicago when I was at the News Americas. One of my very first interviews, I was 16 years old, march 5, 1985 my dad’s birthday. Well, we went down and I went backstage. There’s the story that appeared in the News America, one of the first bylines I ever had. Tickets for 1450 that night, by the way. Peter Sotera still in the band, and they gave me a photo pass in the pit, and that’s Walt Peresador wearing now. The Orioles just won the World Series, so this is 85 right, March of 85 The Orioles just won the World Series 1618 months earlier, and there’s Peter Sater, and then later in the show, he wore a Cal Ripken jersey. There’s Jimmy Pan Cow in the back wearing Oriole jerseys, and I took these great pictures of Walt Perez at her. There’s Peter Satterr, his makeup, and his puffy shirt, and Lilo Lan, and, and, yeah, Jimmy Pancal right there for you. Yeah, so there you have it, you know, and when I see that, it, it makes me smile, you know, it makes me very happy, so you know what I mean, so that, so make me smile, we’ll get together, we’ll have some fun, last World Cup thing for you, I got to give you, was the Cape Verde story, are they the UMBC of the World Cup? I need to know,
Pete Caringi 32:07
probably. Yeah, I mean, I don’t think anybody gave him a chance, that’s for sure. Nobody gave us a chance, and, and you prove people wrong, that’s the, that’s the beauty of the game. You go in and you have your opportunity to play, and, but, yeah, I mean, that’s, that’s a, that’s a good analogy, for sure.
Nestor Aparicio 32:25
All right, here’s, we’re gonna do, I’m gonna have you down at Pizza John’s couple weeks, we’re gonna do the show, hopefully bring the stuff from 94 like, bring the pictures, or pictures of the pictures, we’ll do a little show and tell, I’d love to do that.
Pete Caringi 32:38
Well, you got it, we’ll do it.
Nestor Aparicio 32:40
So, I’m gonna, what I’m gonna do is bring all my 2006 stuff. When I went to Germany, only World Cup I attended, and I’ll bring my stories of how I fell in love with the World Cup in 98 I have my ticket stubs from the Ecuador. Hold on, I didn’t even show you this right. Hold on, while we’re doing this, because this is going to be easier to show this, I think. This way out on my ad on my Facebook here. Yeah, I can do this. So, Pete, did you, were you a part of the Ecuador 97 game, the friendly that was played here? Weren’t you? Weren’t that game, right?
Pete Caringi 33:15
I was at that game. Yes, I was there.
Nestor Aparicio 33:17
So, when they came in to train, they trained at Goucher. Now, were you at Essex then, or were you already UMBC in 9797
Pete Caringi 33:25
I was at UMBC.
Nestor Aparicio 33:28
Okay, they trained at Goucher, and they stayed at the Towson Sheridan, where my studios were. My student might.. I was on 1360 then. I did not own the station yet. I didn’t get the station till 98 so this is in 97 and PD, I found this stuff. I want to share this with you, because it’s glorious. This is this is the post I put up, and I put up on July 1, but back in 97 they were getting ready for the 98 tournament, and they came in, and they played a friendly at Memorial Stadium in the summer of 97 so the Ravens were already here, so the stadium was sort of functional at that time, and there’s Tab Ramos, who had a Snickers commercial, was a big deal to have a national commercial, to be on a Snickers commercial, and they all came and they sat in my studio, Steve Sampson kissing me, see the Orioles schedule behind me, see that right there, where my hard rock jersey studio, I know it’s a great picture, right, yeah, there’s the ticket stop from the game, and there’s Freckie and very young Roy Lassiter, whose son has some caps with the US team as well. WLG, there’s an early Ravens flying bee cassette tapes. There’s my Oriole schedule that’s on the wall there. There’s Steve Sam. Look at that picture, it’s a national coach, man. Right,
Pete Caringi 34:41
great picture.
Nestor Aparicio 34:42
So, these are legit, and there I am with Precky and with Brad Friedel having having a dinner down at Union Station when they had what was an MLS. It was a Pepsi event. My thanks to Liam Fuller, who loved me, and Pepsi had me as a. Guest in DC, I have pictures of all the Rama, Mia Hamm was there, the whole deal, but this was a friendly held Memorial Stadium. Here’s the squad, you ready? Brad Friedel, Greg Vani, Robin Fraser, Thomas Dooley, Mason, that was on that squad, Mark Chung, Tab Ramos, Roy Lassiter. So, yeah, so, so, so, PD, I, I have all of these heirlooms and these memories of all of this, and it, it ties our friendship together, you know, that’s
Pete Caringi 35:31
nice. That was great to see.
Nestor Aparicio 35:33
You got to bring your 94 World Cup stuff, okay? Listen, I know you’re an old fart, sit around next week, get some coffee. Oh man,
Pete Caringi 35:41
I’m always moving. I’m, I’m all around you. Walk around, you ride around Period, you’ll see me walking.
Nestor Aparicio 35:48
I listen
Pete Caringi 35:48
everywhere.
Nestor Aparicio 35:48
Get all your stuff together and write down a couple of key memories I want, because I know you have them, and I want you to bring me every World Cup memory from 94 so we can share it. All right,
Pete Caringi 35:58
memory of riding up to Philly, and this guy tells me he’s getting engaged, that
Nestor Aparicio 36:05
wrong memory, that was an M I S L, that was a championship.
Pete Caringi 36:08
I’m just saying, I remember this guy, D Karinji
Nestor Aparicio 36:12
was the.. this is true,
Pete Caringi 36:14
the big bachelor, the big bachelor of the area is telling me he just got engaged. D
Nestor Aparicio 36:19
K Carenji is won’t
Pete Caringi 36:21
forget that human
Nestor Aparicio 36:22
being. I told that I was getting married, you know. Why I told you, because I felt like you could keep the secret, keep the secret for how many years. I told you, I never told
Pete Caringi 36:35
anybody. You finally revealed it on the air.
Nestor Aparicio 36:37
I got a ring, and I was going to propose to my now wife of 23 years, yeah, I was, and you and I were together, and I said, “Pete, I got an engagement ring, I’m going to propose to this girl from New Hampshire, I hope she says yes. And you were the only one who knew, I told you, I confided in you, you’re like a priest to me, Petey.
Pete Caringi 36:57
Oh my god, no,
Nestor Aparicio 37:00
puppy, Pete, the priest.
Pete Caringi 37:01
All right, I’ll see you in a couple weeks.
Nestor Aparicio 37:04
I love Pete Corinji. He is the man, the myth, the legend, the good work, the Prince of Highland. 10, you know what? This tournament’s been unbelievable, Pete, because it’s had me showing my wife and looking up where Tito use ice was, so I could see the hometown of Stan Stamenkovich, and then I started thinking about the Prince Molly, Mike Stankovich, and thinking of his hometown, and whether they’re Croatian or Zagreb or Serbian, they’re Serbian, so I like, I have a
Pete Caringi 37:34
history,
Nestor Aparicio 37:34
Bosnia Herzegovina, I was trying to, I’m doing it all, Pete, I’m learning new languages, I’m getting ready for Brazil, and I’m gonna have pizza with you, Pete Corinji. I love you. We’ll be together, buddy.
Pete Caringi 37:45
All right, be good.
Nestor Aparicio 37:47
I’m so happy. There he
Pete Caringi 37:51
is. That
Nestor Aparicio 37:52
you love me, make me smile. There he goes, Pete Corinji. We’re Baltimore Positive State. All
Pete Caringi 38:00
right, bud.
