42 Seconds of GOOOOOOL
On the delightfully excessive Telemundo World Cup soundtrack
If, like me, you refused to dish out $19.99 for yet another streaming service, you may have found yourself watching the World Cup en español on Telemundo via Peacock.
And let me tell you: it has been an absolute delight.
On Wednesday, Argentina trailed Inglaterra 1–0 in the 85th minute of their World Cup semifinal when Lionel Messi drew in the defense and passed to Enzo Fernández, who sent the ball into the left corner for the game-tying—
¡GOOOOOOOOOOOL!
Here’s the call from Andrés Cantor:
First, a two-second shriek. Then 10 seconds of sustained goooool, followed by another 12-second round, a brief pause, and a final 14 seconds for good measure.
From Fernández’s shot hitting the net to Cantor’s final goooool: 42 seconds.
That, by my unofficial count, is the Telemundo record for this World Cup.
I’m no fútbol expert. I cannot name five Argentina players despite having watched every game in a Messi jersey. The other day, curious about the hulking Norwegian everyone keeps talking about, I googled “Erving Holland.”
Though my Roku stats may suggest I’m glued to the World Cup, my chair is often facing the opposite direction. The matches are mostly background noise. A welcome alternative to Bill Simmons and Wilco.
But as el Mundial has gone on, I’ve found myself swiveling back toward the television—and loving the soundtrack: the tone, the rhythm, even the commercials.1
(Who wouldn’t want to join a spontaneous “TEL-E-MUNDO! TEL-E-MUNDO!” chant at the local bar? Or hang out at the Mexico watch party made possible by WiFi Gig impulsado por fibra? Or hear the daily affirmations from that mental-health PSA, Soy exitoso. Soy talentoso. Estoy sano y fuerte. Yes, I am!)
Apparently, I am not the only Spanish-as-a-second-language viewer. Hispanic people make up about one-fifth of the country, yet Nielsen data show that roughly half of U.S. World Cup viewers have watched at least part of a match in Spanish.
That may have something to do with Cantor. The Argentine sportscaster, who grew up in Southern California, is famous for his goooool calls and has drawn renewed attention this World Cup. A recent New York Times headline called him “The Man Who Cried Goooooooooooal.” That’s 11 o’s.
I am bilingual-ish: comfortable enough to keep up with the broadcast, but not quite every detail. Which, come to think of it, mirrors my soccer comprehension level.
To my untrained eye, nothing much happens for most of the match. When the announcers get louder, I know to look up. And when Cantor devotes most of a minute to a single word, no translation is required.
Cantor says he never times his goal calls, so I am honored to take up the mantle. In stoppage time of the semifinal, Messi sent a perfect cross to Lautaro Martínez, whose header sent the defending World Cup champions back to the final. More importantly, Cantor’s goooool call lasted another 42 seconds—this time spread across eight stop-and-start bursts. The cadence was eerily similar to the evacuation sequence in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
On Sunday, Argentina will face off against Spain, which had a 38-second goooool call of their own earlier in the tournament. Señoras y señores, we have ourselves a final. Here’s to a good match—and Cantor giving us 43.
Unlike Fox, Telemundo does not cut to commercials during hydration breaks. You get to watch the players regroup while Fox viewers learn about insurance.