The word “family” comes up a lot when you talk to fans of Tijuana’s professional soccer team, the Xoloitzcuintles.

xolos english radio broadcaster Clip 1 (3:34 - 4:05)And when the team is doing well, the family's happy. And if the team's not doing so well is they're not doing so well in front of us right now. Trailing four Nyla to stop the [inaudible] go. But we're still here as a family and that's what it's all about through thick or thin. This is Xolos Familia and it don't matter whether you're a gringo.

That’s Nate Abaurrea, a freelance writer and broadcaster who lives in San Diego, and works as a sports broadcaster covering Xolos games for an FM radio station in Tijuana and Mexicali.

Nate’s a huuuuuge fan of the team. And yeah, he’s a gringo. But he feels like the team and its fans are his family no matter what side of the border they live on.

I hung out with Nate and other hardcore self-described “Gringo Xolos” at a watch party at a bar in Ocean Beach.

Dozens of “Club Tijuana” fans who live in San Diego congregate here every away game to watch their team play. And lots of them cross the border to watch the Xolos play at the stadium in Tijuana every single home game, too.

These San Diego fans’ hardcore dedication to the Tijuana team is more important than ever right now.

Earlier this year, Tijuana was ranked by a report as the the most dangerous city in the world in 2018 because of the city’s high homicide rate, which continues to climb. And although the majority of the violence is concentrated in a few parts of the city and is usually drug-related, the numbers still freak people out.

Mix that news with the fact that the border has become more militarized and politicized under President Donald Trump -- who’s been threatening to close the border with Mexico altogether -- and, well, lots of would-be tourists to Tijuana are waaaay too intimidated to cross the border right now.

Tijuana relies heavily on tourism, so lots of businesses are taking a big hit. But the Gringo Xolos are helping keep at least some of the cross-border traffic going.

And for Marty Albert, the founder of the Gringo Xolos website and social media pages, doing what they do is important. He says he thinks San Diego Xolos can serve as a good example for the rest of the world -- maybe give a few folks a different view of the border.

Marty Interview in OB Bar Clip TK (00:01 - 00:44)Marty: What we're doing here is basically we're gathering people together from both sides of the border, the show, the world that, you know, we're all the same people. It doesn't matter that a Frontera can't stop us

So yeah, Nate, Marty and the other San Diego fans are rooting hard for the Tijuana soccer team, but they’re also rooting hard for the city of Tijuana itself.

I’m Alan Lilienthal, and you’re listening to Only Here, a KPBS podcast about the place where San Diego and Tijuana meet.

Today, we talk to “Gringo Xolos,” the growing faction of fans in San Diego who are obsessed with the soccer team in Tijuana.

Only Here can you find a Tijuana soccer team with fans on both sides of the border.

Stick around.

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Before we start, Let’s get something out of the way. The word “gringo,” which essentially means American or someone who isn’t Latino, is offensive to some people.

Merriam Webster calls the word "often disparaging” and it definitely has been used that way.

In this case, though, the folks calling themselves Gringo Xolos have reclaimed the name, and they aren’t offended by it at all. Quite the opposite, in fact, they’re proud to call themselves foreigners who have fallen in love with Tijuana’s soccer team.

The Gringo Xolos formed in 2011 in Ocean Beach. But what began as a close-knit group of soccer fans who met up to watch the games has morphed into something more in recent years.

[Nat sound of people chanting at Trump Rally to build the wall]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20dXj1mR1uc

For these soccer fans, the idea of adding more walls between Mexico and the United States isn’t something they’re into. In reaction to the voices calling for that wall and less cross-border fluidity, some members of the group -- especially the founder Marty -- started advocating for more cross-border connections, not less.

On the gringoxolos website, they say the group’s core value is, and I’m quoting here, “we are all stronger together than separate. The beautiful cities and peoples of San Diego and Tijuana come together to make for a special corner of the world.”

Gringo xolos like Marty do not hesitate to talk about how great Tijuana is and how much people are missing if they’ve turned their back on the city because of crime or politics or anything else.

And yeah, they know their name should be Xolo Gringos if they were using Spanish correctly. But they laugh it off and say they’re gringos, so what do you expect?

Anyway, in today’s show, we’re going to follow one of the Gringo Xolos across the border from San Diego to the stadium in Tijuana.

[Trolley Nat sound]

It’s a Friday afternoon and David Klowden, his dad Bruce and Only Here producer Kinsee Morlan are at a trolley stop in San Ysidro, just one stop away from the international border.

First meeting Clip 3 (01:33 - 2:09)Hi Guys. Sorry. Hey, this is my dad, Bruce. Hi. How are you? I'm well, I'm ready for my closeup….

The father-son duo are on their way to see the Xolos play at Estadio Caliente in Tijuana.

First meeting Clip 4 (02:34 - 2:46)here we are at the Beyer Boulevard, uh, transit center where we park so we can ride the trolley one stop and then walk across. This way we don't have to pay to park.

First meeting Clip 5 (02:52 - 3:25)uh, my dad is wearing some comfortable loafers and I'm wearing some old Adidas and a above that I think we’re dressed up in our, uh, gear supporting the cholos tonight. Jacket's Cholos Scarves, jerseys, Jersey on for good luck.

The trolley pulls into the stop and nearly every car is almost completely packed. David and his dad squeeze in next to other people in their Xolos gear. Lots of people are riding the trolley to Tijuana to see the game.

Getting on the trolley Clip 6 (10:15 - 10:44)you hear that several thousand people are coming across for the Games. Um, and so I would, I would assume hundreds of those people must be Xolo pass holders, but that's just a complete wild guess really. I don't know the exact number, but you know, there, there are a ton of people coming across the border for the Games. It's sometimes a, a significant portion of the stadium. That's what the team says. So...

The Xolos have long attracted fans from both sides of the border.

In fact, the Xolos’ official tagline is 'el equipo sin fronteras’ -- the team without borders.

But even more fans from boths sides started following the team in 2011, when the Xolos were promoted to Primera División de México, the top tier of Mexican soccer.

Then the fan base really exploded when, in 2012, just one year after being promoted to the top league, the Xolos won the league championship.

Clip 6: Sound clip [find video of championship game on youtube?]

It’s hard to overstate the significance of that win. It propelled the team into the international spotlight and filled Tijuanenses with a sense of pride for their city. It came at a good time --- drug-fueled violence over the past decade has locked the city in a perpetual battle over its reputation. Misinformed outsiders will seemingly never cease to view TJ as nothing more than a dark, dangerous city crawling with crime.

And of course, the unexpected championship made San Diegans like David take notice.

Getting on the trolley Clip 7 (01:13 - 2:18)I became aware of the team in 2012 when they started showing up on the cover of the San Diego Union when they were like climbing toward winning the championship. Sort of was aware that Tijuana had soccer, but I'd never been to a game down there. They played in a kind of a smaller field and uh, they had um, sort of move their way up, made it into the second division and then you know, won there, got into the first division and within only a couple of years of being, I mean the team has only existed since 2007 as the xolos and then in 2010, you know, they, they made it into the first division and then within two years they won the championship, which is unheard of because many of the teams in the League and the more famous teams have been in the League for, you know, over a hundred years. So for the xolos just to shut up and win a championship was, was really something and you know, the city went crazy and so i was, you know, kind of surprised and excited about it and immediately started coming to the Games in 2013 and have been coming ever since.

And for lots of San Diegans like Bruce, David’s dad, the Xolos’ success made them reevaluate their take on Tijuana.

Bruce had given up on crossing the border, but David eventually convinced him to go to Tijuana again to see a soccer game.

Getting on the trolley Clip 8 (04:14 - 5:15)Bruce: I wouldn't come down here for like 25 years. Uh, crime, crime and the fact that, uh, it didn't never felt safe. I didn't feel like it had any rights. Then I came down with David after a game. I, my girlfriend's Argentinian. So I've been hooked on soccer since the 2004 World Cup, which I got interested in. And he said, oh you have to come to Tijuana and I said I don't think so. And he said, no, give it one try. And the whole area has been such a transformation that everybody's just so nice. The restaurant, the culinary scene, which since we had a restaurant for 30 years and I'm in the hospitality industry, still - is amazing. It's just exceeds all your expectations and you can go get a very, very fine dinner and come up very full and you spend about $13Getting on the trolley Clip 9 (06:33 - 6:57)Bruce: we always try to hit some favorite restaurants each season. I particularly like the gastro park, Telefonica, and now they have a new one called Gastro Park Country Club. I like a Taco Taco. NASA. I loved going to Caesars getting Caesar Salad.

Music bump

Getting on the trolley Clip 10 (10:50 - 11:08)David: Well, we just got off the trolley. Here we are at the San Ysidro Transit Center right at the border between the United States and Mexico. And, uh, I think my dad's probably going to exchange some dollars for pesos so we can save a few cents down there. I already got a pocket full of pesos. I'm ready to go

David and his dad follow the rest of the Xolos fans and other folks crossing the border. Everyone is packed together, walking along a narrow sidewalk surrounded by tall fences that leads to the Port of Entry building.

Getting on the trolley Clip 11 (12:08 - 12:27)David: there's so much happening here. You know, if you look around you can see lots and lots of people that had been shopping in the u s tons of people with groceries and grocery carts and giant bags of uh, you know, pampers and things that are a little cheaper on this side. There's a giant box of Froot loops in front of us.

Inside the port of entry, the crowd of people move through quickly. Typically, foreigners crossing the border have to stop to fill out a short form and show their passports. But today, it’s so busy the Tijuana border agents are just waving most people through.

In just a few minutes, they’re officially in another country.

They called us ugly clip 12 (:07 - :31)Dave: We just crossed into Mexico. Um, it was a really easy, there was no line. We walked in, we went up, um, they waved us through. We didn't have to fill out the new visa cards. Every now and then you have to fill out a little card. It's kind of random how they decide it often when, when it's really crowded and especially if you're going to the soccer games and just wave you through.They called us ugly clip 13 (00:38 - 1:35)David: if they see you when you're wearing, show those gear that kind of look at you and go, oh, you're going to the game. Go ahead. This wave you through. It's, it's very rare that if I call it. Yeah. So like the, the Xolos logo is like the visa when you come down here for games. ……...So, um, yeah, that was, it was no problem. So to your question before you asked about like, oh, people think it's a hassle to come down here, you know, I mean, especially when you're walking across, it's really no hassle at all. I mean, we just walked right across, it literally took 30 seconds to get in and we're in now and we're going to pick up an Uber They called us ugly clip 14 (01:43 - 3:02)

David: They've done a lot here to make this really much friendlier for people crossing through ….. I Dunno. Sometimes I think people use the um, oh, it's a hassle to cross as an excuse when what they're really saying is that they need some excuse that's legitimate or they don't want to say, I'm afraid

Clip 15: 3:30 - 3:35 Natsound: turnstile gates turning

They cross through one last turnstile gate and the smells, sights and sounds of Tijuana are intense and immediate.

They called us ugly clip 16 (03:38 - 4:07)Dave: I smell Gorditas we've walked through. It's crowded. It's a few vendors around. Yeah. Selling fresh food, selling tacos. Of course the Taco cart here is packed with people and now we're going to cross the street in front of the taxi vans to go over stand by the pharmacy where we can catch an Uber. They called us ugly clip 17 (05:45)David: I think this is a good spot to call up an Uber.

The drive takes a little longer than expected, but they finally get to the stadium with a few minutes to spare for a quick bite and drink before the game.

Looking at Tiger Clip 21 (01:00 - 1:32)Pulling up to the stadium: Okay. It's going to be right up here on the right. Oh, I can't let that at Ya. Oh, pretty middle of the guy. A key one. Then we'll come in on their key poquito. Okay.

The crew thanks the driver, then walks the rest of the way to the stadium.

Looking at Tiger Clip 25 (07:14 - 7:55)David: we're walking through the big parking lot of the Caliente Casino crossing. That's beautiful, right?....David: Yeah, I mean it's like a very large stately casino that, uh, has lots of columns and arched windows out front and lots of little white Christmas lights hanging from palm trees everywhere. And it's just, you might as well be in Las Vegas except you know that you're in Cholos territory because on the very far left side of the casino, up on the roof is a giant dog with red lights on it wearing a soccer jersey. Laughter. Looking at Tiger Clip 26 (08:04 - 8:34)David: the word Xolo was short for Xoloquintles, which is the name of a dog that was bred by the Aztecs. It's a Mexican dog, has hairless, very tranquil, has big ears, kind of a cool looking little guy. Uh, and so that's the mascot of the Cholos. And it's the nickname Cholos is the nickname for Xoloquintles. . It's quit lays that that dog, so

people call them the Tijuana perros. The t want to dogs, you know, that's the team name. Looking at Tiger Clip 27(08:53 - 9:40)David: they usually have a few of them this way. They usually have a few Sholo dogs that kind of hang out in the breezeway when you first walk in. They don't always have them there, but, but pretty often they do. And then there's usually a little parade at halftime. We're going this way, there's a parade at halftime and uh, the have all the sponsors of the team have, uh, you know, especially like pretty girls, kind of like cheerleader types with like signage for the various sponsors, like the colleague Max Grocery store and the local radio station. And when they parade around, sometimes those girls will walk, the Xolo dogs. Clip 29: Nat sound: 11:00 - 11:03 footsteps

Time for a break. When we come back, we meet up with Marty Albert and some of the other Gringo Xolos who crossed to see the game.

Stick around.

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David and his dad Bruce walk over to an outdoor bar next to the dog-racing track behind the casino. They’re just a few dozen feet away from the stadium now, but they stop when they see a few fellow fans from San Diego.

These are some of the “Gringo Xolos,” a group of Xolos fans who live in San Diego.

David Halftime Interview Clip 32 (04:02 - 4:37)David: I coincidentally discovered that the center of Gringo Cholos fans in San Diego was in my neighborhood, a block from my house in Ocean beach by accident. I wander into my neighborhood bar one day and there's a sea of red jerseys. I'm like, holy, you know, it's a big thing in, in San Diego. Yeah. And especially in ocean beach in my neighborhood, that's where like tons of Cholos fans are. It all centers around Raglan pub where we watched the away games, the owners a fan, all his friends are fans. And so those, we all sit in section DNS on one and you know, we're this huge group of Gringo Solo fans.

David introduces Dean Mitchell. He calls Dean one of the longest-running and most well-known gringo xolos fans.

Looking at Tiger Clip 33 (15:43 - 16:06)Dean Mitchell:....Every soccer team I ever supported, folded. So I finally had a team and you know, 11 years later, 12 years later, they're thriving. I've never been able to say that about any pro soccer team I've ever followed. So yeah. Well, I live in San Ysidro now, so I'm in the suburbs of Tijuana.******Looking at Tiger Clip 34 (16:13 - 16:44)Dean Mitchell: my fiance, um, Latina from San Ysidro, I moved in with her cause she had her kid and her house. But uh, you know, not really. First Time I met her, I asked her, have you been to a Xolos game? And she's looking at me like, I've heard of him. I'm like, oh, well, I go all the time. And that's kind of a prerequisite when I was dating was like, I like to come down here. And that was always a problem. Like, Ooh, Mexico, I don't know. You know? So I decided I needed to find a nice Latina girl that that's not even an issue. And it's worked out beautifully.

Did you hear that? Dean just said that his love for the Xolos actually played a big part in him finding the love of his life. His affinity for the team is that intense.

Another gringo xolos fan, Marty Albert walks up and puts his arm around Dean.

********Meeting Up with Marty Clip 35 (00:41 - 2:53)Marty talking about Dean: This is the original Gringo Cholo for, for the Cholos. He was going to the games before any of us even knew that the Xolos existed and, and, and, and then this guy taught me so much about the team. Where are they play, how they came up and then how the system even work because I was so juvenile too to too Mexican football. I didn't pay a lot of attention to it. I didn't even know they had a team until a coworker told me that there was a professional team down here. And then I was like, really? And then I came down and I, from the first moment I was here, I knew that I was going to be a season ticket holder for the rest of my life. And that proceeded to take me into the MASAKR3

The Masakre is the super hardcore fan section inside the stadium, by the way, -- the place where the rowdiest, loudest fans go. They often stand the whole time, there’s a band that plays and beer is thrown freely, soaking everyone around.

Then I started sitting in there and then everything just, it just grew and blossomed into an amazing, amazing garden. This is a garden to us. I mean, we're so blessed to be able to come down here, enjoy all this. And it's, as you can see through there, it's only getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And at the end of the day there's going to be 33,000, 333 people here for every game. And at some point you'll, if you do, the percentages is probably going to be about 30 to 37% will be Americans crossing over. Right now it's at 27, you know, because there's only so many seats. But once they're

finished, it'll be in the 30% range. And that's what actually what they need to make this stadium, uh, uh, come to its completion. There are banking on the Americans coming over…..

Marty is a ball of energy. It’s impossible to be near him and remain unenthused. He’s translated a lot of his energy into promoting Tijuana soccer. He’s the founder of the gringoxolos website, instagram, twitter and facebook pages where he touts the fun of cheering for Club Tijuana.

********Meeting Up with Marty Clip 36 (03:54 - 4:51)…. look, I've been around the world, I've never stuck myself in one city. I've traveled immensely and this city has captured my heart like no other city in the world.

If you ask fellow gringo xolos fans, they’ll tell you that Marty’s played a big role in spreading the love of Tijuana’s soccer team to lots of other people living in San Diego.

Here’s David:

Meeting Up with Marty Clip 37 (08:54 - 9:05)David: we love Marty and he is so enthusiastic and his passion is completely infectious and he's become famous down here for it. You know, Meeting Up with Marty Clip 38 (09:15 - 10:10)David: But I think more than anything what Marty does is he's like kind of like the guy that is the liaison between all of the like non Mexican fans of the Xolos and the Xolos fans. Cause Marty's a guy who will go down in the width of a sock raid and jump up and down with the hardcore fans, you know? And they've completely accepted him because you know, I mean he's just such a believer in the team. He cares so much. And so he's like a, he's a guy with like one of those guys who has a million friends on Facebook watch your step. There's a chain here. So yeah, I mean I think that Marty definitely helps bring people down for sure but to, and at the same time he helps like introduce a lot of people from both sides.

After a drink with Marty and the other gringo Xolos, David and his dad finally head to the stadium.

The excitement is wild.

Meeting Up with Marty Clip 39: (10:16 - 11:30)David: So we, we left the dog track area. We've had a couple of palomas, which has this very nice sort of a Margarita like concoction with Tahini on the rim of an earthenware

cup, a very refreshing cocktail. And now we're walking through the parking lot. Now what's interesting is you'll see here that there's this huge tailgates scene. This is the only stadium in the Mexican league, the entire country that has a tailgate scene and that just shows you the cross, cross border influence. It's because so many of the people here we learned about tailgating at chargers games. So they brought tailgating here only it has like a local flavor. Like we'll walk over there and you'll hear like there's tons of uh, bands playing in the parking lot. Like, you know, there's like, you know, Tubas and trumpets and drums in the parking lot. There's tons of bands and there's like people like with huge grills, like making Carney Asada and stuff, and so this tailgating scene, you won't find that in any parking lot at any anywhere else in Mexico. Yeah. So it's, it's a very Tijuana specific kind of scene that's going on right here.

Clip 40: Natsound: tailgate scene

David and his dad grab some tacos then disappear into the season ticket holder section. I’m in the nose bleeds, so we watch the game on our own and then meet up for a quick chat at half time.

The team is winning and playing really well. David is super stoked.

David Halftime Interview Clip 41 (05:00 - 8:27)…. The kind of excitement that's generated at a sporting event here is very different from something that happens in the United States. You have let Masaka, you know the, the, the hardcore fan section behind the home team goal that are jumping up and down chanting with drums and trumpets going through the entire game and they never stopped. So it creates an, an infectious electricity throughout the whole stadium and you know, and you can get a a two 12 ounce beers for three and a half bucks. I mean, it's not like you don't have to break the bank to come here.

When he’s back in San Diego, David says he often finds himself touting the affordability and fun of going to soccer games in Tijuana. Inevitably, politics will find their way into the conversation. And David then finds himself defending Tijuana’s honor and arguing for more of an open border. It’s sort of become one of the duties of being a Gringo Xolo.

David Halftime Interview Clip 41 part 2 (05:00 - 8:27)the kind of atmosphere that has been created by the current political climate and how challenging that is for people to even think about the border. Like during the situation when, where you had the Migrant community coming up here, you know, people were like, oh, can you even cross the border? Is it safe? What's going on? And I'm like, yeah, I'm crossing over and I'm going to the flea market and buying jackets and shoes and

socks for the Migrant kids and I'm going and meeting them and they're nice people and I'm giving the kids some jackets because it was really cold during that week. And you know, that's the attitude. You can have your like you're lucky to live on the border. You're lucky you can participate in that. You can make it better. Sports is part of it. Music is part of it. Art As part of it, more than anything, it's the people. Here's an opportunity for people to meet each other across this ridiculous artificial line. Someday, someday God willing, we won't be there. I'm not saying that we should just knock it down. Now I know that freaks people out. But what I am saying is that that borders are created by people. They're not natural.

The game is good. The Xolos win. The family is happy.

Clip 42Natsound: crowd cheering sounds from the game

[fade to silence]

A week later, I head to Raglan in Ocean Beach to talk to more Gringo Xolos who meet at the bar every away game to cheer on their team. Red Xolos jerseys are everywhere inside.

The vibe is friendly and fun. It feels like a club that anyone can join.

Marty, the Gringo Xolos ringleader, explains why the group is about more than just cheering for a soccer team in Tijuana and hanging out with fellow fans in San Diego. He sees the group’s very existence as an important political statement.

Marty Interview in OB Bar Clip 43 (00:01 - 00:44)Marty: What we're doing here is basically we're gathering people together from both sides of the border, the show, the world that, you know, we're all the same people. It doesn't matter that a Frontera can't stop us. You know, we could still get together and the Xolos are the reason why we get together right now, but that's a good start. You start with something and then you can blossom that into something that's even bigger than that. And from there we are, we're going to grow as a family probably, you know, we'll get to know each other and hang out at the games. It just turns out to be an amazing, an amazing, I should say, it turned out to be a unique tool to join different cultures together is football. Marty Interview in OB Bar Clip 45 (13:26 - 13:56)Marty: If you're a gringo and you happened to go to the game and you look a little lost or whatnot, somebody would go, hey gringo, what's up? What are you doing? And they will tell you to come to their tailgate. Come over here. They are so inclusive to bring you into

what they're doing because they want you to understand who they are. They are great people. They're, they're the, sometimes I feel more comfortable in Tijuana than I do in my own jeans here in San Diego. Sin Fronteras.

Marty leans to the more intense, idealistic side of the gringo xolos. While some folks are here in Ocean Beach just to watch a good soccer game, Marty can’t help but think and talk about how soccer is a tool that can be used to build connections between cultures.

Marty Interview in OB Bar Clip 46 (06:30 - 6:44)Marty: the entire universe plays this game. So I can go anywhere in any country, in any city and start talking football and they're going to be able to respond back to me with the same conversation

Marty says he’s sure that most soccer fans in San Diego who haven’t yet been to a game in Tijuana would likely follow the same path to fandom he did if they just gave it a go. He says for him, it was love at first sight. Partly because of the excitement of the game itself, but also because of the tacos.

Marty Interview in OB Bar Clip 47 (00:49 - 1:49)Marty: They started as a professional team in 2011 was my first game. And then, uh, I've, as soon as I went to a game, I knew I was never ever going to miss another game. So from that moment on I bought a season pass and I've been going ever since. Why? What was it about it that made you be like, I've never, it was, well it was a culture or experience that you can have being so close. You know, we live on the front era that you can in 35 minutes have a cultural experience and feel like you're 2000 miles away knowing you're only 25 miles away. But it feels like 2000 and then the food, I'm a foodie and the food in Tijuana is off the charts. And the reason why it's off the charges is the same reason that that every place that you go to that is on a border, a front data. It's like everybody brings their culture from where they're from and then it gets infused what's already there and it just turns it into something that some, it's 10 times better than what it was. Marty Interview in OB Bar Clip 48 (2:42 - 3:23)Marty: So that's what you work with on a border. Everybody's fighting to cross over these things, but then they get stuck and the recipes gett infused with what's already there. And then it just turns into something that's amazing that you'll never have anywhere. is called adobada and it's hands down the best season pork Taco in the world that I've ever had in my life and I will, I will kick you fight and scream every two weeks to make sure that I'm crossing the border for a Xolos game, that I'm getting that Taco in my belly.

Marty’s story is a lot like the story of other Gringo Xolos. San Diego journalist Brooke Binkowski says she saw one game and that was it. She was officially a fan.

xolos lady fan Clip 49 (00:00 - :20)Lady Fan: I love Tijuana very much, I'd heard about this team and they weren't premier league get so I was like, oh yeah, wow. You know how it goes to tech about tickets were about $5. So I would go and um, the first time I went I fell in love because it was just that my second was out there, they were flinging beer and I was like this awesome. So I started following them.

Nate Abaurrea, the freelance writer and broadcaster who you heard a the top of the show talking about how Xolos fans are like family, says he moved to San Diego in early 2016 so he could have easy access to the xolos.

He says the teams’ rise in the mexican league came at the exact right time. For lots of fans, the Xolos filled the huge vacuum in San Diego Sports left by the Chargers, the NFL team that moved to Los Angeles in 2017.

xolos english radio broadcaster Clip 50 (04:24 - 5:01)Nate: for me, and I can only speak for myself and I'm by no means a long time. San Diegan. And I've been here for only three years and came at a very interesting time, obviously with the chargers leaving and the San Diego sports being in kind of a transitional phase…..

But of course, there are some big barriers to being a fan of the Xolos if you live north of the border.

Nate says the political climate and all the talk of a stronger, bigger border wall and stricter immigration laws likely keeps a lot of San Diego soccer fans from joining the Xolos ranks.

There’s just a lot of fear and trepidation when it comes to crossing the border for the first time. And with Tijuana’s murder rate making headlines all the time, lots of people are just unwilling to give it a go.

Nate, though, is barely phased by any of it.

xolos english radio broadcaster Clip 51 (07:21 - 8:36)It's horrible, but to me, I'm jaded at this point. I'm just walking across the border. Oh, they got, oh, they put barbed wire in, they got tanks down here. Now. Guess what? I'm

going to work, and I'm a come home later and that ain't going to change. No matter how many tanks are barbed wire fences or walls you want to build, and it kind of breaks my heart in a way that that's progressive to people. I'm like, I'm just living my life. I'm going down to broadcast a soccer game. I'm going down to work at the radio station. I'm going down to write an article to cover the border. There's people are just going down to have a good time and what they're doing is sadly important because in this day and age with the climate that we're in and just the rejection of stereotypes, of hatred, of just utter nonsense and, and formulated bigotry that is on all these national networks and all this, just hyperbole spewed everywhere. US just doing what we do is kind of important. Radio Broadcaster 2 Clip 52 (2:41 - 3:30)Nate: I mean that's something that shouldn't be that special, you know what I mean? We're just living our lives. We're just doing what we do. You just came up from Tj to come up to a restaurant in San Diego and record some interviews and head back home and put your head on your own pillow. That shouldn't be that big of a deal. But it is right now what I do for work on a twice a week basis, every match day, going down to record promos and be a part of more FM and be involved with a trans fronteriza border radio station. I mean, it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but it is. And so let's show the world that this is our border. This is what we do. This is tijuana and San Diego. This is our community from Ensonata to the tip of North County man, Baja California, San Diego County. We are one, and this is what it's all about.

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Building For Both Sides of the Border Show Clip

Only Here….

Show credits

Only Here is a KPBS podcast hosted by me Alan Lilienthal. It was written and produced by Kinsee Morlan. Emily Jankowski is the technical producer. Lisa Morrissette is operations manager and John Decker is the director of programming. Sarah Anderson is our student assistant. For info about the music you heard in the podcast, go to kpbs.org/podcasts and click on “Only Here.”

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