Soccer-Local World Cup fans wave many flags in multicultural Houston

By Michael Kahn

HOUSTON, June 22 (Reuters) – World Cup excitement has a distinct international flavor for residents of Houston, where an estimated one-third of the population was born outside the United States and some 145 languages ​​are spoken in one of the nation’s most diverse cities.

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The fourth-largest city in the United States has gone full party mode for this year’s tournament, whether at the fan festival in the city’s sprawling downtown or packed bars and restaurants across the city where fans cheer on their team.

“We went to the fan festival in East Downtown and it was a great experience seeing all the cultures come together, having a great time together, celebrating sports and celebrating humanity as a whole,” said Frank Haces, 27, who recently watched a game with his family who traveled to see him from Mexico.

The multitude of green jerseys seen at restaurants, bars, supermarkets and just about anywhere else while playing “El Tri” underscores the country’s significant representation in Houston, where people of Mexican descent make up nearly a third of the population.

The Houston fan festival also got in on the action with entertainment ranging from Tejano to Bollywood performers, director Patti Smith said local fans from a wide variety of countries gathered to watch their teams on the big screen.

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Smith, who estimates that as many as 20,000 people attend the festival each day, said that for a recent Egypt match, organizers provided a prayer room and foot-washing area for local Muslim fans who came to watch the match on a giant screen.

“All the cultures are coming out and it’s happening every night,” he told Reuters. “We see Turks, Iranians or whoever is playing. People from the community are coming out in droves.”

Houston’s job market, supported by its energy sector and medical sector, as well as its affordability and proximity to Latin America, explain both its large Latino population and why others from around the world have settled here.

Thirty-five-year-old South Korean Sae Yang said that sharing different celebrations and traditions made the World Cup in Houston special for her, while Canadian Saige Antoine said she was looking forward to meeting new people like herself from other places.

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“I remember the first few days were very important,” Antoine said. “It was starting to go crazy. People want to show off the flags, their props, the culture, anything that would support what we have here.”

Texas also boasts the largest population of Czech Americans in the United States; Houston-based Derrick ‌Junek and his wife, Jaylen, promise to honor their legacy in a way befitting a country that drinks the most beer per capita in the world.

“I’m going to have some Pilsner beer to celebrate,” Derrick Junek said.

(Reporting by Michael Kahn, Editing by Christian Radnedge)