On Monday, the Jordan men’s soccer team was eliminated from the World Cup after they lost 2-0 to Algeria in their second match of the tournament. During their brief and first ever appearance at the World Cup, the team used Portland as their home base, using the University of Portland’s Merlo Field and facilities for practice and training sessions in between games.

UP men’s soccer head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt says the school boasts one of the best all-grass soccer fields in the Northwest, if not the country, and that it was a “no-brainer” when FIFA contacted him several years ago to see if the university would be interested in hosting a 2026 World Cup national team. It’s also given him the chance to attend Team USA’s matches, including its victory over Australia last Friday in Seattle, and relive his boyhood memories of cheering on the men’s team from the stands 32 years ago – the last time a men’s World Cup game was held on U.S. soil.

Carlin-Voigt joins us to share those memories and the new ones he’s making at the World Cup.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/06/23/university-portland-is-home-base-for-jordan-national-world-cup-team/