On a February Sunday morning in Chisinau, I was told to take a minivan to the outskirts of the city. We drove through the cold winter desolation until the last stop. I got off, and there wasn’t a soul around as I looked at the makeshift directions to get to the field. I walked through broken courtyards and arrived at a cracked cement pitch with netless goals. It didn’t feel right until I saw the players arriving. They were an amazing cast of characters I had the privilege to play with.

It’s not every day that I get interviewed by New York Public Radio’s John Schaefer at WNYC. At the beginning of the year, I started a podcast about the pickup game in New York City. Through a series of interviews, it became a portrait of the city. Our diverse players transcend societal divisions and politics, discussing everything we loved and feared in a shared environment. In this interview, I talk about my origins, my work, my discovery of art in the game, and looking to the future of bridging communities.

In the penultimate episode of Season 1 of The Pickup Game, I am joined by Rob Blackman and Juan Sanguinetti. The World Cup has been divisive for some, polarizing for others, and enthralling for many. It has brought countless people from diverse backgrounds together to celebrate our differences, something those of us in New York experience daily.