Park City mom and son make last-minute trip to cheer on Argentina in World Cup final

Soccer super fan Maria Martinez. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

Argentina native Maria Martinez and her 16-year-old son are traveling across the country to be part of the World Cup Finals.

PARK CITY, Utah — When Argentina and Spain face off in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, at least two passionate soccer fans from Park City will be among the thousands of fans making the pilgrimage to the New York area to celebrate their team’s historic run.

Argentina native Maria Martinez, a medical assistant at Intermountain Health in Park City, and her 16-year-old son are making a last-minute trip across the country to support their beloved national team as they compete for the world championship.

Neither Martinez nor her son have ever been to New York. But when Argentina defeated England to advance to the World Cup final, she sprang into action. Martinez invoked the old adage “ask for forgiveness, not permission” when she went ahead Thursday morning and booked their trip. Luckily, her boss is also a fan of the sport and was on board when she asked for a few days off for the trip.

Like many fans making the pilgrimage to the final, Martinez had to make the trip work on a budget. She spent hours searching for affordable airfare before finding flights she could afford and booking a reasonably priced hotel.

Tickets to the match itself, however, remained out of reach. That didn’t discourage her. She’s perfectly happy to soak up the atmosphere outside MetLife Stadium, figuring out transportation as she goes and joining thousands of fellow fans celebrating what she hopes will be an Argentine World Cup victory.

Martinez moved from Argentina as a teenager, eventually spending two decades living in England before settling in Utah. So when Argentina faced England in the semifinal, did she feel torn?

“No,” she said with no hesitation in her answer. “Go Argentina!”

When Martinez told a couple of close coworkers she was taking the trip, they teased that maybe she was flying to New York to meet a man.

“I am,” she joked. “His name is Lionel Messi.”

Although Martinez will be proudly wearing Argentina’s colors, she also has a connection to Spain through her family roots. When asked whether she could find some joy in a Spanish victory, she paused for a moment before laughing.

“I guess so,” she said. “As long as I can be celebrating the sport with everybody.”