Monday, February 11, 2008

Soccer and American Football in the News in Mexico

By Allan Wall

The Mexican national soccer team (known as el Tri because its uniform includes the three colors of the Mexican flag) recently traveled to Houston, Texas. There, in Reliant Stadium, el Tri took on the United States national team in a friendly match officiated by head referee Carlos Batres, of Guatemala.  The teams tied 2-2.

Mexico’s coach Hugo Sanchez put a positive spin on the tie, giving credit where credit was due. Sanchez recognized that the quality of U.S. soccer has improved over the years, and said of the U.S. team, “We played against a great rival, and now what we have to do is analyze what happened and see the things that we will have to do to improve in facing the future.” 

Referring to the members of el Tri, Sanchez said that “All the players made a great effort and I’m content with how they performed on the field. With that attitude and spirit of work I’m sure that we are going to keep improving.”

After the game, the Mexican media interviewed Landon Donovan, the U.S. national team star (and all-time high scorer), who is also David Beckham’s teammate on the MLS (Major League Soccer) Los Angeles Galaxy team. 

Known in the Mexican media as the verdugo (executioner), Donovan assured them “I really believe I’m a nice guy,” and “Mexico respects us, unlike before”. 

Donovan was asked if he would be willing to play for a Mexican professional soccer team, to which he replied “ask my wife”.

This was the 53^rd encounter between the U.S. and Mexican national soccer teams. Their first match was way back in 1934, in Rome, Italy, and the U.S. won. However Mexico leads in the entire series, with 29 triumphs, 15 losses and 9 draws. 

When the series is broken down into its respective venues, it displays definite home field advantages in both countries. 

In United States vs. Mexico games played in the U.S., the U.S. team leads with 12 wins, 6 losses, and 8 ties.  Mexico’s last victory in U.S. territory was in San Diego, California in 1999. After that, the team has lost every match played in the U.S., and previous to this latest game the Mexican team was shut out in every match but one.

In Mexico it’s a whole different ball game.  On Mexican soil, the U.S. soccer team has never defeated el Tri.  Mexico has beaten the U.S. 22 times in Mexico, and the two teams have tied only once south of the border.

The two teams have faced each other four times in locations outside of Mexico and the U.S.  There was the aforementioned game in Rome, and later matches in Havana, Uruguay, and Seoul, South Korea.

Soccer has been gaining in popularity in the United States in recent years, but has failed to inspire as much interest among the fans as do football, baseball and basketball.

And, of course, the interest in soccer among the general American populace doesn’t even begin to approach the sport’s excitement generated among the Mexican population, which follows both the national team and local teams in the Mexican League.  In Spanish, appropriately enough, the word for “fan” is the same word as “fanatic”!

Three days prior to the latest U.S.-Mexico soccer match, another game (of a sport related to soccer but not identical) was played which attracted the attention of many Mexican sports fans.

I refer to the NFL (National Football League) Super Bowl, played in Phoenix on February 3^rd.   That was a great game, in which the New York Giants eked out a win over the New England Patriots. It was viewed by many Mexican fans of the sport we call “football” but they refer to as fútbol Americano (American football).

Mexican television regularly broadcasts NFL games, and has some good commentators.  NFL teams have some diehard Mexican fans who follow the sport closely.  

American football has been played in Mexican schools and universities since the 1920s.  I’ve attended games here, and it’s the same sport as played north of the border!

There is a Mexican college league known as ONEFA (Organización Nacional Estudiantil de Fútbol Americano) which holds national championships, the last four having been won by the Borregos Salvajes (Wild Rams) of the Monterrey campus of the Tecnológico de Monterrey technology institute.

In varying degrees then, both sports, fútbol (soccer) and fútbol americano, have their fans and players in Mexico.

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Allan Wall, a MexiData.info columnist, recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.  He currently resides in Mexico, where he has lived since 1991. He can be reached via e-mail at allan39@prodigy.net.mx.