This Is American Soccer, US Soccer, MNT, WNT, and MLS - Tackling the subject of Soccer in the US, and worldwide.

[...] Spangler of  This Is American Soccer has a photo essay of the Mexico trip and the game.  Make sure you look for many of the Minnesota First as they call [...]

Some great stuff, Adam. That last paragraph sums it up well. For all the good times we’ve had this week in Mexico City, yesterday tainted things a bit. I’m glad I came; it’s an experience like none I’ve had before. I’m not sure, however, that I’d want to do it again.

Great pics and an insightful summation, Spangler!

We now have one of the great footie rivalries on our hands. Eat that Jim Rome, you xenophobic asshat.

Old Wembley was a dump too, I still like it more than the newer version. Plus, comparing it to Craven……really? That’s like the Wrigley of soccer stadiums. Azteca is more like……Dodger Stadium. Still an aging dump, but it’s Dodger stadium! (Plus, no one has ever been intimated. of playing in Craven, just like no one is scared of Wrigley, except pitchers when the wind is blowing out).

Was this your first time watching a game in Mexico? Because I don’t know what you were expectign. The crowds there are more MLS-like than anywhere else in the world. Only a handful of teams have organized supporters and very few of it is older than 15-20 years. But it doesn’t exist at the national team level. It’s also probably why Mexico doesn’t have a hooligan problem like South America or Italy

Anyway, II remember plenty of car burning and looting when the Bulls won their 1st championship? Detroit and LA did it too. The Canadian anthem has been booed at hockey games before.
How does that reflect on American culture and American people in general?
What would a tourist to the US say about Americans about that? Would it be fair for him to judge a nation and people from the actions of spectators at a ballgame or would that be shortsighted?

You’d have to get into the class system in the US, urban poverty, race and blah blah. To get to a reason to why people riot after teams win championships in the US. To explain why people threw beer at you, it’s the same thing. Theres not one answer and theres not one Mexico. You just happened to come face to face with one of the more hostile facets of it. The pissed of El Tri fan in Azteca. Don’t take it too personal.

Adam,
What is the “previous post” you refer to at the top of this post?

Thanks for the great photos Adam. I didn’t make it to Azteca, but I did take my 9 year old son and one of his friends to go see the game at Giants stadium. They were both wearing US jerseys while my mexican half could not help but root for Dos Santos and Vela. We had a great time and even though the two boys were annoyed with me not being on their side we had great time teasing each other.

I think that Alejandro above addressed the thing that bothers me about a lot of the commentary that I have read. Obviously the mexicans are going to be rowdier, unlike in the US, it is their number one sport. I just don’t like how people keep saying things like “oh that wouldn’t happen in the U.S.” or “Americans wouldn’t do that” etc etc. That is simply not true. I think its all about the level of passion. Look at Toronto or Houston and the garbage thrown that ends up on the pitch interrupting the game.

Yeah.. the beer thing really pissed me off when it happened…I had to tell the boys not to lick their lips, they were too young to drink! But after the first time it happened, every time there was a big play, the group of Mexican guys behind us were holding their mexican flag over the boys to protect them from the beer. But, ultimately it was a select group of people throwing beer and anyone below was a victim, regardless of what team you supported.

Meanwhile once things started looking grim for the USA, two different USA supporters near us kept making racial slurs and using extremely foul language to the point where other people had to intervene and ask them to stop. My son was so embarrassed as I don’t think he had ever witnessed that before.

I guess no matter where you are in the world, you are going to see bad behavior, but if there are more Mexicans at the game, than you will probably see more badly behaving Mexicans. It is important though not to think Americans aren’t ever guilty of it.

Boy do I look forward to a an El Tri visit where the stands aren’t a sea of green! and I’ll tell you though, there is no chance I won’t be drinking every last drop of MY $9 beer!!! I’m not sharing.

Good job Adam. Great photos and comments.

I love your pictures but your commentary of comparing Cotten Cravage (which I had to google) to el Azteca is laughable!!! That in a way shows your little fanatism you might have. Azteca has more than its magistical size to back it up like two WORLD CUP finals in its history. For any TRUE SOCCER fan you have to respect that. The spirit of Pele and Maradona still graze that field. You have to put that into respective and understand this beautiful before you disrespect the way you did.

Either way had the US pulled off a tie or win you would had cry.

I’m pure 100% US fan and my wife is Mexican and I root anyone but Mexico.

I agree with ALEX post that there is no passion here in the states or you would see the same hoolanism, but beware to not denigrade a whole nation and its people for a few idiots!!!

Adam it was a pleasure traveling with you and the rest of the 1st Minnesota Volunteers. I enjoyed the sunrise coffee on the terrace of the hostel, and all of the events of the week including the dousing with beer … it was what I was expecting. I would not have enjoyed being hit by an object such as described on the Yahoo! link above, battery, coin, noodle bowl, or chunk of ice - however, I was prepared for such behavior from across the security cordon. What did disturb me most was the reaction by a VERY small few of our compatriots who responded in kind.

Thanks for the memories and your insightful prose. Keep up the good work, and until we meet again, my Friend in Football (FIF).

PEACE AND FUTBOL
FUTBOL Y PAZ

I put Jim Rome and Discriminative Mexican fans (not all) in the same category. Guess which one it is? Think the opposite of things this world needs more of.

[...] Spangler of This Is American Soccer also went to Mexico, and has a very impressive photo essay on the trip. Though I kind of want to see the photos he also says are “not fit to print.”  [...]

Azteca has been the sight of 4 of the most important international matches of all time…. and Mexico has played in ZERO of them.

Andre: So what? Mexico still has managed to do things like e.g. beat Ronaldinho’s Brazil in the Confederations Cup final (hmm… someone failed to do that recently didn’t they?) at Azteca.

Johnny, keep clinging to the Gold Cup which really means nothing except bragging rights. No Confed Cup for win and does not help to get you into the World Cup. What does matter, is qualifying for WC and if it comes down to a tie like 2006, we come in first. We have a 3-2 goal differential for qualifying! Same as last time! So cinco a cero, but what matters is qualifying!

Ale or Dro or Alejandro, Can you explain the booing of the our National Anthem? Coins wrapped in paper hitting our fans in face while one required stitches? Or YOUR player grabbing our player on the ground by the neck? Whether it was vomit or not, things should not be thrown at players taking corner kicks! Your players and fans need to learn to win with class!!!! Putos Mexicanos!!!!!!!

Beer… insults… bottles.. its no different at Azteca stadium than what we see here at a football game or at an mls game. I attended a dynamo game not to long ago where a beer hit a fan of the opposing team. He was sitting just four seats from where I was seated. What was the worst part was that it spilled onto his kid which must of been no more than 7 yrs old. Sadly I must say I was wearing a Dynamo jersey that day as well. But just like I didn’t represent those hooligans who tossed that plastic beer bottle; so don’t thousands of those Mexican fans. Generalizing the entire stadium for what some thugs do is not fair. Maybe its just something that occurs here more often but beer tossing is the reason why I always pick the higher seats. I think your experience at Azteca might’ve been better Adam if the seats had been better. Usually the cheaper seats are where the “barras” sit. These are the more roudier fans more prone to this sort of thing and violence. Not saying that it was your fault in any way as this should never occur in any stadium. I also think there should’ve been more security to keep this from occuring. I’ve seen police and security officers actually line a whole fan section to protect them from other fans. This; I think should’ve been done at this game. I also love this rivalry and the pasion that it brings but taking it to this level is taking it way beyond what it is in the end.. just a game.

[...] recommend many of the other blogs on the list for your vote: our news reader merrily picks up This Is American Soccer, Match Fit USA and Du Nord out of the blogs on the list (I do think there should be a separate [...]