A lot has been made about what countries American soccer fans could support in the 2018 World Cup because of the United States’ failure to qualify back in October. In most cases, the reader is either given a list of options to choose from, or a quiz to determine which team would be right for them.
This isn’t one of those articles because there is only one correct country American fans should get behind: Mexico.
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Even without the legitimate geopolitical reasons (which will be brought up later) that should guilt every American with a heart into supporting Mexico, this decision shouldn’t be difficult for any fan of the red, white and blue.
This goes beyond the cliche of “we’re not so different after all.” It focuses on the reality that Mexico, more than any other team competing in the World Cup, is the ideal archetype of what most appeals to Americans about soccer.
Team philosophy and makeup
Mexico is set up to play with an attack-heavy mindset that is sure to satisfy American fans’ hunger for goals.
As retired Canadian midfielder Dwayne De Rosario told Sporting News, “El Tri is real! They have an attacking force spanning from the forwards to the midfield.”
The team’s 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 formations feature a high defensive line with a focus on dominating possession in the attacking half. Unsurprisingly, a majority of the players manager Juan Carlos Osorio fields require an offensive-minded playing style to succeed. This makeup allows the team to turn defensive stops into quick scoring opportunities.
Whether it’s through Carlos Vela (above), 22-year old Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, or Mexico’s all-time leading scorer Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, there’s certainly no shortage of offensive threats. Lozano (19 goals in 34 appearances at PSV Eindhoven) and Vela (seven goals in 12 appearances at LAFC) have additional motivation to break out in Russia as neither player was in the 2014 World Cup squad.
Another aspect of the team in line with American soccer values, Mexico employs a goalkeeper best known for notable moments on the international stage, for better and for worse, in lieu of a competent defense. Guillermo Ochoa had the game of his life in the 2014 World Cup where he earned a clean sheet against Brazil in a 0-0 draw and quickly became an internet sensation. He also once allowed seven goals against Chile, but what is life without balance?
The intangible attractions
If the team makeup doesn’t grab your attention, then consider the underdog story that Mexico brings to this tournament. Mexico, Germany and Brazil are the only countries to have made every World Cup knockout stage since 1994, but only Mexico has failed to win FIFA’s golden trophy. During that span, Mexico has not made it past the round of 16. Their losses include a 2-0 defeat to the U.S. in 2002, an extra time failure to Argentina in 2006 and the infamous “No Era Penal” debacle against the Netherlands in 2014. The team’s luck borders on the level of the pre-2017-18 Washington Capitals.
This year, El Tri will likely finish second in their World Cup group and face the likely winners of Group E, Brazil, in the knockout stages. If Mexico pulls off that upset, and the other rounds go chalk, its road to a World Cup title will include Belgium, France and one of Argentina, Germany or Spain. A win at any stage would be a historic victory not just for the team, but for the tournament, too. Mexico even has the individual player capable of being a World Cup hero because of his history of late game-winning goals in Chicharito.
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It could also be argued that Mexico’s appeal comes from the fact that it’s done more for America than the home team has. El Tri regularly smashes the U.S. Men's National Team in ratings. In late March, for example, Mexico vs. Croatia attracted 2 million viewers on Univision Deportes and UniMas, while U.S. vs. Paraguay logged 588,000, according to the Washington Post.
Since 2008, Mexico has played over four times the number of friendlies in the U.S. than at home (62 to 15) and have been able to sell out entire football stadiums in the process, a sign of the country’s fanbase that de Rosario had high praise for.
“I think they have an amazing 12th man and that’s something I’ve always admired about Mexico, and the Mexican community,” he said. “It’s more than just a game, it’s a life, a culture, a community.”
Compromise and moral debt
Of course, even with all of this information, the decision to root for Mexico in Russia isn’t 100 percent on American soccer fans. It might be difficult for some fans to cheer for their neighbors down south considering how Mexico tends to treat the U.S. team and its fans when a match is played at Estadio Azteca. De Rosario talked about experiences where Mexican fans repeatedly called his room and shined bright lights through his window throughout the night before a match.
But Mexican soccer legend Luis Hernandez has a suggestion for how to deal with that roadblock.
“Mexican fans are overly hard to U.S. players when they travel to Mexico to play,” Luis Hernandez told Sporting News. “It’s logical, it's a huge rivalry. How do we convince them to think differently [and support Mexico]? Well, we must do a better job explaining that soccer is a peaceful game that knows no borders. Soccer is friendship, soccer is passion and that passion must be translated into love. That love that U.S. fans have for their team is equal to our love for our Mexican team.”
It really is high praise for anyone to compliment a fan base that calls the sport “soccer,” but Hernandez’s appreciation of American fans more importantly highlights why temporarily supporting Mexico is such a great opportunity — especially when U.S. men’s soccer is contextualized within the country’s other athletic achievements.
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The support for the USMNT is diametrically opposed to the culture of American exceptionalism. Despite not being the best in the world, or even really that good at it, soccer has continued to grow in the U.S. and the red, white and blue are represented proudly wherever the men’s team goes. It is a sign of some maturity and true distinction from the oafish fans who only root for America in international competitions it always wins (i.e. swimming and basketball). But why not put the energy behind a team that is entertaining, story-driven and, most importantly, can win?
The final bit falls on some moral responsibility (remember how I mentioned the legitimate geopolitical reasons would come up later). We can pretend that soccer transcends conflicts and borders, as Luis Hernandez suggests, but the reality is those issues will persist during and after the game.
From using the notion of manifest destiny to stealing half of Mexico’s land with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, to then presidential candidate Donald Trump painting a caricature of Mexican immigrants as drug-carrying rapists who are entering the country to commit crimes, Americans kind of owe it Mexicans to show some kind of support to the country.
Will it magically solve the frayed relationship between the U.S. and Mexico? Of course not. But supporting the neighbors to the south is certainly a cultural step in the right direction.
Luis Hernandez and Dwayne de Rosario spoke to Sporting News on behalf of Estrella Jalisco, the official sponsor of the Mexican National Team.