So I'm sitting here watching the Telemundo the live broadcast of Mexico at Panama in a World Cup qualifier with one eye and looking at my computer monitor with the other. I don't speak Spanish, but I know that any shouts of GOOOOL will cue me to take my eyes off of the computer screen and on to the TV screen.
Since football season is over, college basketball season is nearly over, and I won't watch the NBA because of the showboats or MLB because of the steroids (just kidding — I pride myself on not being one of those grandstanding, self-righteous blowhards — but the NBA and MLB do bore me more than they used to for some reason), I'm finding soccer is filling the void quite nicely. Particularly, I'm enjoying the high-stakes game of world cup qualifying.
So, just as with any sport, when I get interested, I pull out all the stops; I've watched four or five Cup qualifiers (thoughts below), have four or five more TiVo'd, and will watch or TiVo four or five more still before the weekend is out.
Most notably, I unleashed my patriotism watching the United States play Mexico in Mexico City. A factoid appearing in Sports Illustrated piqued my interest: when ever the United States plays Mexico in a soccer match of import, the Mexicans invariably schedule the game in Mexico City. Why not? The altitude is high (thin air) and the heat is scorching; think of the worst of Denver combined with the worst of Tucson. Not surprisingly, the U.S. has not won in Mexico City in 25 years.
The U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) has attempted to seek respite from Mexico City and appeal to the Mexican soccer authority's humanity. There's a standing offer from the United States that states if Mexico agrees to play their home games against the U.S. in the climate-friendly city of Monterrey, then the U.S. will schedule their home matches against Mexico in Los Angeles, where the Mexican fans outnumber the U.S. fans 10-to-1. What a travesty! If those ungrateful nogoodniks don't start showing some gratitude and root for the country that saved them from poverty and despair ... just kidding again.
Anyway, the Mexicans will not take the USSF up on the offer, so the USSF responds by scheduling their home games against Mexico in the coldest places logistically possible, and the U.S.' recent home record against Mexico is just as impressive as the other way around. That's a rivalry.
And the beat goes on. The United States was game, but lost 2-1 in a match not really as close as the score indicated. The Mexicans played much more aggressively (at one point, Mexico had nine offside calls against them while the U.S. had none), and simply attacked. Every time a U.S. player touched the ball, he seemed to have the weight of the 25-year, winless-in-Mexico City streak on his shoulders. When the U.S. did score, my fist-pump reaction surprised me. Of course, I wanted the United States to win, but usually when my team gives me reason to cheer, I am demonstrative in a cheerful way. My reaction to the U.S. scoring was more steely and cold, like serious diplomatic concessions were on the line.
Eagle-eyed viewers may notice and wonder why I am not watching the U.S. take on Guatemala at present, which is playing out at the same time as Mexico vs. Panama. Again, I'm pulling out all the stops. I have another opportunity to catch the U.S. against Guatemala, at midnight on Telemundo. Not so for Mexico and Panama, so I only need to avoid the U.S./Guatemala score. I was successful in doing so during the first half, quickly looking away whenever a footer (or "crawl") started to take shape on the bottom of the screen. Then again, I am spending most of my time looking at the monitor, so that helps.
I may not be so lucky in the second half, but I like playing with fire. Not speaking Spanish helps. I heard the announcer say "Zero-Zero" at one point while scores were crawling across the bottom, but I didn't hear him say "Estados Unidos" or Guatemala. Maybe that's because I covered my ears for two minutes starting at the "Zero Zero" mark.
Guatemala, incidentally, should be at stern test to the U.S. They crushed a decent Trinidad & Tobago team 5-1 over the weekend, but the Yanks are playing at home this time.
The way World Cup qualifying is set up appeals to me. You've already figured out I'm not purist, but college sports teams joining a conference that is nowhere near them geographically always irritated me. That would never happen in World Cup soccer qualifying, where you might say the United States plays in the North American Conference (which the world soccer governing body, FIFA, calls CONCACAF ... you figure it out, or e-mail me if you really can't), and only a massive, apocalyptic, continental shift will change that. The United States is bound to Mexico and the rest by geography forevermore, and I like that. The conference has its strong foes (Mexico, Costa Rica) and its weak sisters (St. Kitts and Nevis, Belize, Canada), just like the rest of the world.
The other games I've watched have been compelling even if they were one-sided. I remember Scotland qualifying for the World Cup a couple of rotations ago, but now they dwell in the bottom of their pool in Europe and got handled by Italy, 2-0. Plenty of hooliganism (fires, riot police going at it full force with fans) to go around, but the band played on.
England, who somehow ended up in the same draw with two-thirds of the rest of the United Kingdom, took it to Northern Ireland 4-0, and they seem to have the next Pele in Wayne Rooney. Seriously. He's only 19, breaking all sort of "youngest ever" records for the English National team, and he made the sweetest move getting buy a defender - no point in trying to it - that I saw all week.
As for this Panama - Mexico game (in Panama City), every time I look up, it seems the Panamanians have the ball in Mexico's end, but the Mexican defenders seem noticeably faster than the Panamanian forwards, which probably isn't a good sign for Panama, and they trail 1-0.
Have I won you over to soccer yet? Don't answer that.
Thongchai Jaidee Update
If he would've won the Indonesian Open last week, which finished on the deadline for climbing into the top 50 in the world and an receiving an invite to the Masters, he probably would've gotten through. He did get within two of the lead halfway through the first round, but fell off the pace and tied for 11th.
He is currently ranked 65th in the world, which if he can hold or improve on over the next 11 months, that ranking will get him into the lucrative World Match Play Championship of 2006 (it's for the top 64 players, who duke it out March Madness-style, but there's always someone who can't or won't play, so those ranked around 65-68 always have a shot at getting in).
Congratulations are in order for his countryman, Thaworn Wiratchant, who did win (by five strokes, no less) and gives Thongchai a Thai partner on the European Tour trails. Speaking of trails, as Panama ties up the match on an incredible bicycle kick, happy ones to you until next time.
March 31, 2005
Mark:
Hey.. i enjoyed your article, however, you stated that Mexico City has scorching heat. That simply isn’t true. I’ve been to Mexico City many times and while the altitude is high, it is high enough to keep the temperature pleasant year-round. I remember it being 65 for a high on a July day for example. On the other hand, Monterrey is much much hotter.
March 31, 2005
josh:
that was a great article. wow
March 31, 2005
ps:
Hi - enjoyed your piece on the world cup (though I resent your reference to Canada as the patsy of the region; I will have you know that we are ranked number 125th and proud of it). I , too, am a complete soccer fanatic and watch the world cup (I give up sex with my girlfriend for it) religiously; since 1982 (first televised in North America), I have yet to miss any World Cup finals … and, as much as I hate to admit it, the Americans have come a long way - make that a very long way and have produced some fine football (and were unluckly not to have defeated the Germans in Japan/Korea 2002).
March 31, 2005
Bienvenido al mundo del Futbol:
Kevin, welcome to the amazing world of Futbol. I’d strongly recommend that you get some tickets to the upcoming world cup, and go to see the matches. The best of it is the amazing atmosphere of fans from every country in the planet, in bars, hotels, on the streets, everyone having fun together.
If you can get tickets to the final, semis quarterfinals, etc, even better, since those matches are emotional and unforgettable.
Welcome again,
Alex.
March 31, 2005
Homer Simpson:
Soccer is a complete waste of time, one of the dummer sports to watch. boring as hell.
March 31, 2005
Gustavo Butcher:
Hey, excellent column and by the way, we panamanians are still jumping on the streets after Panama draw with Mexico 1-1 with a gol that must be seen by every soccer fan scored by Tejada. Mexico rules in Concacaf, but couldn’t beat the MAREA ROJA (Red Sea as everyone in Panama weas red shirts when Panama plays).
March 31, 2005
Al Sefati:
Whoever thinks soccer is boring has not lived yet.
Soccer is life for rest of the world and it is alot more exciting than Basefball and even American Football.
Baseball is simply a lazy man’s sport. Football stops too much. They move a little, then then they stop.
March 31, 2005
Ann:
Heavens to Betsy, I was wondering why I hadn’t heard from my Iraqi friend (who recently moved to another state) for the last week. World Cup! He sets his alarm for 3:00 a.m. to watch games. He can tell what country a player is from by the way he kicks the ball. Yes, the U.S. may want to brace itself for this sport, when it actually catches on. Hey, wouldn’t that be great, another major sports league in the U.S.! (Just kidding, of course.)…nice article.
March 31, 2005
Arturo Adame:
Thanks to Telemundo, I watched every game of the last two World Cups (Korea/Japan and France). We discontinued our cable service since the few networks I really cared about aren’t the same anymore, e.g., CNN, ESPN. Since I’m bilingual, I can enjoy the game, whatever the network. My dream Cup Final: USA vs. Mexico.
March 31, 2005
Tristan:
Mark’s comment on Mexico City’s weather is spot on. Very mild year round, very pleasant. You can’t go wrong at 7500 feet.
Football is the game of mankind…whether the yanks want to acknowledge or not and every 4 years teh world virtually stops at every world cup.
March 31, 2005
Juna:
Great article….you cannot help but be in awe of the global scale of football. For example the recent Iran-Japan WC qualifier drew over 100,000 people to the stadium in Tehran (unfortunately 5 died in a stampede).
I seriously think that the World Cup is now the biggest sporting event in the world and much more compelling than the overrated Olympic Games.
March 31, 2005
Jason Purdy:
Why wait for next summer? Start watchin EPL (english premier league) on fox sports world. The best of it, the EPL Review Show, is pretty awesome to watch. Check the schedule here: http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/2646572
March 31, 2005
TomT:
OK…Mexico beat the US 2 - 1, fair and square. After the match, bands of Mexican hooligans took to the streets around the stadium, burned our flag and chanted “Osama.” It just goes to show how backwards Mexico still is, how hopefully jealous their people are of their neighbor to the north. They hate America but still risk their lives to cross the desert and jump the border to find a decent job in the US. Mexico isnt the only country that behaves like this during soccer matches. Ignorant fans around the world - Greeks, French, Indonesians - chant mindless anti-US taunts at soccer matches. Lets keep politics out of sports. Youll never see an American at a soccer match taunting a foreigner about where he comes from. We respect people and we love the game.
March 31, 2005
JT:
Soccer is the most fluid game, much like basketball or hockey, but with more players, a bigger field & a lot less stoppage time. Easily the best sport to actually play, & there is a strong argument toward watching it on screen as well.
/my 2 cents
March 31, 2005
TomTSucks:
haha, Tom T…that’s crazy talk. Yes you will. I see stupid americans in ALL sports whether it be NASCAR (i know i know) or soccer. people taunt the other team in any way they can. Drunky-ness causing stupidity and un-nice things to be said. It just happens…
April 1, 2005
Kevin Beane:
Thank you, everyone, for the kind words! It’s exhilirating as a writer to read this amount of feedback. You will DEFINITELY be hearing more from me on soccer/football/futbol, and I cheerfully retract my “scorching heat” comment about Mexico, a stupid assumption on my part based on it’s relative closeness to the equator.
And TomT, I’m still chuckling that you make a contentious, trolling, politically-charged post, and say “Let’s keep politics out of sports.”
April 3, 2005
Terrapin Joe:
Brother, that was a great article and I share your sentiments in regards to the World Cup. I am completely nuts for “footie” and often find myself in the oddest places trying to catch important European matches. Think big black guy at the Irish or English Pub… Thank god for Red Stripe beer. Since I have moved to Phoenix (Talk about Hot) I have discovered the joy and passion for the Mexican leagues. Soccer is truly the world’s sport and I was blessed to see World Cup group play when the cup was held here. The people, the traditions, the differing styles of play and the fans love of team country and the game make it a unique sporting experience. I must say I can’t wait for next year….
April 11, 2005
Laura Smith:
I think soccer is the coolest sport ever!!!
October 8, 2005
Prad Maraj:
Nice article
It seems that Team USA has to win the big one before the fever catches in the States. Go Trindad and Toago
!!!!!!!!