Reviews

World Cup, Day 4: Rooting for My Neighbors

6/17/2018

Mexicanos visitan el corazón de Moscú

In any World Cup, I would be rooting for nuestros vecinos in the first round.

This time around, that means Panama and Costa Rica and Mexico, plus Colombia, which is not in our federation, but surely part of our world.

Mexico had a memorable opening match on Sunday, scoring early and holding on for a 1-0 victory over Germany, the defending champions. On the television, I saw a throng of green-shirted fans, from the large comfortable class of that complicated North American nation, rooting for the spirited, well-coached Mexican squad to round out the upset.

The knockout rounds will take care of themselves. The old champs are always with us, or usually.

I have a strong feeling for the players from the Americas who resemble guys who live and work in my suburb outside New York, whose sons and daughters are going to school with my grandkids – plus, I think about my late doctor, Ken Ewing, former defender and captain of Guatemala back in the day.

Mis vecinos.

Plus, these are not normal circumstances.

Not since I witnessed the President of the United States rubbing his hands with glee at the prospect of building a wall, and holding children hostage to his scheme.

Not since I witnessed the garden-gnome of an attorney general quoting the Bible to justify ripping infants away from the breast of their mothers, to teach those people a lesson.

I am rooting for my neighbors because I am ashamed of the way the current rulers of my country are using them as instruments of prejudice and retribution.

The squads from Mexico and Central America and the Caribbean do not normally need extra motivation against the U.S. They come to every match with jaws out, eyes glaring, as if they were making up for the cruelty of the major fruit companies, or the invasions in the Mexican-American war, or Landon Donovan urinating on a bush during a practice session.

Mexico keeps qualifying for the World Cup – FIFA has a generous quota for qualifiers from the region – but does not fare well in the knockout rounds. The Yanks humbled El Tri, dos a cero, in the round of 16 in 2002 and Mexico has never quite regained its swagger in that rivalry.

For this World Cup, the U.S. has backslid right out of the field. Panama will play Belgium (my long-range hope to win it all) on Monday -- a tug of rival loyalties. On Sunday Costa Rica lost to Serbia, and later Mexico held steady against a Germany team that seemed to regard the match as a tuneup.

What a sight in the end: the mobile keeper, Manuel Neuer, roaming upfield to join the desperate scrum for one extra head or foot on a stray ball, which never happened.

The success by El Tri in far-off Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow will not affect the hardened heart of the cruel pharaoh. Little brown children remain separated from their parents.
Not that it helps, but until further notice I am rooting for mis vecinos to keep going.
* * *
(Enjoy the great Andres Cantor calling the goal by Hirving Lozano. Watch how Lozano evades Mesut Ozil at the end of a stunning counter-attack. Golllllllll!)

Hansen Alexander

6/17/2018 06:33:45 pm

A delightful piece about a delightful Mexican win. With the US and Italy not qualifying, I happened on Mexico, because like FDR and Jack Kennedy, I am a good neighbor!

pak152

6/17/2018 09:54:35 pm

how about leaving the Trump Derangement Syndrome nonsense out of your soccer postings. Want to rant about the current administration then do a politics blog

George Vecsey

6/17/2018 09:56:32 pm

my blog, dude

bruce

6/18/2018 04:23:14 pm

pak152

perhaps you should read george's reply a few times.

or stop reading.

or defend the most flawed human to hold the office of potus in the modern era.

and the usa had a couple or three strange ones in my lifetime.

bruce

Brian Savin

6/18/2018 07:37:50 am

Is the World Cup about sport or politics? It certainly has a healthy dose of corruption, which seems to infect both. This latest entry makes me uncomfortable. Very. It fuels my concerns that the tribal passions enflamed by ersatz “nationality-based” teams may not be best for the sport, or its fans. It also pretty much erases a lot of kindly thoughts I’ve recently been encouraged to have concerning the current structure of FIFA competition.

George Vecsey

6/18/2018 09:42:56 am

Brian, thanks for the entry. I gave a perhaps too-terse response to the previous comment, but should have used you as a reference as somebody who comes back at me with a different point of view. That's what it's for....

As for the World Cup, in a world of growing or perhaps narrowing nationalism (including the USA), it's hard to parse the border between pride and aggression.

But with so many different nations -- and sizes -- and circumstances -- why ignore the real feelings of hope and pride, even in something as foolish as a soccer tournament? Sometimes football is used for sociopaths who destroy ("hooligans") but that usually is an excuse to pillage, not to represent a "people." I've been around World Cup crowds in eight Cups and found African, Costa Rican, Turkish, Irish fans all charming in foreign places. (Still have a crisp Costa Rican bill somebody gave me at 5 in the morning in Central Station, Seoul, in 2002.) I have no problem with various diasporas being scoured for players with eligibility. The Mexican fans were adorable on TV yesterday; German fans appropriately unhappy. I don't think there is much carryover to some of the nasty business being conducted today in countries I could name. Thanks for your comment. GV

Brian Savin

6/18/2018 08:31:38 pm

George, you've always got a good point, and do now. But let me press a bit. A sport that is politically organized (here along country lines) is inviting, and naturally going to encourage, political commentary, as your initiating blog here. That makes the sport subservient to the political. I don't see that as good for the sport, or the fans. It may work in a sport of limited self-selected participating countries,, such as rugby. There you have truly nation-built teams that play international competition among themselves. But in a world wide sport, it's a different kettle of fish. The have nots have little chance of competing with the haves if the team recruitment is limited. That is why Masayoshi Son's concept of professional team competition on the world stage superimposed over so-called "national" competition makes loads of sense to me. It also avoids the ugliness of using the sport as a weapon in political dialogue. I could go on a long time on this, but enough.

Michael

6/18/2018 08:13:54 am

My heart is with Mexico!! Thanks for all of your coverage!

Alan Rubin link

6/18/2018 11:35:20 am

I have been a fan of Mexicans since Sandi and I honeymooned there for three weeks in 1961. I learned from the guide book on the plane down that they are always willing to help and never want to disappoint anyone.

We learned this when we arrived in Mexico City at 2 am due to scheduling problems. Someone at the airport called our hotel to make sure that they would let us in at that late hour.

It was a 200 year old two story hacienda type hotel with a center court and a fountain in the center. The entrance was a huge fortress type door with a smaller one to enter through. It seems that the massive iron door knocker resonated throughout the entire neighborhood, which was near Alameda Park. The sleepy college student who was on night duty could not do enough for us.

One taxi that we rented for a day went way over the allotted time to make sure that we saw as much as possible. He was so engaging, that we did not mind his 15 minute stop at his girlfriend’s house.

Our daughter Jen was living with a family in Oaxaca to learn Spanish and learn black pottery making during the 1994 World Cup.

She became an instant celebrity when she casually mentioned that her father and brother were at the game everyone was watching in the town square. More people got to know her and the remainder of her stay was more enjoyable.

Unlike most managers or coaches of international football teams, other professional sports and high profile college programs, Juan Carlos Osorio is a refreshing change. He empowers his players by outlining what he wants and encouraging them to have a good time when they to accomplish his goals. Osorio then calmly watches and adjusts as needed. The best coaches develop leadership qualities in their players, who take over one the game starts.

This may seem corny and trite, but most of the perennially top high school soccer programs in my area have coaches that give their players freedom to make decision on field once the games is under way. They rarely shout instructions from the sidelines other than general ones such as play higher, or back more or use the wings.

Guillermo Ochoa is among the top keepers in the world and fun to watch. He is a classic example of the saying that the only decision that a goalkeeper needs to make is where to place themselves, everything else is instant.

Ochoa had a fantastic game tying Brazil 0-0 in 2014 World Cup. There was once stretch where he stopped several rapid session point-blank shots. After the game he casually said that he put himself in the path of the ball and everything after took care of itself.

I’m sure that Island’s goalkeeper Halldorsson is of similar mind. He had a clear picture of how he would make the save. I recently read that imaging saves is as important as the physical practice.

Actually, the advantage is always with the goalkeeper as they are not expected to stop penalty kicks while the shooter is expected to score. I find it amazing that about 30% of penalties are stopped. A properly placed shot can move faster than the keeper.

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World Cup, Day 4: Rooting for My Neighbors

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