An Unrivaled Rivalry in Sports
We’ve all heard about some of the greatest rivalries in sports: Red Sox vs Yankees; Lakers vs Celtics; and Vikings vs Packers. But one of the most intense rivalaries in the entire world is often overlooked: the US men’s soccer team vs Mexico. The proximity is only one part of it; and an element that’’s mimicked in many other soccer (futbol/football) rivalaries – France/Germany and Argentina/Brasil to name a few. However, none of these matchups have the same socio-economic underpinings as USA vs Mexico. With Mexico in the US shadow in almost all other categories (Olympic sports, economy, education availablity, employment options, safety, natural resources, etc), this “game” is one of the few avenues that Mexicans and Mexican-Americans can assert their pride over the US. Add to that complexity the huge number of Mexican immirants and American citizens of Mexican heritage, it is quite evident how the 22 men on the pitch are fighting for far more than what shows up on the scoreboard.
This Wednesday, the rivalry continues at 4 PM on ESPN2 from Columbus, Ohio. As a preview, I’ve posted the video recap of the 2-0 USA victor over Mexico in the second round (single elimination) of the 2002 World Cup. This was arguably the most important victory for the US in the history of this rivalry.
