Derek Loves Soccer: USA-Mexico
What: United States vs. Mexico CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, Final Round
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Columbus Crew Stadium, ESPN2, and a pub near you!
A short background: A crucial World Cup Qualifier between two rivals going in opposite directions, and easily the most anticipated match on U.S. soil in the last four years (tickets sold out in 90 minutes, and the 2,500 tickets going to Supporters Groups will create the largest U.S. organized SG section for a home National Team match). This is the first match of a ten-game round robin, at the end of which three CONCACAF teams will automatically qualify for the 2010 World Cup, while a fourth will go on to face a South American opponent.
Mexico is struggling. In the third round of qualifying they finished second to Honduras, and only advanced to the Hexagonal on goal differential. Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is under a lot of pressure to fix things, and soon. Starting things off by playing a solid American side in the cold of Columbus, Ohio will not make their turnaround an easy task.
The U.S., meanwhile, cruised through their earlier qualifying rounds - their only loss coming in a meaningless game at fellow-CONCACAF finalists Trinidad and Tobago. Since 2000, the Yanks are 8-0-2 against Mexico at home.
These are, no doubt, the top two teams in CONCACAF. But since 1991, the U.S. has gradually overtaken Mexico as the favorites to top the qualification group. Winning this game is crucial to that end. The U.S. must defend their home advantage while Mexico is in dire need of a positive result and the confidence it would bring. Really, anything other than a win will be considered a huge dissapointment for the U.S.
Why you need to watch: Does the United States have any other significant sports rivalries? Football? No. Baseball? Not really, nor is there really a US National Baseball team. Basketball? I guess every four years it’s fun to watch NBA players compete against the world, but when they lose to Argentina I usually just wish I hadn’t watched. I’ll admit I like watching the USA hockey team in the Olympics every four years, especially when they play Canada or Russia, but it’s not a sustained competition. And on that note, I’m sure that it used to be fun to face the USSR in the Olympics every two years, but we rarely competed against them in a popular team sport competition.
This is Mexico - our neighbors. (Playing Canada usually just feels like facing slightly less-athletic versions of ourselves.) It’s an intense rivalry on the field that often translates to equal animosity among opposing supporters in the stands. And Mexicans HATE (not enough emphasis there) the fact that the U.S. national team has, in terms of results, surpassed their own. They’re making voodoo dolls, people.
Where to watch: If you’re in the DC area, the official Shockey Brigade viewing party will be in the downstairs bar at Summer’s Restaurant in Arlington, unless the owner’s a douche and I feel like moving the party to the official AO party down the street at Kitty O’Shea’s. We’ll be there around 5 p.m. for some of the earlier European games as well as France-Argentina. Requests to relocate to Lucky Bar will be entertained.
If you’re in New York, your best options are Nevada Smith’s or the official NYC AO party at Jack Demsey’s.
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