Tech on Tec

            Last Sunday afternoon, our class traveled to Papa Bill’s clad in tri colors, but they weren’t that of the United States. These greens, whites, and reds were in obvious support for our temporary motherland, which ended up being a mistake because traitors never win.

            The CONCACAF Gold Cup Championship between Mexico and the United States last Sunday, which was the 9^th edition of the most important tournament in the region, was played at Soldier Field in Chicago.  The overwhelming support in the 60,000-plus stadium was clearly pro-Mexico, except for the US fan base behind one goal, the entire stadium was overwhelmed with the endless sea of green. 

            The game started off appearing as an evenly matched game, without an apparent upper hand in either direction. This changed as Mexico began pushing into their offensive final third, but although they were in the American penalty box, they couldn’t finish the ball.  After many excruciatingly close attempts in the first half Mexico finally scored, but this didn’t stop the US attempts on goal in the second half, which concluded with an American victory. This was made possible by Donovan’s successful penalty kick followed by the phenomenal game winning shot drilled from 25 yards out by US midfielder, Feilhaber, into the upper 90 of the Mexican net over Sanchez’s head, an nearly impossibly shot to block.

            Although this game may have seemed insignificant to viewers who don’t follow soccer, football enthusiasts can appreciate the importance of this second Gold Cup Championship for the States.  Football has become a relatively recent phenomenon in the United States, compared to that of our Southern Hemisphere competitors.

In the past two decades, the United States has risen from a mere mockery to a respectable team, and even though they began to fall behind Mexico during the first half on Sunday, “they didn’t fall apart as they might have in years past.” United States coach Bradley commented on their confidence developing as a result of “those home victories they’ve piled up over El Tri recently” and this helped them to “win in a different way.”

Even though they have the footwork and miraculously placed goals to back up their reputation, the international politically charged opinion of the United States and our current administration has caused the team much turbulence during away games. This negative stigma was not helped in the semi-finals when the US played Canada during which there were many controversial calls in US favor, including the potential match point that was voided because of an off side call by the sideline referee.

Though the United States ended with the trophy, the Mexican coach, Hugo Sanchez, did not feel that the final game and tournament were to be viewed with a negative sentiment. During a post game interview, he commented about the level of play of both teams, saying that “when the rival takes advantage of their opportunities one must congratulate your rival. The U.S. was more practical but we deserved a better result. Many times the team that plays best is not the one who wins, but the most efficient and the one that takes advantage of their opportunities.”

The final outcome was disappointing for Mexican fans, but the level of play was intense and the atmosphere on our adventure was engaging and a overall great experience.