USA Beat Mexico and Then Rubbed


CINCINNATI—Michael Jackson’s 1988 song “Man in the Mirror”—a classic tune, but no one has any idea of ​​an exciting sports arena jam—was playing through stadium speakers late Friday night as the United States men’s soccer team cheerily embraced it. area.

A little less than half an hour ago, Christian Pulisic rushed to the sideline to celebrate the Americans’ first goals in their 2-0 victory over Mexico, raising the front of his number 10 shirt to reveal the same expression, “Man in the Mirror,” He scribbled on his white undershirt with a permanent marker.

At that moment, even highly savvy American football fans may have been left to ponder over the references, struggling to understand exactly what was going on.

Welcome to the wildly competitive, wonderfully small, and endlessly fun rabbit hole of a rivalry between the United States and Mexico soccer teams.

Friday night’s bloody neighbors’ World Cup qualifying match – an important match with three points and first place in the group standings – had all the hallmarks of a classic: two brilliant goals, two physical fights, a red card and borderline mysterious taunts wrapped in multiple layers of insinuation. samples.

“We strongly dislike Mexico’s football team,” said United States coach Gregg Berhalter later, “we are tough opponents and we want to win every time we go on the field.”

To get a sense of the Michael Jackson song, the home-made shirt, and the Americans’ contented mood after the game, Mexico’s goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, in an interview, hoped to see the United States looking in the mirror and seeing Mexico, apparently as Americans present themselves as a team relative to their opponent’s image. implying that they wanted to shape it.

On the scale of Richter’s sports trash talk, the comments barely recorded. But the young American team, which had mixed success in building an identity in the first half of the 14-game qualifying tournament for the 2018 World Cup, nevertheless seemed happy to run with them, to use them as extra fuel.

First, an unexpected response came from Berhalter at a press conference the day before the match. He said the Americans’ two wins against Mexico earlier this year didn’t do enough to earn Mexico’s respect. He said his team should do more on Friday. (American fans also had a say on Friday night, booing Ochoa every time he touched the ball.)

Then came the reaction of the players on the field. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen made two athletic saves to keep the Americans balanced. Then everything—the attacks of the teams, the emotions of the players—turned upside down in a second.

In the latest of two on-court scrambles in the game, Mexican defender Luis Rodriguez menacingly grabbed a handful of winger Brendan Aaronson’s face from behind and sparked a long, ugly string of arguments and bickering between players from both teams. With the teams pushing and running and showing three yellow cards, Pulisic was preparing to enter the field as a substitute. When he did, the vulgar gave way to the sublime.

In the 74th minute, striker Timothy Weah picked up the ball from the right wing and dribbled a series of dribbles from the edge of the penalty area, taking a measure of space. After forming, he threw a perfect half an inch towards the mouth of the goal, where Pulisic flew past Ochoa to take a 1-0 lead over the USA.

It was Pulisic’s first touchdown in a competitive game for the USA since September, when he suffered a high ankle sprain in a qualifying game in Honduras. As the 26,000-strong crowd roared, Pulisic paused to showcase his “Man in the Mirror” shirt before being mobbed by his teammates.

He then shyly tossed aside questions about his shirt, framing the episode as a little joke.

“I think you know the message,” he said. “I don’t need to talk too much about it. It’s no big deal.”

Weah was much more happy to explain. The night before the game, he and defender DeAndre Yedlin said he asked a staff member of the team to draw the jersey that Pulisic would be wearing during the match.

He portrayed the joke as a matter of pride.

“Mexico was talking a lot before the game and beating them silenced them,” Weah said. “We have to keep winning games and beating them, and that’s the only way we can earn their respect.”

After Pulisic’s goal, the Americans pressed for a second. When Weston McKennie scored in the 85th minute “Make a Cero!” – a reference to a famous score line that is repeated between teams from the stands.

And after the final whistle, team staff conspired to play “The Man in the Mirror” from the loudspeakers to accompany the team’s post-match celebrations as a final and cheeky farewell.

It was a sweeping win for the Americans, who beat Mexico 18-8, and tied the United States in points with their arch-rival. at the top of the ranking seven games left. The top three finishers of the group automatically qualify for the World Cup to be held in Qatar next year.

But more than points, young and inexperienced United States players can reap greater intangible benefits from experience: a little lightness, a few demons in the jokes, a night of mirth, and perceived vengeance—sports teams are far less tied together.

“We talked about how they thought they didn’t respect us enough and that we should go out and win,” Berhalter said. “And I think we went out today and won.”





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