06/17/2002
It was tears on one side of the border and cheers on the other as the
United States defeated Mexico and advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals
with a 2-0 victory Monday. The Americans made it known to the world that
they are contenders, putting together their best performance since 1930.
The 1:30 a.m. (CST) start didn't deter fans from both sides of the
border to stay awake and watch the game on television from Jeonju, South
Korea.
"They really deserve to go to the quarterfinals," said Dallas resident
Jesse King, 21, amid chants and hoots at Ben's Half Yard House in
Dallas. "They came a long way. No one can say this is a fluke."
Many fans said the win would do a lot for soccer in the U.S. It will
help push the sport to the forefront of American sports, said Mike
Mathis, 34, of Dallas.
"It's absolutely incredible," he said. "It's the most important win in
U.S. soccer history."
In Mexico City, the loss sparked national mourning, given the rivalry
between the two nations.
“The truth is that it would have been better to lose against any other
team in the world than the United States,” said Hugo Sánchez, a former
top Mexican soccer player and current sports commentator for the
Televisa television network.
President Vicente Fox gave live interviews to both Televisa and the
other major Mexican television network, TV Azteca, after the game at
around 4 a.m., punctuating the importance of the match for a nation that
stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, only to be upset by the
U.S. team.
Many fans at the bar wore red, white and blue with a contingent that wore
Uncle Sam hats and played drums and cow bells to keep the crowd cheering.
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“We should not feel any less because of this loss,” said Mr. Fox, who
had called an informal cabinet meeting to watch the game. “We are
winners in Mexico, and we have to move forward with the same
perseverance as before,” he told Televisa, trying to salve wounds of a
nation that clearly expected to beat its northern neighbor in Mexico’s
national pastime.
There were no immediate reports of disturbances at the Angel of Independence in downtown Mexico City, where soccer fans traditionally congregate after the national team’s games.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, less than a block away, was closed Monday because of the high tensions expected by the match.
The win wasn't lost on U.S. fans who said they enjoy the friendly rivalry.
"This is the one team they did not want to lose to," said Michael Slaughter, 28, of Dallas. "That's why they played so hard. This is one thing they've always beat us at and something they take a lot of national pride in."
In the Mexican border city of Matamoros, fans drove down the city’s main drag honking their horns and waving their flags in honor of their soccer team despite Monday’s loss. Matamoros is just across the border from Brownsville in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Loyalty to Mexico’s team was true for many Brownsville residents as well.
“We love Mexico either way,” said Crystal Torres, a 20-year-old Brownsville resident who drove home from a Matamoros bar where she and friends watched the game, waving a large Mexican flag from a vehicle's window.
Ms. Torres was among dozens of fans who watched the soccer game early Monday morning at a Matamoros bar that stayed opened past closing time.
For the few U.S. fans watching the game on a big screen at the bar, the victory was a nice surprise.
“I wasn’t expecting them to win,” said Sammy Coronado, a 23-year-old Brownsville resident and U.S. fan. “Mexico just didn’t play their best,”
A few tables away from Mr. Coronado, another U.S. fan said she was intimidated to be sitting among mostly Mexico fans.
“That’s why I’m not screaming,” said Rachel Franceschi, a 22-year-old Brownsville resident watching the game with a group of friends. “It was so action packed … You can hear the tears falling.”
In Dallas, some Mexican-Americans were torn between which team to cheer for and said they supported both.
"My parents are from Mexico, but I served in the Marine Corps," Pablo Villarreal, 33, of Dallas said. "The Marines instill national pride, but I still recognize my heritage. I'm rooting for either one."
After the win, fans said they looked forward to taking on Germany in a quarterfinal match Friday.
"Germany should fear us," said Chris Cousins, 30, of Dallas. "They weren't even favored to get out of their group because they have no offense. Now everyone knows we can play."
E-mail kdurnan@dallasnews.com
Dallas Morning News staff writers Laurence Iliff in Mexico City and Brenda Rodriguez in Brownsville contributed to this report.