Acción Copa Mundial

The World Cup has been underway for sometime, and I have been into it about as much as any American. I have been reminded some of the '06 Cup, when I was also into it, but under different circumstances and (naturally, given the time passed) at a different point in my life. I was then working at a restaurant in Scottsdale, Arizona. Apart from a handful of other Americans taking and delivering orders, there were working along side me at any given time a large number of Mexicans. I don't say Mexicans as a lazy shorthand, because they mostly were from that country. I recall one man who was from Guatemala, if memory serves. What they mostly shared, regardless of Spanish-speaking nation of origin, was a passion for El Juego Bonito.

There is, to my knowledge, still no professional soccer team in Arizona. There, one can only watch on TV the matches played elsewhere. There are a number of leagues in Europe whose matches are broadcast here on cable, and at this time I saw little of them. The MLS was on sporadically, and I did not watch those much either. What there was to watch in great abundance was Liga Mexicana. I would likely not have watched much of that on my own initiative either, but found myself watching it against my will. There would be some days at the restaurant where the Latino workers had license from the boss to relax for a little while and watch the futbol telecasts from south of the border. I found myself rooting for Pumas, America or Chivas enthusiastically, for the fervor of my co-workers was most infectious.

The World Cup came around, and excitement was palpable. I and some of the same co-workers drove out to Glendale to watch a USA-Mexico friendly match in person. As the opening of play drew near, I searched for a USA jersey day after day. I knew that the game had yet to take root when I finally ordered online after giving up on finding one anywhere near where I lived. In any case, I set myself to the task of watching matches as much as I could. As you may be aware, team USA did not go terribly far, and the story of that tournament was mainly of Zinedine Zidane's deadly headbutt costing France the win and delivering it to Italy.

With the tournament over, my life went on and my natural sporting predilections took over again. I moved to Los Angeles, losing contact with those at the restaurant but making contact with many others who have an affection for the game. It was a real pleasure to watch an Australia match in the company of boisterous Socceroo fans down in Hollywood. It managed to be quite thrilling watching the USA qualify for the second round all by my lonesome. I now contemplate the immediate prospects of the team and again imagine what might be in this country for the sport as a whole. A successful run will make many soccer fan, and they will stick around for a while if American teams give them a reason to.