Who do I root for tonight? Believe it or not it's quite easy... I am an American of Mexican descent. I am so proud of my ancestry that I communicate to my daughter in Spanish only to insure she speaks the language of her ethnicity. I love the people of Mexico, the food, the art, the music, the incredible history...MINUS the Mexican National Team. Decades of arrogance and dirty play by "El Tri" trump any allegiance I have to them. Join my passion for the US Nats as I deliver the live play by play for tonight's match here: http://gsnap.com/465 (mobile or desktop browser) Hope to discuss with you what is always a furiously paced and passionate match!
my parents are from el salvador but i love both teams when they play each other i just hope they tie. if either wins the world cup in my lifetime ill die happier
Dude, you are an American. I was born in Canada from british parents and I grew up in America, I'm American. I love all things British/ commonwealth, well not all of it, but we are both Americans, don't mean the country's our families came from are bad they are great just like every country has great things about them. Root for the US as they represent us and our families that came to the states for a better life-where even the son of an African can become President. US is the future-always has. I'm looking forward to your show.
Many of us fall into this category but where your parents or grandparents were born really doesn't matter any more. While you may hold a soft spot in your heart for your relatives country of origin, you're either an American or you're not. Nothing ticks me off more then the countless people you see at these games, with questionable citizenship,cheering for their birth country while taking with both hands, every benefit this country has to offer. At some point, if these people belong here, then they should support their new country, If they're not willing to do that or they don't belong here then GET THE HELL OUT. I promise you that they won't be missed
If you are an American, the choice is easy. You cheer for the good guys. When the USA is not playing, it is perfectly acceptable to stroke your other loyalties based on heritage/culture if you so choose.
I hear ya Cannon and what you say has alot of merit, but if I'm truly about support your right to do whatever, I need to be ok with someone cheering against the country you live in (as much as I don't like it, yeah I'm socially liberal...LOL). Kinda like the flag burning thing, I'll never ever burn a flag but would support someone's right to burn it. I'm with you, I friggin' hate it when I see my own badmouth the US Nats (which is why the "La Guerra Fria" and the S. Korea '92 victories wero SO sweet). Go Yanks!
Well the obvious answer is to root for the US, but if you decide not to, do it respectfully. In other words, dont boo or jeer the US team.
Born in Los Angeles to parents from El Salvador but my alliegence is to the USMNT. Whenever they play I hope We dont beat their asses by more than 2 goals lol.
My grandparents are from scotland. When/if the USA plays Scotland... I root for... the USA. I am an American... not Scotch. If Scotland plays another team... I'll root for Scotland.
You know, it's not as black and white as you guys make it sound. Honestly, the only reason I probably root for the US over Mexico is that I was a difficult kid that loved challenging anything my parents regarded as the norm. Most of us, Hispanics, grew up with the sport because of our parents. Our culture dictated our passion for the sport, and the only teams we ever knew about were from the MFL or the MNT. I was the subject to much ridicule during the 98 World Cup, I can't imagine many 11 year olds withstanding the sort of humiliation that I endured by my family. Most Mexican fans who happen to be American don't hate the US; they simply dislike the USMNT. With all that said; I hope to god we beat the sh*t out of Mexico. 3-0!
Gotta admit, I get massive benefits from the Norwegian government, but if the US played Norway in Oslo, I would absolutely root for the US. So I have a hard time taking as strong a stance on this as you do.
I was born in Texas & cheer for the US, my parents & the rest of my family was born in Mexico & they all really hate Landon Donovon, while not even knowing who the other American players are. So I'm hoping he gets a hat trick tonight.
YEAHHHH BABY !!!!!!!! A 3-0 ass kicking of El Tri by the US Nats! A la bim! A la bom! A la bim bom bah! Mexico! Mexico! HA! HA! HA!
Decades of dirty play? Seems to me like you don't know much about the MNT and have already made up your mind. Either way, the easy way to figure out which team to support is to think about the 2002 WC game in Korea. Were you happy or upset that the USMNT won? Surely as an american, you would be aware of what "freedom of speech" means and not supporting the nation's soccer team doesn't make anyone less of an american. I know people who are fighting for the freedom of this country in Iraq and Afghanistan yet don't support the USMNT. Do you want the to "get the hell out" as well?
Dude...I just want the US Nats to WIN and with with FLAIR Check out my play by play tonight here: http://gsnap.com/465
For some reason this isn't as hard for me. I was born in the US, but lived in Mexico for most of my life. I always felt american, though so whenever in school we learned about the ninos heroes or the alamo all my classmates wanted to beat me up. I love Mexico with all my heart, as well as the US, but the ignorance of many mexicans and the insults I have endured to all my life from my own family have made it easier to root for the US against mexico. Especially after Korea.
Well said. It's really easy to wax poetic about the complex facets of national identity as someone who's never had to leave his or her country, but if/when any of you do, I promise you that you will do exactly what these fans are doing when they cheer for Mexico. But hey, it's ok for American expats to cheer for the "good guys" and condition their foreign-born children to do the same, right?
If you're first or second gen immigrant, I can understand a decision to root for your heritage country over the USA, your adopted country - if I moved and then had a kid, I'd want that kid to root for the US. However, there should be two rules. First, root for your team, not against the USA. Second, if your child is a soccer prodigy, and goes to US soccer camps, and attends school in Bradenton, then he belongs to us, damnit.
From my experiences I have noticed it is different for European-Americans and Hispanic-Americans. It seems much harder for Hispanics to decide between the US and their parents' country. I'm not saying this is true for everybody. European-Americans don't have as a strong connection with their heritage's country. They don't speak the language. Don't visit, or visit rarely. They don't have any family, or don't communicate with the family over there. Their families are almost fully assimilated into American culture. As opposed to most Hispanics who most of them still speak Spanish. They regularly visit their parents country. They still have family over there and see them every time they visit. Their parents are not really assimilated into the American culture. The parents don't speak English, they only speak Spanish. The parents usually only socialize with other Hispanics. Most of the children's friends are Hispanic. They still hold a strong identity with their heritage. Once again, I am not saying this is true for everybody, this is just from my experiences. By the way, I was born and raised in the US, my dad is from El Salvador and my mom is from Honduras. I root for all 3 NT's and give a slight edge to the US over Honduras and ES. Just Barely.
I am part Canadian/American... The question of who you root for should be really simple.. Whether your a citizen or not, you root for the country you live in, a country that provides you shelter, a job (hopefully), etc. You root for other team in your life every other time they don't play the US. Besides soccer, US- Canada have some very intense hockey games. Canadians treat hockey like Mexico treats soccer.. Very intense. I root for the US in hockey and many times the US is the under-dog, much like we were in soccer for sooooo long.. - What was the name of that program/idea that Steve Sampson had when he was the US coach? The idea being to get the non-usa fans to be usa fans when he usa was playing different teams. I think it had something to do with Sampson speaking Spanish (?) and trying to build a fan base.. - None the less, pride will keep many fans from supporting the other team. I may take another decade of solid US play- especially in the world cup itself, before all fans support the US without second thoughts.
Interesting topic. It's nice to see some thoughtful (for the most part) discussion about this issue. I'd guess the reason that the situation is different for most Hispanics (compared to those of European descent) is that so much Hispanic immigration to the US has happened recently. I suspect as time goes by, and Hispanic families enter their 3rd, 4th, etc. generations in the US, the ties to the US will be stronger than the ties to the old country. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of recent, say, Serbian or Croatian immigrants to the country root for the old country rather than the new. I think it's just natural. I actually don't mind seeing Hispanic fans kitted out in the colors of the US and their home country. I think it's pretty cool, actually, and I can understand why there's a bit of a conflict when the US comes up against the old country. Then again, I'm one of those people who thinks that Hispanic immigration has added something new and good to our culture.
Exactly, my father is Scottish (and lives there today), but the US comes first. I do keep up with Scotland, but if they play on the same day or in the same tournament, sorry Scotland.