In Gold Cup final, it's red, white and boo again

[The Northerner]

It was imperfectly odd. It was strangely unsettling. It was uniquely American.

On a balmy early Saturday summer evening, the U.S soccer team played for a prestigious championship in a U.S. stadium … and was smothered in boos.

Its fans were vastly outnumbered. Its goalkeeper was bathed in a chanted obscenity. Even its national anthem was filled with the blowing of air horns and bouncing of beach balls.

Most of these hostile visitors didn't live in another country. Most, in fact, were not visitors at all, many of them being U.S. residents whose lives are here but whose sporting souls remain elsewhere.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0626-plaschke-gold-cup-20110626,0,7072114.column

[Blue_Tires]

1. Tim Howard had a bad night

and the U.S. strategy after going up 2-0 was questionable, to say the least...Entertaining game, and the U.S. had a good chance to shut the crowd up, but pissed it away...

And in reference to the column, IF (big IF) supporters of the stars and stripes consistently swarmed the ticket office with the same fervor of other certain nations, then they wouldn't be outnumbered 4-1 in a "home" game, and there isn't a problem...

This isn't a new phenomenon...Fans of Mexico and other soccer-mad nations have always flooded our stadiums, and will continue to do so until we step our own game up...

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

2. Liking soccer is un-American and makes Nordic Baby Jesus cry. -nt

[Blue_Tires]

4. Ironically, the labor dispute in American football meant the Gold Cup

got more viewers than it normally would have...

This weekend was probably the first time many even watched the national team since the World Cup...

[tkmorris]

21. There is no American football in June anyway

I don't think that was a factor.

[Blue_Tires]

25. I meant all the sports news coverage would be on training camp

and preseason practices...

[JonLP24]

31. I don't understand the connection

They don't play football til September, August in college football.

[MineralMan]

3. It's kind of like what happened a few years ago when

the Nebraska Cornhuskers played UC Berkeley in Berkeley. My wife and I drove up there to see the game, since her father played for the Huskers way back in 1941. The stadium was 4 to 1 Nebraska fans, all in red, with cornheads and everything. People flew out to see the game and Nebraska alums in California traveled to see the game. The stands looked like the game was being played in Nebraska.

The Cal fans were simply outnumbered drastically. Oh, yeah, the Huskers won, of course.

[joeglow3]

5. Husker Nation!!!!!!

[MineralMan]

6. Yes, indeed!

Another fun story. My old alma mater, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, hosted the Huskers wrestling team several years ago, in a match. I decided to go to the match, so I put on my Husker's T-shirt and grabbed my cornhead, and drove into town. I bought a ticket and went into the gym. There were about 50 Huskers fans in the stands, pretty much outnumbering the few others who had come to see the match. I'm proud to have been the only one with a cornhead in the stands.

So, the Nebraska wrestling team came out onto the floor, lead by the team captain. We all set up a loud cheer for the team. The captain looked over at us, all decked out in our Husker gear. He just smiled and shook his head. He probably didn't even really know where the heck they were, but there was a group of Husker fans, waiting to cheer the team on.

I never followed sports at Cal Poly, so I wasn't really embarrassed to be cheering the visitor's team.

Now I live in the Twin Cities, MN. The Huskers are part of the Big 10 now, so I'll get to see some games right here. Go Big Red!

[damntexdem]

13. Boo, Nebraska! Next time, Cal!

;-)

[Snoutport]

7. Exactly...if Americans don't like our teams being booed...go buy some tickets.

[hughee99]

34. Yes, but the question is, what do Americans dislike more,

having our teams get booed, or paying to watch soccer.

[Codeine]

8. Timmy wasn't at fault.

Bornstein and the rest of the back line can take all the blame for that debacle.

[Blue_Tires]

23. Back line was completely disorganized, but he did let in a couple of soft ones...

[Lizzie Poppet]

10. He got hung out to dry, IMO.

Absolutely ludicrous defensive play from the backfield, really. Mexico is a mid-tier team, at best... against a side like Spain or the Netherlands, there would have been 10-2.

[VWolf]

16. Totally agree.

Dismal performance all around.

I think our entire youth system needs to be re-worked. Our players' skills are getting crushed by the college system, or perhaps even earlier.

[Romulox]

9. Sounds like the kind of thing that will keep sponsors away from the "big game".

:shrug:

[Drale]

11. I keep hearing people say that video games cause violence, WRONG!

Soccer or "football" is what causes violence, whats the old saying "its not a good football match if there isn't at least a small riot?"

[VWolf]

14. Riiiiight

Shit like that never happens in, say, baseball. On opening day. In LA.

[damntexdem]

12. Viva Mexico!

Great victory!

[rabs]

15. Maybe the Mexican strikers deserve a little credit for the four goals? n/t

[VWolf]

18. The Dos Santos goal was a gem.

The other 3 were weak.

[malaise]

22. That was a great goal n/t

[Blue_Tires]

24. Agreed...

seeing that in low-angle slow-motion is the very reason God invented HD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsE5lJh-s5E&feature=related

[VWolf]

17. I was at a US-Mex WC qualifier a few years back

Same deal, largely Mexican crowd. No big deal. They bought the tickets, they could cheer for whoever they wanted.

Afterwards, we shared some brews with a few of them. Nice bunch of guys. No problems. Probably didn't hurt that the final score was 2-2.

Only when the US produces a consistantly strong side will more fans come around. Unfortunately, after this weekend's disaster, I fear we're heading in the wrong direction as a team.

[rabs]

19. Reminds me of Netherlands v. Ireland in 1994 World Cup

Played in Orlando, Fl. Half the stadium was orange, half green. There was a minute of silence for Andres Escobar, the Colombian player shot to death in Medellin for scoring an own goal in earlier game against USA, eliminating Colombia.

Netherlands won, then the orange and green got together at a refurbished railroad station in downtown Orlando. The beer flowed like a river, no violence, just celebration by both sides.

Btw, did you see that River Plate was relegated to second division yesterday in Buenos Aires? First time in 110 years.

Boca Juniors fans celebrated with glee. Vamos Boca !!


(Edit to add Escobar own goal was against USA.)

[VWolf]

27. Same WC, I was at Italy-Ireland

Being Italian, I was disappointed at the result, but afterwards we tailgated with the Irish for hours. Great memories.

As for River Plate, what can you say. Every club (except Inter Milan) spends some time in the 2nd division.

[TMcCaleb]

30. Iv'e heard of

Americans fans being harassed by Mexican fans including hit with bags of urine and lit flares.

[KamaAina]

20. I thought we'd stopped holding internationals against Mexico in L.A.

for this very reason. I know it's the Gold Cup, but a Mexico-USA final was the expected outcome going in. Giants Stadium would have worked nicely for the final.

We finally wised up and held a World Cup qualifier against El Tri in Columbus, Ohio -- in February. The Mexican press called it La Guerra Fria -- the Cold War. We won.

[Blue_Tires]

26. I think the organizers were thinking

if by some longshot either MEX or USA didn't make it, they still wanted a decent turnout...

and still, if Sam's Army doesn't step up and get tickets, it won't matter if the next game is in Alaska...

[HuckleB]

41. Put that game in the northwest and US fans would fill the stadium, and be the majority.

[TMcCaleb]

28. forgot

that LA is now part of Mexico.........if they hate the US why do they keep coming here?

[Union Scribe]

29. Were Mexico's dopers playing?

I, for one, hate it when I eat tainted chicken and it makes me awesome at sports.

[WatsonT]

32. That's pretty disgusting

if you want to live here you shouldn't boo the US team and interrupt our national anthem.

You don't have to cheer but have some modicum of respect and class.

If thousands of Americans were living in Mexico illegally and booed the Mexican team at a game there they would be severely beaten.

Just something to keep in mind.

[Moses2SandyKoufax]

33. How do you know for sure that the Mexican fans

are here illegally?

[WatsonT]

35. Statistics

[JonLP24]

36. That doesn't make a lot of sense

because Los Angeles is home to a large number of people of Mexican ancestry that were born here legally. Famous examples are Bill Richardson, Salma Hayek, Mark Sanchez, Selena Gomez, etc. Of course there are probably illegal immigrants living in Los Angeles but how did thousands (only asking with that number because you said thousands of Americans living illegally in Mexico) afford tickets (since they typically work for very low wages) to a Gold Cup match and how do you disregard the statistic that over 1 million people of Mexican ancestry are from Los Angeles? Edited to add-Los Angeles is the largest city of people with Mexican ancestry.

[RZM]

38. As I commented below, it's more troubling that US citizens were jeering the US team

While I think it's disrespectful for anybody to insult the host country during a sports match, I'm not troubled by actual Mexican citizens doing that. That comes with the territory in soccer matches. What's troubling is US citizens doing that, which casts doubt on arguments that the children and grandchildren of immigrants are assimilating as fast as they should be.

[HuckleB]

43. Assimilating?

Do you know anything about US history?

[RZM]

46. Yes. Your point? n/t

[HuckleB]

47. Is obvious.

:rofl:

[WatsonT]

39. Typically the people who go through the process of becoming a US citizen

are more favorably inclined to the US than those who simply see this as a place to work and nothing else.

None of which of course has anything to do with my original point: namely that this behavior would not be tolerated elsewhere.

They are abusing our good natures.

[HuckleB]

44. This supposed behavior tolerated in every sport the world over.

Pay attention.

[WatsonT]

48. Not really

booing the national anthem of the home country during a soccer match would not be well received most places.

Surely you can agree that this is disrespectful? If our countries were at war and they were coming here from abroad for the game, maybe.

But as far as I can tell we aren't at war and these are people who voluntarily made the US their home.

[HuckleB]

42. What?

[RZM]

37. I think many of the fans that cheered for Mexico are US citizens

Particularly the younger set and that is the troubling aspect of this story. I would hope US citizens would cheer for the US team over a foreign rival, but I can understand rooting for Mexico if you are only one generation removed from there. Being proud of your heritage is one thing . . . but denigrating the US team and the national anthem, especially if you are a US citizen, is quite another.

[JonLP24]

40. Personally

I don't think it is a big deal. When it comes to soccer I don't have a team, no team in my city in MLS. The only soccer I really watch is Mexican Primera Division because the only channel that I have that carries soccer is Univision. International I guess I root for USA by default but I prefer good games, about 4 or 5 years ago I really enjoyed watching Spain and Raul and kinda rooted for them but mostly good games. I don't find it troubling that I don't care much for USA soccer though I do like their goalie. I look it at like I view the Cardinals, I don't give a rats ass if anyone boos them and often times their own fans boo them.

You know when I was watching the game, I watched the national anthem and the only thing I could hear was people in the crowd singing the national anthem. I guess there were boos but the singing drowned them out. :shrug:

[HuckleB]

45. Exactly.

Very few, if any, were booing. This is all the work of the modern media drama queens.