The fallout from the 5-0 thrashing that the weakened USMNT received from Mexico is one of controlled anger here in the States. While disheartening, disappointing, and embarassing, many of us are attempting to take the loss in stride; completely discounting the significance is impossible, but we attempt to be realistic about the meaning (see my post on the subject). I'm fighting hard to balance my feelings between minimizing a loss I see as an obvious aberration and giving the command Mexican performance its proper credit.
Not so in the Mexican press.
I suppose it was to be expected. I'm certain that we here, the bloggers and sparse mainstream writers who serve as "press" for American soccer, would be doing a little crowing of a similar nature; but tell me that you don't think that his is just a bit over the top.
Excepts borrowed from FIFA.com.
"El Tri are still the kings" headlined the website Mediotiempo.com, an indication of the general euphoria that seized the nation. "Giants or not, Mexico are the best team in the CONCACAF Zone," continued the report. "And that's not just because of the result. No other country in the region has won five Gold Cups, which is one more than the Stars and Stripes."
"El Universal was just as triumphant in its reaction. "A golden dream" ran the headline of an article that greeted the end of Mexico's barren run north of the border with relief. "Javier Aguirre's boys have created a new era by showing that they can beat a team that has been a thorn in the side of El Tricolor. The trophy held aloft by the captain Gerardo Torrado was a reward for the 35 days they spent together and released the tension that has built up over a whole decade."
Mexican fans also took to the streets in jubilation, a reaction that seems a tad ridiculous to me, but makes sense in the context of Mexico's record on American soil in recent years.
It certainly adds a new layer of intrigue to the August 12th showdown in Mexico City, a game that was already rife with tension and subplots before the Gold Cup team folded. Bob Bradley surely knows that this "A" team players will be anxious to make amends; his ability to channel that energy will be crucial to the American performance.
What do you think? Overreaction on the part of the Mexicans and their press, or an understandable reaction to a "historic" win?
