Opinion: Kick in the pants: U.S.-Mexico soccer rivalry heats up

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In an Op-Ed today Andres Martinez discusses the state of soccer in the United States in preparation for today’s U.S. vs. Mexico game. He analyzes the rivalry that has been heating up between the U.S. and Mexico over the past decade. With the influx of Mexican immigrants still emotionally attached to their team, Mexico has enjoyed a ‘home-field advantage’ when playing the U.S. in either country.

Martinez admits he’s not helping the matter:

I have to confess I am part of the ‘problem’ here. If Mexico and the United States go to war again, I’ll be rooting for the Yanks, but having lived in Mexico until the age of 15, I still have a hard time not rooting for Mexico when the two countries play, given that my boyhood soccer loyalties are all rooted in that country and its league. It is very hard -- a bit sketchy even -- to alter your sports loyalties later in life, as any transplanted Bostonian or Chicagoan in L.A. will tell you.

What do you think about the state of U.S. soccer? Whom are you rooting for? Leave a comment!

--Kevin Patra