With a little over a month until the FIFA World Cup (37 days to be exact), our special podcast series is well underway. So far, we’ve discussed the highs and lows of the France national team, the illustrious history of the Brazil national team, and today, we dive into the fascinating topic of the Mexico national team.
To help understand the passion of El Tri, host Marc Damon is joined by fellow PSG Talk contributor Eduardo Razo, who is a second-generation Mexican-American from Los Angeles, California. Razo paints a picture about how his neighborhood completely stops every four years to watch the Mexico national team. Outdoor watch parties are common and you can hear simultaneous cheers (and groans) as fans react to every moment of the match. Mexican flags adorn passing cars and hang outside of apartments and for a split second, you might actually think you’re in Mexico.
The dichotomy of the Mexico national team being more popular in the United States than the home team is the subject of the first part of the podcast. Damon and Razo discuss what it means to be Mexican in the United States when it comes to football and why the passion of El Tri supporters is sometimes seen as traitorous or disrespectful by some U.S. fans. Who you support in the United States–even for Mexicans who rather support the U.S. over the team of their heritage–is seen as a dividing line unlike any in world football.
Television networks, especially Fox Sports since the United States didn’t qualify, certainly hope Mexico can make a deep run so that they can cash in on the ratings but is it realistic to expect El Tri to make it out of a tough group that includes reigning champions Germany as well as South Korea and Sweden?
Even if you live on the other side of the world and have no tie to Mexico whatsoever, this discussion is a must-listen. From the history of Mexico in the World Cup to the golden boy Hirving Lozano, Damon and Razo cover every angle of El Tri both on and off the pitch.
Be sure to subscribe to our podcast (iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher) to receive every episode of The World Cup Project. The next episode will be available on May 11 and we will be talking with Cose Espinosa about the legacy of the Spain national team and more. Talk to you then!
