Copa Mundial? Nunca para Mexico

El Tri?

No.

No, no, no.

Hell, no.

Never.

There. I thought I’d give you my answer before we even discuss the question, which is...

Since the USA didn’t qualify for the World Cup, should we root for Mexico?

You’re free to make your own decisions, of course, but I couldn’t do it.

Not now.

Not ever.

This isn’t about culture or race or language, either. I have absolutely nothing against Hispanics — in fact, I married one.

The Mexican coast, or maybe the city of Guadalajara, might be a lovely retirement spot.

But on a soccer pitch, there have been so many nasty incidents and so much bad blood between the U.S. and El Tri, you’re either on one side or the other.

YOU WANT to cheer for Mexico, then close your eyes and picture Rafael Marquez doing that flying head butt that might have killed Cobi Jones in the 2002 World Cup.

That game came in the round of 16, the U.S. won it 2-0 and there were pictures of fans weeping on the streets of Mexico City.

Loved it.

Mexicans are wonderful, and I’m privileged to know many — on both sides of the border.

The country itself has a pretty cool vibe.

But on a soccer pitch ...

Imagine if the situation were reversed and Mexico had tanked while the U.S. made it to the World Cup.

Do you think all those El Tri supporters would dress up in red, white and blue?

Hah!

Ironically, two amazing things happened last weekend.

First, FIFA awarded the 2026 World Cup to North America — yes, a joint bid to host from the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Great cooperation all around, and I thank the Mexican soccer federation with all my heart for the work they did to help land the planet’s biggest sporting event.

SECOND, Mexico upset defending world champion Germany 1-0 in a group game — surely the most historic victory ever for El Tri.

The thousands of Mexicans who made the journey to Russia for this tournament are going bonkers.

Mexicans everywhere, for that matter.

Me?

“Ich bin sauer!”

I could barely watch as the Germans somehow missed all 26 shots.

So to answer the original question again...

No, I’ll never root for El Tri.

One reason this debate has come up is the appearance of former U.S. star Landon Donovan doing TV promotions — sponsored by Wells Fargo — that feature our longtime hero holding a scarf that says: “My Other Team is Mexico.”

You’ll recall that Wells Fargo was found guilty of so much theft and misconduct, the company was fined a BILLION dollars.

So there’s a PR campaign going on, and maybe Wells Fargo wants to reach the 38 million or so Mexicans who live in the United States.

Fine.

But Donovan has no business shilling for El Tri — which he discovered in a blizzard of tweets from former U.S. teammates who called him out.

“No way, man,” said Cobi Jones, who may still have a headache courtesy of Marquez.

Amen, Cobi.

If Mexico somehow wins the World Cup, I’ll move to Iceland.

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Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press. A Brand New Day appears Wednesday through Saturday each week. Steve’s sports column runs on Tuesdays.

Email: [email protected].

Twitter: @BrandNewDayCDA