MEXICAN FOOTBALL!

Don Fantastico

Hi, there. With all the rage over the World Cup as of late, I thought it fitting to talk a bit about Fútbol (Soccer/ Football) in Mexico.

The Mexican National Team, affectionately called El Tri for the tri-colored flag, recently tied with one of the major contenders, Brazil. It wasn't the best game ever played by El Tri but Ochoa definitely made up for the shoddiness of the defence. The game before, they beat Cameroon, 1-0. This leaves them with 4 points,  maintaining their 2nd place spot (behind Brazil) and inching them closer to the next round. One last obstacle stands in their way in Croatia but if they continue to play well, it shouldn't be a problem.

La Seleccion Mexicana: The Mexican Selection

The most popular sport in Mexico is soccer, much like the majority of the world. This makes World Cup an unofficial holiday of sorts.  Schools allow their students to take the day off early, businesses give their employees a mandatory break, and traffic thins drastically for the two hour soccer game. Songs that are uniquely Mexican are sung all over-- one of the most popular being "Cielito Lindo." Even in the remotest parts of the country you could hear the faint chorus of "ay yay yay yay, canta no llores."

Cielito Lindo is a popular mexican song from a spanish copla, popularized in 1882 by Quirino M.

Christian Benitez: played forward for America

The cup may only last for a month but football will go on. The Mexican League has two seasons a year and teams are relegated and promoted according to standings. If you are a soccer fan, you've probably heard of a few Mexican teams. The biggest one being Mexico City's Club America. 

These are one of those teams that everyone loves or loves to hate. The equivalent to the Yankees of American Baseball, they have a bigger budget than most teams-- Estadio Azteca being the largest stadium in Latin America is a good example of this. Their owners Televisa is a mass media monopoly which could explain why they have so many fans. They have won Liga MX many times.

 Cruz Azul ("Blue Cross") is a team founded by a cement company of the same name and is also based in the capital. Like their Mexico City counterparts, they've won many league titles. It is also the winningest team in the CONCACAF Champions League with six titles.

Cruz Azul: 2011

The Pumas is the team that represents the UNAM. The National Autonomous University of Mexico forms a large part of the city which is called University City. There the Pumas play in what was the largest stadium in Mexico, Estadio Olímpico Universitario. 

Pumas: Team Picture

 C.D. Guadalajara, commonly called Chivas ("goats"), is another popular team. They are known for only having Mexican players and their youth academy is famous for producing players such as Chicharito and Carlos Vela. They are rivals with Club America and are tied with most league wins at 11. 

Chivas Jersey

Among the 18 official important teams there are:  Los gallos de Querétaro, Club León, Monarcas, Club Necaxa, Los Xolos de Tijuana, Santos Laguna, Atlante, los tiburones rojos de Veracruz, Morelia, Los rayados de Monterrey, Toluca, and Pachuca.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to follow the World Cup!

- Don Fantástico

Do you want to know more info about the Mexican football matches? Visit: http://www.mediotiempo.com/