Pablo Miralles and Michael Whalen are making Gringos at the Gate (Ahi Vienen Los Gringos), a documentary about the US/Mexico rivalry. The preview below is composed of interviews with fans of both teams filmed before a February match in Columbus, Ohio. They promise to post another video on youtube about the August match at Azteca. A film like this is long overdue!
By the way, it looked like fans of El Salvador outnumbered "Uncle Sam's Army" 6-4 at the World Cup qualifying match played this past weekend in Utah. Too bad US Soccer doesn't have the guts to play a match like that in Los Angeles, where you'd probably get a similar ratio, but four times as many people. Personally, I think it'd be good for all if the folks in charge embraced the fans of the sport instead of running away from them.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
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I don't know if they're running from the fans as much as they're running from the SALVADORIAN fans...
ReplyDeleteI have a certain amount of sympathy for them there. The Latin American supporters are so much better - both better organized and better at supporting their side during matches - than the US fans that any match played in LA or Houston or Miami or Chicago or NY will be at best "neutral" for the USMNT.
Siting fixtures against El Salvador, Mexico or Honduras in places like Utah, or Kansas City - where the Salvadorian or Mexican communities are small - ensures a "whiter", more pro-US crowd.
Not very pretty, but it works.