Trump's rhetoric fuels fire of heated U.S.-Mexico soccer rivalry

Saturday’s soccer match between the U.S. and Mexico is about much more than just sport. With racism and xenophobia reaching a deafening shrill in the Republican primary with Donald Trump, Mexico is rolling into this weekend’s game with the goal of setting a few things straight.

“We are bringing our BEST to teach them a lesson,” says 23-year-old Mexican American soccer fan Felipe Favela. “There’s more politics in this game than actual politics between the two countries.”

Favela, who was born and raised in San Diego by parents from Tijuana, has always viewed soccer as the great equalizer— a way for Mexico to get back at the gringos. He says when he was growing up kids used to tease him for being a proud Mexican but going to school in the U.S. to get a better education.

“The American kids would ask, ‘If your country is so great, how come you go to school here?’ Favela said. But when it came to soccer, Mexico always dominated the U.S.—a point of great pride for Favela.

That was then. Now the teams are more evenly matched, and Mexico is going to have to fight even harder to reassert its old domination on the field. But for some, the hateful rhetoric spewed by Donald Trump in the Republican primary, should give the Aztecs all the motivation they need to bring their A-game.

“I get goosebumps thinking about the game,” Favela says. “Donald Trump is up in the polls, which means a large percentage of Americans are supporting his racist rants. Considering the negative comments made about Mexicans and other immigrants, I think even those Latinos who [normally] root for the U.S. should now root for Mexico.”

In some way, the hype surrounding this weekend’s game—a playoff match at California’s Rose Bowl Stadium for a spot at the 2017 Confederations Cup— started years ago, when Mexico was still the region’s soccer powerhouse and the U.S. was struggling to answer the question: How can the wealthiest nation on earth, with 300 million people, not have 11 decent soccer players?

But through years of training, scouting and economic investment in the U.S. soccer program, Team USA has steadily grown and developed into a respectable squad—one that can now sting the Aztecs and any team that lets their guard down. Mexico’s long-held soccer superiority seemingly came to an end when the U.S. knocked them out of the 2002 World Cup. Now it’s a much more competitive rivalry.