U.S. soccer team hears Osama chants in Mexico

[Ally_Kat]

U.S. soccer team hears Osama chants in Mexico


Associated Press
Feb. 6, 2004 12:30 PM


ZAPOPAN, Mexico - The Mexican crowd hooted "The Star-Spangled Banner." It booed U.S. goals. It chanted "Osama! Osama! Osama!" as U.S. players left the field with a 2-0 victory.

And that was in a game against Canada on Thursday before just 1,500 people.

A game Tuesday in neighboring Guadalajara will determine whether the U.S. under-23 soccer team heads to the Athens Games.

"This is what it is all about," coach Glenn Myernick said. "You are 90 minutes away from being in the Olympics."

The U.S. team faces Honduras on Saturday in its last first-round game, which will determine if the Americans play Costa Rica or Mexico in the deciding game on Tuesday. While the Americans will surely face a hostile crowd against Costa Rica, a matchup with Mexico would mean a game in front of more than 50,000 hometown fans seeking revenge.

The United States knocked Mexico out of the World Cup in 2002, and Mexican fans will be looking for some retribution if the teams meet in the semifinals.

Myernick refused to say which his team would prefer to play.

"I think both Mexico and Costa Rica are very good teams," he said. "We don't fear either team. We would be delighted to play either one."

On Friday, Costa Rica plays Mexico to determine which finishes first in Group B. Saturday's match against Honduras will determine the winner of Group A. The winner of each group faces the No. 2 team in the other in Tuesday's doubleheader. The winner of each game goes to Athens.

Honduras coach Edwin Pavon was more explicit when asked which team he would rather play in the semifinals, although he went out of his way to avoid offending Costa Rica.

"I am not going to tell you the name, but imagine a full Jalisco Stadium while facing Mexico, with all the stands dressed in green," Pavon said. "I think I won't answer the rest of the question."

Myernick said his team will use the game against Honduras as preparation for the semifinal. Myernick said he wanted "to continue to improve and not just use the Honduras game as a nothing game."

On Thursday, U.S. midfielder Bobby Convey scored twice on passes from Landon Donovan. Convey also had scored twice against Panama on Tuesday.

Earlier, Emil Martinez scored twice to lead Honduras to a 3-1 victory over Panama. The losses eliminated Panama and Canada from advancing.

In eight games so far in the qualifying tournament, none has ended in a tie. Mexico and Costa Rica each routed Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States and Honduras beat Panama and Canada.

[Ally_Kat]

I wanted to put this somewhere I'd find it for when I get in trouble for an off-color remark :D

[BigBadBrian]

How people get worked up over boring old soccer never ceases to amaze me. :gulp:

[Ally_Kat]

U.S. still can't solve Azteca in qualifying loss
Story Tools: Print Email
Will Weissert / Associated Press
Posted: 52 minutes ago


MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico topped the United States 2-1 and the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group on Sunday, and upheld its 71-year unbeaten record at home against the Americans.

Prolific striker Jared Borgetti and Antonio Naelson scored four minutes apart in the first half, and the United States could only reply through Eddie Lewis in the 59th, the first U.S. goal in Mexico since 1984.

Mexico made up for the Americans' superior size by outhustling the visitors on both sides of the ball, said Mexico coach Ricardo Lavolpe.

"We were always taking the initiative," said Lavolpe, who received a congratulatory call from President Vicente Fox. "For 90 minutes there was only one team on the field."

The crowd booed the U.S. national anthem and a spattering of fans chanted "Osama! Osama!" before play started, and shortly after Lewis' goal.

Mexico had implored its fans to be patient after only one win against the Americans in the last eight matches, and they had little to worry about as the home side dominated.

"We took the field strong and used our advantages to get a win we needed," Borgetti said.

Francisco Fonseca advanced from the right corner to draw the defense, and left the ball for Salvador Carmona, who fed Jaime Lozano. His headed cross found Borgetti just in front of the left post, and Borgetti's own header beat U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller in the 30th.

"It was a play where we were pushing for a goal that we executed well," Borgetti said. "It was an important first step."

With the U.S. defense still unsettled, Cuauhtemoc Blanco laced a looping pass to Borgetti, and he headed a cross to a streaking Antonio Nelson, who had little trouble besting Keller one-on-one from 11 yards out.

The deafening and rabidly nationalistic celebrations in 100,000-seat Azteca Stadium, at near capacity, didn't stop when Lavolpe was expelled for arguing in the 41st minute. He received a standing ovation from many while being escorted off the field.

U.S. captain Landon Donovan controlled the ball and drew pressure from inside the box before flicking to Lewis, who shot around Carmona and just inside the right post to cut the lead in half in the 59th.

But that was as much as the United States had to offer for the rest of the half, as Mexico pinned the Americans on their heels.

U.S. coach Bruce Arena said the 7,200-foot (2,195-meter) altitude hurt his team, even though it prepared in the mountain air of Colorado.

"Our players shut down the last 15 minutes of the first half, and that cost us the game," he said. "They were completely done at the 30-minute mark, obviously recovered a bit at halftime, and were able to play a little bit better in the second half."

The Easter Sunday win ended Mexico's recent futility against the United States - the Americans entered with a 6-1-1 record against their southern neighbors, allowing just one goal in the last seven matches. It also ensured Mexico was still an impregnable fortress to U.S. soccer - with 22 wins and one draw since 1934.

"When they got the first one in, I think we just died a little," Donovan said. "I would like to play them anywhere but here."

The result also helped the home team earn partial revenge for a 2-0 loss to the U.S. team in the second round of the 2002 World Cup, a game in South Korea that shattered Mexican fans' pride.

Mexico also ended both the Americans' 16-game unbeaten streak overall and their 31-game streak without a loss to regional rivals.

"The team is happy with the win but we don't have much time to celebrate," said Rafael Marquez, the Mexican captain.

Mexico leaves on Monday for Panama, where El Tri play their next match on Wednesday.

About 100 people gathered for a peaceful celebration near Mexico City's Angel of Independence monument following the game. A few tried to burn a small American flag but ended up trampling on it.

After two rounds, Mexico had six points, Guatemala four, Costa Rica and the Americans three each, Panama one, and Trinidad and Tobago none. The top three go to the 2006 finals in Germany, and the fourth to a playoff against an Asian nation.

Also on Wednesday, the United States faces Guatemala, and Trinidad and Tobago take on Costa Rica.

[Ally_Kat]

If we did anything like this, the rest of the world would have some nasty things to say.

I say we stop fucking around with Mexico and strengthen that border.

[FORD]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat


I say we stop fucking around with Mexico and strengthen that border.

I don't think Mexico itself is a terrorist threat, nor do I think it's realistic that Osama's going to try to sneak in with the next batch of migrant farm workers.

Having said that, if Junior was SERIOUS about protecting this country from terrorism, the borders and the seaports would have been job#1 beginning on September 12, 2001. Instead of flying the Saudis out of the country on the taxpayer dime, making Afghanistan safe for UNOCAL pipelines, and letting the Likud party dictate our foreign policy in order to colonize the Middle East.

BTW, I went to high school with Kasey Keller. He's probably the only guy from this town to have a street named after him in over a century. Too bad the street only goes to a strip mall. Some honor....

[Ally_Kat]

Originally posted by FORD
I don't think Mexico itself is a terrorist threat, nor do I think it's realistic that Osama's going to try to sneak in with the next batch of migrant farm workers.


Nawh, I don't think that either. But they sure do love to come to this side of the border for various things. If that soccer chant is any sign of the underlining feeling about us...

[blueturk]

Originally posted by BigBadBrian
How people get worked up over boring old soccer never ceases to amaze me. :gulp:

And hockey.

[LoungeMachine]

Originally posted by blueturk
And hockey.

Both "sports" allowed to end in a tie:rolleyes:

[TLR]

Soccer isn't a sport. It's an ACTIVITY. It sucks. Period...

[kentuckyklira]

Originally posted by Ally_Kat
If we did anything like this, the rest of the world would have some nasty things to say.

I say we stop fucking around with Mexico and strengthen that border. If the US stopped fucking around with the world, there´d be no Osama to chant about!

[steve]

The drug war over the past 30 years hasn't exactly helped our image in Latin America.

Neither have World Bank policies.

If we don't change our policies there, Columbia will eventually be a source of terrorism.... as might be Venezuela.

There have actually been a couple of suicide bombings in Columbia over the past couple of years - a strinkingly new phenomenon.

Osama is beginning to take on a Che Gavara persona in South America, right under our noses.

Now is the time to foocus on this through American PR and diplomacy.

I thik it would be ignorant to says that situations in S.A. right now mirror those of the 80s Middle East - Religion is not so much a dogma in that part of the world - but there are strong anti-American currents nonetheless that we should hav started addressing several years ago.