July 2011

This summer didn’t start so great… I had to move back into my parent’s house and abandon my priceless privacy.  At first I was very angry and upset but with time I decided to turn this situation around and make the best out of it.  “I am going to take advantage of this time”, I told myself.  And this is how it begins….

I got to go to the USA vs. Mexico Gold Cup Final!  As soon as I realized that Mexico Team was beating all the other teams 5-0, 4-0… I thought to myself, “these guys are going to the final for sure and when else are we going to get a chance to see them play?”  So I purchased tickets even though I thought the USA team wasn’t going to make it.  (USA is my favorite team).  A few weeks later to my surprise the USA Team beats the Panama Team and qualifies to the finals.  Yay!!!

So we got all excited and started preparing for the big game.  Everyone was looking for shirts, flags, banners and other fun stuff.  My niece (Belen) is a HUGE fan of Chicharito (Mexico’s best player) and thinks she will marry him one day.  So I decided to help her out and we made a 5 person banner that would catch his attention, the banner said “CHICHARITO AQUI ESTA TU CHICHARITA”.  When arriving at the Rosebowl and entering the stadium our banner got taken away… NO BANNERS ALLOWED.  So Chicharito didn’t get to see his banner or my niece (his future wife).

But we were able to get there early enough to watch the teams practice.  I got to see Tim Howard (USA goalie) who I think is awesome.

We had the opportunity to experience a real soccer game the way Mexico Team’s fans experience it.  It was crazy!

Part of the experience was getting called MAMON for wearing a USA shirt.  And watching our poor boys (USA Team) get booed and cursed at every time they got the ball.  I kept wondering how they must have felt… getting this kind of treatment on their own field and for some of them, the place they grew up in.  My heart went out to them.  The USA lost 4-2 but I didn’t care, I was proud of them for scoring on Mexico (the best team) and making it to the final.  So I celebrated.  Unfortunately some people were not accepting of this and so they started posting comments on my Facebook and sending me text messages… “Mexico is #1”, “USA sucks”, “Now what?”, “Don’t deny you are from Mexico”?, “So how are your white boys now?”  and it continued.  I was totally and completely surprised and amazed at this.  I decided to delete every single negative thing that was posted on facebook and was sent to me because I didn’t need a reminder. 

I decided to become a USA fan when I was in high school.  I loved soccer and had the opportunity to watch the LA Galaxy play in a few occasions.  I learned of a young man named Landon Donovan who was local and was playing with his heart.  So I started to follow his career, I had my #10 San Jose Earthquake t-shirt and got to drive up to San Jose and watch him play before he came to the LA Galaxy.  As time went on I started learning more about the USA team players… Claudio Reina (Captain America) was one of my favorite.  I didn’t know anything about Mexico’s team and didn’t think that because I was born in Mexico I should cheer for Mexico’s Team. 

By choosing to cheer for the USA Team doesn’t mean I am not proud to be Mexican.  A shirt or team doesn’t define who I am.  I am a proud member of LULAC, I volunteered as a translator and helped filled out immigration papers, I keep myself inform and inform others of the laws that effect our people, I donate money and my time to organizations that support Latino fundraisers, I’ve attended the marches and rallies and a I am a supporter of the DREAM ACT. 

The way I see it is… when it matters, I’m there.  I walk side by side with my people and that makes me proud to be Mexican.

But I will continue to cheer for USA team because I want to and I can.  Go Team USA!!!