Whatever you do this World Cup, don't root for Mexico

Martin Rogers | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Why you should root for Mexico in the 2018 World Cup No U.S. team to root for this summer? Don't worry, we've got you covered on how to become a bandwagon fan of this country.

MOSCOW — It isn’t un-American to root for Mexico at the World Cup, but it is most definitely un-soccer. And, at this time every four years, that’s a far more serious charge.

There are golden rules attached to soccer culture, and while the United States has done a fine job of getting up to speed on them, the national team’s failure to qualify this summer has spawned a thorny issue.

“Who to support?” has become the most popular pastime for American observers of this tournament, with a huge number plumping for Mexico, presumably based on geographic proximity.

While the sentiment seems endearing, this kind of thinking is, sadly, why the rest of the world laughs at the U.S. for having a shallow sports culture. Plenty of other nations didn’t make it, but their fans draw an unspoken line. A lot of them come to the World Cup, enjoy it and have some kind of rooting interest in any game they go to see. But they stop short of becoming fans of another country because, in most of the world, being 100% a fan of one team means having 0% to spare for anyone else.

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It doesn’t work that way in the U.S. Just like owners of sports franchises flippantly uproot their teams to another city if the numbers don’t add up, supporters routinely defect to new teams – temporarily perhaps – if they don’t want to sit painfully through a rebuild, or permanently, if they support a team like the Cleveland Browns that is always in a rebuild.

Except for some hardy souls in Philadelphia, there aren’t many who can honestly say they enjoy the process of trying to bounce back from failure.

Yet it is there where the rest of the world has the U.S. beat.

Take the case of Mexico, which opens World Cup play vs. defending champion Germany on Sunday at 11 a.m. El Tri has made it to the round of 16 in each of the past six World Cups, one heck of a record. Argentina can’t say that, nor can Spain, Italy, England, Portugal, or anyone but Brazil and Germany.

But Mexico has never gotten any further, mired at the first knockout hurdle. Often it has come in painful fashion. A disputed last-minute penalty in 2014, an offside goal in 2010, an injury-time winner in 2006 and a crushing defeat to the U.S. in 2002.

Now, before its opener against Germany on Sunday, all the Mexican discussion is of “Game Five” and how to get there. There are three group matches, so playing a fifth time requires reaching the quarterfinals. From politicians to street sweepers, it’s a fixation.

“Getting to ‘Quinto partido’ would be glorious,” Hector Portes, 24, a fan from Monterrey, told USA TODAY Sports. “And if it happens it will mean more because of the disappointment of the past.”

The message is clear, don’t run off when the going gets tough, because you’ll be labeled a bandwagon jumper for climbing aboard when things look up. More to the point, if you weren’t a fan before, Mexico doesn’t want you.

“We love our Mexican-American fans,” Portes’ travel partner David Cruz added. “But they have been with us a long time. We don’t want the Americans to switch to now be fans of Mexico.”

He’s right. Stay a U.S. fan, and whether you’re coming to Russia or not, still wear the jersey. Accept the jibes and taunts from other teams from around the world. It is all part of it. Cheer for good soccer.

And don’t root for Mexico.

There are Scotland fans here. Their country hasn’t reached a World Cup in 20 years and didn’t reach this one. The fans are here to root for Panama, because that’s who is facing England, their mortal rival. A handful of disappointed Chileans are happy to party with the wonderful band of excited Peruvians, but they certainly won’t be cheering for them. And they definitely don’t have any interest in seeing Argentina or Brazil do well.

Enjoy the tournament, find some new favorites, but don’t give your wholehearted allegiance to another.

This is the World Cup. It is okay to lose. It is okay to not be here. It’s not okay to be un-soccer.