The United States
has been left out of the World Cup.
The United States, eliminated.
Do you know who else did not qualify for the World Cup?
The United States did not qualify!
I enjoyed beating the United States
and breaking the curse.
Rafa Márquez is, without a doubt,
one of the most successful Mexican players in European soccer.
For me soccer is everything.
I've lived off soccer.
It's very important to me that you know
I'm here to play soccer, to win trophies
and to be champion with you.
It couldn't be any other day.
Landon Donovan is returning after only two years in retirement.
This feels like a Hollywood movie.
The question is whether Donovan,
at his age and with his work philosophy, will be able
to get fit and regain his pace,
or whether this is a sham, a joke,
a signing that, for from helping,
damages both the team's and the league's credibility.
Here comes Landon Donovan wearing number 20.
After 15 months and four days of retirement,
today he returns for the second time.
To say this was controversial
would be an understatement.
The correct adjective would be "opportunistic."
It's a discourse matter.
Supporting the Mexican team doesn't mean supporting Mexicans.
He said, "I grew up with Mexicans, I get along with them."
That's alright.
Perhaps I'm being short-sighted here.
I don't consider Landon Donovan to be a leading voice
in public discourse on supporting Mexican migrants.
Donovan embodies the new US soccer player.
The old ones were not as skilled. They didn't compete,
they didn't fight, they didn't add anything.
But Donovan is a great player,
and he also has personality and he understand the rivalry.
And he adds fuel to the fire.
He's brilliant.
Rafa Márquez about to enter, what a moment!
He's going to play in his fifth World Cup.
This is a historic moment for him.
The great captain, the kaiser from Zamora, Michoacán.
Soccer is everything. I was born with soccer.
And I will probably die with soccer.
Rafa Márquez debuted in Barcelona on September 3, 2003.
Almost 19 years later,
this football player, referred to as the kaiser,
makes his triumphant debut as manager of the Barcelona Athletic.
I'm very happy and glad
to take this great chance I'm being given.
I know the club very well, this is a new stage,
and I'm hoping to do a good job.
From what I've learned about being a coach,
you have to be humble and disciplined, to work hard and make sacrifices,
and try and make players give their best.
Try to enjoy the present and to make them better each day,
better human beings.
When I lose the ball, I can't...
I believe humbleness is a very important personality trait.
You must be humble enough to remember where you came from,
humble enough to embrace fame,
and also to give way to people who may be better than you.
If my father were alive,
he would have been there for me in every step of the way.
He would've seen me win the Champions League,
seen me play on the World Cups, or been there when I retired.
Or at least he would've been around to see my children.
That's probably the most important thing to me.
There are many members of Pancho Villa.
We come from all over the place.
Some were born here in the US, some were born in Mexico
some have migrated here.
It's a band of all Mexicans that have come together.
We all have different stories,
but we all have this passion and connection to Mexico.
Every time we lose or win,
we remember our ancestors and the effort they made.
The day we win the World Cup, we will remember
our ancestors.
They also hoped to win someday and were very supportive,
and we are going to do the same.
We're present in many states, in like 35 or 36 cities.
And some of them are organized.
We come from different places, like Alabama, Tennessee,
Washington, Virginia, California.
We're coming from all sides, because when you're inside the stadium,
listening to the anthem, it's something that...
fills your heart and brings tears to your eyes
with the pride of being Mexican.
Our blood is Mexican,
but if it weren't for my nephew, we wouldn't have these jerseys
that we're wearing right now.
He's my son, a center-forward for the United States.
First of all, we have to remember that it's soccer, it's a sport.
The fact that he is representing the US doesn't make him any less Mexican.
He lives and breathes like all Mexicans.
We feel that emotion.
And now it's a different emotion
because, like I said, we've always supported Mexico,
but now it's our turn to support the US.
A game between the US and Mexico.
We're neighboring countries, we represent many things,
we help each other out in many aspects,
and there are many Mexicans living this side of the border.
Now that I live this rivalry between the Mexican
and the US National Teams,
it's very intense, everything's on the line.
It's a matter of pride, but also mostly of winning.
I don't mean to tell you the scoreboard,
but it's dos a cero!
That's the score for the US team.
In March 2022, Mexico will face the US again,
this time in Mexico.
The United States will seek to qualify for the World Cup for the first time
in the always challenging Azteca Stadium.
We need to look for the best Mexican players
anywhere in the world.
People are moving places, that's a fact.
And Mexicans are moving to different places in the world,
so Mexican talent is developing in those places.
Our scouting division was set up three years ago.
We developed a strategy
in which there are scouts in different parts of the US.
Nowadays, the Mexican talent that's developing in the US
has been doing so for 15 or 20 years.
So much so that the US league is as strong as any other worldwide.
Players are often not Mexican, and neither are their parents,
but they have Mexican roots and ancestors,
and they have the legal right to become Mexican citizens.
But they have no real links to Mexico and they don't visit,
so it's not that simple. We want to showcase our soccer project,
and if it suits you on a sporting level, choose to play for Mexico.
The wish to defend a National Team's colors
is something every soccer player should be born with.
But that's not always the case.
Especially when we look at Mexican players born in the US, or vice versa.
There are interesting stories to look over.
There are lots of cases.
Some are born and raised in the US from Mexican parents,
and they end up choosing Mexico, or perhaps the US.
Who are we to judge those personal decisions?
We start using this lame, patriotic, nationalist discourse,
and we feel entitled to decide on other people's nationality.
I grew up with my parents in Alaska.
Living in Alaska is very unique.
Not many people can say they come from Alaska.
Nature in Alaska is something that a lot of people like to experience.
There are many activities there that involve nature.
My family was more into soccer, but I did have some great times
with my friends going to rivers or the mountains or going fishing.
Kiss me.
I want to feel your lips kissing me again.
Gently, gently.
Kiss me! Kiss me.
I started instilling in them this connection to soccer
since they were young, probably since they started to walk.
I'd buy them balls and they started kicking them around.
Go, go, go! Take it!
When he was five or six years old, he started playing competitively.
And then he started liking it more and more.
And I could tell he liked soccer more and more every day,
because when he had practice, he was willing to go.
You didn't have to go running after him.
We didn't think he'd get called for the U-15 US Team.
Whenever we watched the US vs. Mexico matches,
we thought if he someday got to play pro, it'd be for Mexico.
I arrived here in the United States in 1979.
My mother and I came here because my dad was sick,
so we could both work to help him.
Since he was seven or eight years old,
it was clear Efraín was very talented and was going to be an important person.
I, his father,
have always said God sent a big star for my son.
At one point, when both federations
started calling him, in an interview on TV
I asked both the Mexican and the US federations
to leave him alone, because they were traumatizing him.
If the US called him, I asked Mexico not to call him.
And if Mexico called him, I asked the US not to call him.
Because they were traumatizing him, it was driving him crazy.
Saying, "Where am I going?"
Mexico hosts the US in the first match
of the last set of World Cup qualifiers.
It's a very competitive team.
It's not going to be easy today, because they're also dying to win here.
Go team! Go Mexico, motherfuckers!
The level of security back here is shocking.
- There's going to be 5,000 officers. 5,000.
There'll be lots of private security guards,
and beware, there'll be undercover officers.
People from the Mexican federation dressed in civilian clothes,
who you won't be able to recognize, and if they see you screaming,
they will point you out and you'll be kicked out of the stadium.
Mexico!
And may the Earth tremble at its core
At the resounding roar of the cannon
And may the Earth tremble at its core
At the resounding roar of the cannon
With an applause for Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar,
the ball moves into the possession of the American team.
Berhalter was very brave with his strategy for marking Raúl.
Here comes the ball for Charly. Centering ball, a shot...
So close!
Here comes Mexico with a good opportunity.
Here comes Herrera, centering ball...
It went wide.
Here comes Tecatito. Swinging centering ball...
Cleared by the defense.
Ricardo Pepi was there to help.
Look out for Antonee Robinson.
Hits the cross...
Musah takes a shot! Sensational save by Ochoa!
Sensational! Ochoa saves the Mexican team again!
Ochoa was fantastic! Superb!
He jumped in the air...
Chucky, marked by Yedlin, goes inside and shoots!
Steffen comes out with Zimmerman to the front.
A mistake! This is good!
Raúl Alonso, Raúl Alonso, Raúl Alonso!
The referee?
Yes, he was ready to shoot! He was ready to shoot!
The referee, Mario Escobar, is not so sure.
Oof! Oof! Oof!
Pefok had it! He had it there to convert the finish!
Tecate to Raúl Alonso, this could be good!
But Steffan, as always, saves it!
He saved this great, powerful shot!
A pass to the center... Ladies and gentlemen!
Of course we want to beat the US, but they were showing
signs of humbleness.
They know they want to be better, but to be better they have to grow.
And to grow, you need to be humble enough to admit you're not the best.
This was a step forward, sure.
Martino's team has a long way to go.
But now we can assume if they work hard these next eight months,
they'll have better chances.
Mexico, the US and Canada
submitted a joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup,
despite political relations between them not being at their best
due to disagreements in trade and immigration.
We want to jointly assemble, coordinate and host the World Cup.
Now as co-hosts,
it will still be true, in my opinion, that just as we produce together,
just as there's this rich cultural exchange,
soccer is going to be increasingly North American.
We'll be able to mix up, face each other and enrich soccer,
so we're better at the eyes of the world.
I can't help thinking
that the 2026 World Cup
can help bring us even closer.
Not just in sports, but using soccer as a starting point
to create a North American community.
If a powerful European community could be created back then,
why not think that soccer and sports
can make our brother countries, the US, Canada and Mexico,
more united?
I think, once again, soccer has made a powerful statement.
Few things in this world
can bring together people, countries and societies
with different points of view with one common goal, which is soccer.
What does this mean?
Well, the ball flies above,
and there are no barriers that can stop the will of soccer.
Ultimately, we've always seen the United States
as the place where the dream of a better life comes true.
But personally, I know that this dream can also be achieved here in Mexico,
and I have achieved it.
For better or for worse, soccer will always
be a magnet to attract people. It’s the most watched sport in the world.
For me, obviously soccer is more than just soccer.
I loved this thing between Mexico and the US
because unconsciously, indirectly,
we've helped them tremendously to grow, and they've done the same for us.
And that's why rivalries are cool, and that's what make them what they are.
It should only exist on the field, because outside of it,
we're neighbors and we should get along well.