Yes, the World Cup is still being played.
No, the United States is not playing in it because their men’s soccer team was not good enough to qualify.
Yes, there are two more weeks of World Cup games, though beginning this weekend they will not be played every day as they have been since June 14. That will come as a relief to those who have been waking at 4:30 a.m. to catch the 5 a.m. games.
No, it is not too late to find room on a bandwagon, though the seats are limited as fewer countries are left headed into the knockout stage starting Saturday. Of the 32 teams that started the quadrennial soccer tournament, Uruguay, Portugal, France, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Russia, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden Switzerland, Colombia, Japan, England, Belgium and Mexico are the only countries left in the single elimination phase.
Yes, you can cheer for Mexico even if you were born in the United States, cheer for the U.S. Mens National Team or cheer for the United States when they play Mexico.
No, cheering for Mexico does not make you traitorous or unpatriotic. It makes you someone capable of choosing for themselves who or what they support rather than being guided by blind patriotism.
Yes, you can not cheer for Mexico.
No, you are not racist if you decide to cheer against Mexico even if you were born there and moved here, consider yourself Mexican-American or don’t like Mexican politics. (But you might be racist if you cheer against Mexico simply because their team is filled with Mexicans and you believe white people are superior to brown people—whatever that archaic way of thinking means.)
Yes, there are walls in all of futbol, even during the World Cup.
No, they are not permanent fixtures. They are temporary obstacles made up of opposing players standing in front of a ball before it is kicked by someone on the other team. They are not paid for by Mexican tax dollars (or American tax dollars because, remember, the U.S. was not good enough to qualify) but instead on occasion are paid for with blood, sweat, or tears when a ball goes crashing into someone’s face or nether regions at up to 40 mph.
Yes, players can be melodramatic, pretending to be fouled when they are not, embellishing the pain caused by a foul or denying they committed a foul or broke the rules.
No, these are not politicians or political pundits by day. They are grown men who play professional soccer sometimes behaving poorly.
Yes, you should give serious thought to watching a game in a bar or at a viewing party, somewhere there are an abundance of fans supporting a participating country. Given San Diego’s proximity to the border, Mexico and the fans at Machete Beer House, 3 Punk Ales and La Quinta bar and grill come to mind.
No, I don’t think you will regret checking out what the rest of the world looks forward to watching every four years.
