As they watched Mexico’s 2-1 win over South Korea, about 200 fans watching the game in Long Beach erupted into cheers and chants and bits of song.
“Wait, you want to know my team?”
Peter Hernandez-Nguyen looked down at his green tee-shirt — the one that said “MEX” in all capital letters — and shook his head in mock exasperation.
“C’mon!,” he said, smiling. “You can figure it out.”
Like tens of thousands of soccer fans in Southern California, Hernandez-Nguyen spent part of Saturday morning at a World Cup viewing party — in his case, a party sponsored by LA Galaxy at the Long Beach Art Theater — to cheer on El Tri, a.k.a. Mexico’s national men’s futbal team.
As they watched Mexico’s 2-1 win over South Korea, Hernandez-Nguyen and about 200 other fans of all ages and genders and familial situations — many but not all who said they were of Mexican or other Latin American descent — erupted into cheers and chants and bits of song.
After the game, on the sidewalk outside the theater, Mexico supporters danced a bit and kicked a few soccer balls. In parts of other parts of Southern California, Mexico backers marched into the streets after the game and shut down, among other spots, Whittier Boulevard. In Huntington Park, some fans hopped into their cars and spun donuts. As of 2 p.m. there were no reports of arrests or violence.
Many fans who celebrated said they were inspired by a Mexican team ranked 15th in the world that seems to be peaking at a great time to win the World Cup. In their first game of the tournament, on June 17, Mexico beat the world’s No. 1 team, Germany, 1-0, a match widely declared to be one of the best in Mexico’s long soccer history.
The win Saturday over South Korea, ranked 57th, was only slightly less spectacular. It was marked by strong defense, creative passing and the 50th career international goal for Mexican superstar Javier Hernandez, known to fans as “Chicharito.” It also put Mexico on a path to advance to the knockout round of 16, where the squad has advanced — and lost — in each of the past six Cups.
“They showed that they can win (while playing) different styles,” Hernandez-Nguyen said after the match. “That’s a big deal.”
But if support for the Mexico squad seems particularly strong this week, soccer is only part of the reason.
Many at the theater, and others who watched from nearby pubs in Long Beach, expressed anger — and solidarity with the Mexican team — because of the Trump administration’s policy of separating immigrant children their parents.
“Those kids in the news and stuff are mostly from El Salvador or someplace (other than Mexico), but they look a lot like my family. Am I going to root for Mexico in the World Cup? You (expletive) bet I am,” said Ed Alcides, a third-generation Mexican American from Hawthorne who said he is “not usually” a big soccer fan.
“Soccer is… bigger than politics. It’s something that usually can bring everybody together,” said Jocelin Padilla, of Long Beach, as she and friends celebrated outside the Long Beach theater.
“But right now…? All of Latin America, I think, is backing Mexico.”
Padilla’s friend, Rosie Mercado, also from Long Beach, added that support for Mexican soccer is probably boosted by “what people saw on TV.”
“This is partly about what’s going on in the world,” she said, referring to the happy crowd gathered in Long Beach. “You can’t help that.”
Others noted support for Mexico might be high because the U. S. men’s team failed to qualify for this World Cup.
“I’d root for the American team, if I could. I really would,” said a laughing Hernandez-Nguyen.
“But…”
But in some quarters, the push to support the team from Mexico is such a family tradition that it’s not really a choice.
As the adults around her drank breakfast coffees or juices or beers, Deborah, 6, spent much of the game sipping chocolate milk and squirming in her seat. When her mother and every other adult in the theater jumped out of their seats to roar in approval for Chichirito’s second-half goal, Deborah stood on her seat and said, in Spanish, what many hope they’ll be saying all tournament.
“ Ve Mexico! “
