From Superliga 2008.com
Nobody that I speak with will claim that Superliga has in anyway proven that MLS is somehow on par with the FMF. The gap that exists between the two leagues is still obvious though it appears the gap may be closing quite rapidly. But what this year’s Superliga has demonstrated is the sense of entitlement Mexican clubs, players and commentators have towards dominating their American counterparts.
This Superliga has been an unfortunate event that most of the controversial calls have gone against FMF sides. But I would argue in the last two CONCACAF Champions Cups the matches between FMF and MLS sides have been highlighted by officials calls that have gone against the MLS sides. The controversy that sunk Pachuca Tuesday night was a case of turnabout being fair play after what happened last year at Estadio Hidalgo in the Champions Cup.
In that match the Houston players after their defeat did not try and start numerous fights after the match or to injure opposing players at the end of the match. What we see is a pattern in Mexican Football: a pattern based on the sense of entitlement instilled by the Mexican media and commentators on Spanish language television here in the United States. The sense of entitlement states that FMF sides must always beat MLS sides and that every US victory over Mexico at the international level is somehow illegitimate and unworthy.
The behavior of the Atlante players at the end of Wednesday night’s game is clear example of the bitterness and anger Mexican players feel when shown up by American counterparts. The continued attempts to injure Shalrie Joseph, one of the best players perhaps ever produced by the US college system and our domestic league were pathetic but reminiscent of the attempt by Osvaldo Sanchez to injure Eddie Johnson late in the 2-0 US win over Mexico in Phoenix. They were also reminiscent of the classlessness shown by the Mexican National Team players towards the end of the 2002 World Cup 2nd round match where Cobi Jones and Eddie Lewis were both consistently abused by rough, unsporting play after the second US goal. When the tables turn on Mexican footballers and their faults are shown, they react like little spoiled children whose egos have been bruised and whose self concept has been so damaged almost out of fear of what the delusional media back home will say about them. In a word it is pathetic.
CHICAGO BEATS EVERTON 2-0
Pre-season friendlies don’t mean a whole lot but nonetheless this is a nice scoreline for MLS. Chris Rolfe and Tomasz Frankowski scored goals for Chicago as Everton played many of its first team players for most of the match.
