Mexico Lost In The World Cup — But Mexican Americans Won

Mexico mislaid to England 3-2 successful nan World Cup Sunday night, yet thousands of Mexican Americans crossed Southern California took to nan streets arsenic if their squad had won.

El Tri was eliminated from nan tourney successful different heartbreaker, but fans group disconnected fireworks, joyously rocked cars and were tossed successful nan aerial from Orange County to nan Inland Empire to Ventura County and each points successful between, conscionable arsenic if we had won nan damn thing.

It was yet different early exit for a squad that has ne'er made it to nan World Cup semifinals — but nary wanted to dwell connected defeat, because nary 1 felt defeated.

“We didn’t lose,” 29-year-old Kevin Cuevas said done watery eyes. We were astatine Chapter One: The Modern Local successful downtown Santa Ana, minutes aft nan last whistle. “We person nan champion culture, nan champion men, nan champion women, nan champion activity ethic, nan champion squad — you sanction it, we have.”

I reminded nan Corona resident of nan last score.

“Yes, but we’re moving up,” Cuevas replied, clutching a Mexican emblem emblazoned pinch St. Jude Thaddeus, nan patron saint of mislaid causes. “We’re ever moving up, ne'er down. There’s nary different measurement to live.”

It’s 1 of nan awesome clichés of Mexican civilization — really our parties ever extremity successful tears and worse.

“There is thing truthful joyous arsenic a Mexican fiesta, but location is besides thing truthful sorrowful,” Nobel laureate Octavio Paz infamously wrote successful “The Labyrinth of Solitude,” his 1950 treatise connected nan Mexican condition. “Fiesta nighttime is besides a nighttime of mourning.”

Paz was criticizing Mexicans for not knowing really to decently process symptom and pretending each is good moreover erstwhile it’s not — especially erstwhile it’s not. But arsenic I near Chapter One to cheque retired nan desmadre extracurricular and scrolled done societal media, I felt a vibe I had ne'er sensed among Mexican Americans.

We’ve agelong been told by American nine to beryllium ashamed of who we are, yet I felt nary shame. A group everlastingly accustomed to conclusion wasn’t going to deliberation for illustration that anymore. Our leaders and elders person agelong urged america to believe resilience and deliberation of mañana. Thanks to this thrilling, yet futile World Cup, we tin and will push for more, and settee nary more.

“We did what we could, and we gave it our absolute all,” said Zeus Palacios, a 27-year-old migrant from nan Mexican authorities of Hidalgo. We were astatine Fourth and Bush streets, wherever group waved Mexican flags connected apical of postulation lights, danced successful a conga statement and launched fireworks into nan aerial for hours aft nan shot match, arsenic constabulary looked on. “You person to! Seguimos, seguimos.”

Mexicans support connected keeping on.

Corona resident Kevin Cuevas, 29, yells while watching a World Cup lucifer betwixt Mexico and England astatine Chapter One: The Modern Local connected Sunday successful Santa Ana.

(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)

Even though World Cup watch parties person sprung up crossed Southern California, I’ve spent nan tourney successful downtown Santa Ana because it’s it different here. No different metropolis has dozens of restaurants and bars successful specified proximity, tally by and catering to young Latinos. Or stands proudly athwart a region that has agelong demonized it arsenic excessively dirty, excessively crime-ridden — successful different words, excessively Latino. Or saw nan National Guard put up an equipped roadblock successful nan mediate of a shopping territory past twelvemonth during national migration raids, conscionable blocks from my wife’s marketplace and deli.

Bigger and bigger crowds flocked down present arsenic Mexico tore done nan Cup earlier its face-off against England, pinch galore coming from extracurricular Santa Ana.

“It would mean nan world” if Mexico won, 32-year-old Reek Fernandez told maine astatine Chapter One earlier kickoff.

“The measurement authorities is going correct now, nan Hispanic organization needs this,” added chap Orange resident Jonny Munguia, 30.

“I dislike shot 3 years retired of four, but not that 4th year,” said 22-year-old Jesse Magaña of Riverside. “Because past you’re rooting for [your] blood, not a random team.”

I joined them and hundreds of others crammed into Chapter One to effort and collectively will El Tri to victory.

We stood up to warble Mexico’s nationalist anthem and continued to cheer, moreover arsenic Mexico went down 2-0. When Julián Quiñones scored adjacent nan extremity of nan first half, nan Chapter One crowd erupted successful nan loudest sound I’ve ever heard from humans — and I utilized to screen metallic and punk shows.

We kept nan religion moreover arsenic we saw nan obvious: Mexico wasn’t going to propulsion it off. England’s players were taller, faster and much experienced. Mexico couldn’t person near-misses. It was a communicative we Mexicans cognize excessively good — we’re talented, conscionable not yet astatine nan level of nan elites of nan world. But we ever put our hearts into it and ne'er backmost down. And astatine nan end, different loss.

My friends started to shriek nan names of Mexican greats — singers Jenni Rivera and Juan Gabriel, Emiliano Zapata, nan past Aztec emperor Cuauhtémoc — hoping to spark a divine intervention, but it wasn’t to be. The Chapter One crowd went quiet erstwhile nan last whistle blew. Then nan location DJ blasted 2 melancholy mariachi classics that had go nan unofficial taxable songs of Mexico’s World Cup run: “Cielito Lindo” and “El Rey.”

The erstwhile urges america to “sing and don’t cry.” The second is arsenic defiant arsenic Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” a torch opus that boasts, “It’s not astir being first/but knowing really to get there.” As I walked done downtown, I marveled astatine really nan overwhelmingly Gen Z throngs expressed their mexicanidad.

There were greenish shot jerseys, sure, but men wore colorful Oaxacan shirts, ponchos and gigantic sombreros. Women had flowers successful their hairsbreadth a la Frida Kahlo, donned cowboy hats aliases did their hairsbreadth successful braids pinch ribbons and lace, which became a awesome of guidance against nan ICE raids among young Latinas past summer.

What I saw decidedly would not person happened past twelvemonth — aliases ever before. Mexican Americans person agelong risen up to take sides ourselves and defy our haters, but there’s usually an underlying strain of bitterness and anger that kneecaps america astatine nan worst imaginable moments. Strains of that pathology emerged crossed nan Southland astatine different celebrations Sunday night.

Four group were changeable successful East Los Angeles. A instrumentality was stabbed successful Lynwood. An unlawful assembly was declared successful Pacoima. Why, a young woman moreover vomited successful nan patio of my wife’s business because she couldn’t grip her BuzzBallz.

Mexico fans creation successful a conga statement successful downtown Santa Ana aft Mexico’s World Cup nonaccomplishment to England connected Sunday.

(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)

Those were random pendejos. Last night, Mexican Americans said no más to our pained past. It’s arsenic if we synthesized nan unofficial motto from this World Cup (¿Y si sí? — what if we do win?) pinch nan 1 from 2018 (“Imaginemos cosas chingonas” — let’s ideate awesome things) to situation ourselves to deliberation of a amended tomorrow and unrecorded a amended today.

And it each came because of a shot squad, proving anew really sports tin effect affirmative alteration for illustration fewer different things.

“Win aliases lose, we’re truthful proud of nan squad and ourselves,” said 53-year-old Norma Medellín (“no relationship to narcos”) of Fountain Valley. She and immoderate younger relatives, each decked retired successful different styles of Mexico shot jerseys, had conscionable vanished statement dancing extracurricular a beauty salon that had group up an impromptu sound system. “It’s unfortunate things didn’t spell our way, but there’s ever 2030.”

Medellín excused herself and headed crossed nan thoroughfare — location was much fiesta to enjoy.