Soccer Mexicana

 
“The mind moves matter” … Virgil, Aeneid

I’m naturally predisposed to dismissing the mental side of the game. The team that ‘wants it more’ doesn’t always win. One team being ‘more ready to play’ is generally a throw-away line to explain the unexplainable. I assume that the majority of professional athletes are always trying their hardest to put out their best effort. The team that wins most often will be the one with the better athletes and the more complete cohesion as a unit.

 
As a first time writer on Soccer Mexicana, I will begin by introducing myself. My name is Roberto Macias, but on here or on Twitter I go by DonTical_futbol. How did I come up with that name? My devotion for hip-hop music growing up and my love for the beautiful game mixed together to create the name. I am a fan of el Rebaño Sagrado, also known as Las Chivas de Guadalajara. On Twitter I try to stay neutral, sometimes my passion takes over and can’t help my love for my team.

 
With this being my first post for Soccer Mexicana, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Stephen Eastepp and I go by the name “Ordinary Orange Fan” in the soccer writing community. Now your first question might be what does orange have to do with the beautiful combination that blue and gold make? Well, nothing I guess. My affection with the color orange stems from my home team, an MLS soccer club – the Houston Dynamo.

 
Nothing motivates more than avoiding relegation

 
The Clausura 2013 campaign is winding itself down to its conclusion. And with the end comes the beginning of the short tournament of crazy, the Liguilla. While a few teams have separated out and made themselves locks for the postseason (and serious contenders for the title), the majority of the league is still looking to qualify and legitimize hopes for a trophy.

 
Managing a Liga MX squad qualifies largely as a thankless position. Very little of the success and nearly all of the failures of the team are laid at your feet. The only security in the job comes from the knowledge that someone else is likely to give you another shot after your untimely firing. The shark tank that is Mexican sports media, the abhorrent level of the league’s officiating and the often delusional fan expectations serve as icing on the cake.

Wrote a review of Estadio Azteca for Stadium Journey, Read it here.

Finding positive signs on the horizon for the Mexican National team requires no investment of hope or exaggeration. The recent successes of the U-17, U-20, and mostly U-23 Olympic squad point to a bright future. The emphasis on the youth ranks has contributed to a class of young Mexican players that not only possesses great skill but has also been instrumental at the club-level. Diego Reyes and Hector Herrera have been locked down for summer transfers to Porto. Javier Aquino made the jump to Villareal in Spain. More are sure to follow.

 
Mr. President, Mr. Chepo, honored guests, and fellow followers of El Tri:

 
All good things must come to an end. Things that take me an incredible amount of time and are exceptionally high in fat are easier to end than others. I’m officially putting Torta Tuesday to bed this week. It’s been a good run, but it’s also kind of hard to run on account of all the tortas.