USA 2 Mexico 0, one fan leaves the stadium forever

I was able to pull an ESPN2 feed on my
computer 8 minutes into the friendly
between the USA Mens National Team and
the Mexico selection and for the rest of
the match it was a real emotional roller
coaster. In the back of my mind I thought
about my father and how we would argue
about my support for the USA (him, Mexico
to the death) if we were to watch the
match together. Then the USA scored 52
minutes into the second half on a corner
from glamor boy Landon Donovan that spun
in the air perfectly like Darth Vader's
Death Star before finding Jimmy Conrad's
head and hurtling into the net. 'Chinga
tu Madre!' an obscene way of saying
'In your face!' but that's what came out.
And my shouts could be heard across the
Pacific when Donovan added the insurance goal
in extra time.

Over 50,000 humbled Mexican fans left the
stadium in Phoenix, on the American side,
but apparently my father's soul was walking
with them, one last time. A few minutes
later my brother called from San Diego to tell
me that he had found my father on the floor
of this bedroom, passed on. I'll be flying to
Southern California today to deal with the
messy aftermath and see what I can do for his
legacy. He did not die a happy man, he had
issues, but he felt he deserved better from
America and maybe he did. Roger Robles Serrano,
1922-2007, Rest in Peace.