This year's International Federation of Football Association (FIFA) World Cup is showing off the global appeal of futbol, as well as the ways immigration is playing a critical role in sports. The United States team, who recently lost their place in the tournament after losing to Ghana, was no exception. Of the 23 players, 15 were born from at least one immigrant parent, and one was actually born abroad. We are used to discussing immigration in this country through a political lens, and here in San Jose, it has become a heated debate. The emotions tied to the immigration issue was on display at a recent City Council meeting where dozens of pro and anti-immigration activists fiercely argued their positions on Arizona SB 1070. It seems every aspect of society is touched by immigration, and that includes sports. Just by taking a look at the rosters of most teams that are participating in the World Cup, we can see the reflection of immigration at a world level.
At the first World Cup to be played on African soil, South Africa 2010, we see Arab, Turkish, Hispanic or Polish names in the German team, Brazilian names in the Mexican team, Slavic names in Scandinavian teams, Africans in European teams, and so on.
Here are just a few examples of the shifting national identities of players: Mark González who plays for Chile returns to South Africa, where he was born; Mario Gómez, whose father is a Spaniard, plays for Germany, as well as his teammates Jerome Boateng whose parents are from Ghana, Sami Khedira whose father is Tunisian, and the rising German star Mesut Özil who has Turkish background; Argentinian-born Lucas Barrios defends the Paraguayan colors, land of his mother. Also in the Mexican team, head coach Javier Aguirre is one of thousands born in Mexico from Spanish parents who left Spain during the Franco dictatorship. Most teams have at least two or three immigrant players. Even the North Koreans have players who were born in Japan and South Korea.
These are the sons of immigrants, or immigrants themselves, representing the country that gave their parents a new opportunity in life. Some were professional soccer players who moved to play professionally abroad. Some migrated for the more common story – traveling to a new country in search of better economic opportunities, escaping war or a dictatorship, or just personal option rather than necessity.
The United States team, however, is perhaps one of the strongest examples of this point, as 15 of the 23 players in the squad were born from at least one immigrant parent -- from Haiti, Nigeria, Brazil and Austria, and one of them is an immigrant from Scotland. Four players are Mexican-American: Jonathan Bornstein, Carlos Bocanegra, Hercules Gómez, and Francisco “el Gringo” Torres.
Gómez and Torres have similar stories. They both faced discrimination after they migrated south of the border, the same discrimination that thousands of Chicanos, or Mexican-Americans, face when they visit the land of their parents. Both of them had the opportunity of representing Mexico, but chose to play for the land where they were born. For “Gringo” Torres, that was not an easy decision.
His Mexican father migrated to Texas in search of better economic opportunities. There he met and married Torres's mother, even when neither of them spoke each other's language. El Gringo was born in the small town of Longview, Texas, and as soon as he learned to walk, he began kicking a soccer ball influenced by his Hispanic side of the family, especially by one of his uncles.
During his teenage years, a scout from the Mexican team Pachuca (it is becoming more common for professional teams from south of the border to send scouts to the United States), “discovered” el Gringo, and brought him to play for Mexico's oldest professional team. El Gringo left amidst tears of joy and sadness from his mother and family.
Once he arrived in Mexico, he began to deal with insults so commonly and viciously launched at “pochos,” a derogatory way of calling Chicanos in Mexico. “They used to tell me, "Why are you here? You don't know how to play futbol?',” said El Gringo during an interview with ESPN. However, he fought hard and is nowadays in the starting lineup each weekend for Pachuca. He became such a good player that both the Mexican and the North American teams were in search of his skillful left foot.
Two years ago at the age of 20, he faced a pivotal decision in regards to the country he would represent on the largest sport stage in the world -- the FIFA World Cup. The moment a player participates at an official FIFA match, he cannot change jerseys ever again. He chose to play for the United States.
Some Mexicans scorned him for being a traitor to his father's land. However, the fact that he played during the World Cup for the United States, does not mean he betrayed his roots. He chose to play for the land that gave his father a new opportunity, and where he was born. He has always been proud of his Mexican background; he carries both lands in his heart, despite only wearing one uniform officially.
Gómez, born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, began his professional career in the Major League Soccer (MLS) the United States top professional soccer league. However, like Torres, he moved south of the border to join what is considered to be a more competitive league, which might eventually become a spring-board to Europe, the dream of most soccer players.
In such a short span, Gómez already won a scoring championship while playing for Puebla in Mexico's top flight, and for the remainder of 2010, he will join Torres at Pachuca.
Both Torres and Gómez, along with the 15 sons of immigrants, set a great example that hard work and fighting adversity will take you to achieve your dreams. They both saw action during the United States surprising run in South Africa. They both had that "American dream" come true, even when there are laws that attempt to separate young people like them from their families, and other laws that pretend to remove their citizenship rights if the parents are undocumented.
Gerardo Fernandez is a contributing writer for Alianza News.
Collage image by Fernando Perez.
Copyright Alianza News 2010
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