Mexico Fans Will Dominate Gold Cup Final Crowd Vs USMNT, And That’s OK

SportsMoneyMexico Fans Will Dominate Gold Cup Final Crowd Vs USMNT, And That’s OKByIan Nicholas Quillen, Contributor

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights

Getty Images One of the lasting storylines from the U

Louis, traditionally a hub of American support, appeared to be made up predominantly of Guatemalan fans

That may be nothing compared to how Houston’s NRG Stadium may feel on Sunday evening when Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT takes on Mexico in their eighth all-time meeting in a Gold Cup final

That’s even by design from Concacaf, which regularly relies on the American ity of the Mexico national team to drive ticket sales for the biennial event

It’s unfortunate that USA fans aren’t as mobilized as fans of other Concacaf nations when it comes to regional competition

But any concerns that a lack of American support now will carry over to next year’s FIFA World Cup – in which the U

Will play its group games in Southern California and Seattle – are bably unfounded

Even less than two weeks before the World Cup opener, the U

But once tournament play started, Americans turned out en masse

The reason is simple: Even with very little knowledge of the sport at the time, Americans still considered the World Cup a "major international event” similar to the Olympic Games or major Tennis or Golf competitions

So just Americans would suddenly care figure skating, gymnastics, track and field and swimming in Olympic years, when the World Cup began, they cared soccer

Many more Americans have become soccer fans in the 31 years since

Even so, no other major soccer event involving the USMNT has achieved “major event" in the nation’s main English-speaking sports media and culture

If anything, it’s more ly to lend that to big Premier League or UEFA Champions League gameas, or the Euopean Championships (known colloquially as the Euros), given the emergence of the idea among so many American fans that Europe is the sole of big-time soccer

More Santa Clara, Calif

Getty Images But for American Spanish speakers whose lineage is in the Concacaf region, it’s a decidedly different story

For most Concacaf nations, the Gold Cup is the second-biggest event on the quadrennial soccer calendar behind World Cup qualifying

And even for regional powers Mexico, Panama, Honduras and Costa Rica, the Gold Cup represents a unique chance to actually win silverware, since the USA none have ever been realistic contenders to win a World Cup title

In that context, the struggle to draw USMNT fans to St

Louis makes more sense

For Guatemalan fans, it was literally their national team’s most important match in the 29 years since their last Gold Cup semifinal appearance

The disparity in perception isn’t quite as stark for the final, though still significant

And the size of the potential Mexico fanbase Sunday is far lager

Sports media landscape, Sunday’s clash falls well behind the USA-Canada ice hockey clashes earlier this year, next year’s Winter Olympics, and possibly also any major tennis tourmanent final appearances by American singles players

It would be a positive development for the entire region if USMNT fan views of the Gold Cup changed

The emergence of Canada as a consistent regional rival could help

For better or worse, most Americans see far more in common with their neighbors to the north than the south

And Canada manager Jesse Marsch’s insistence in criticizing U

Soccer while in the role only helps generate the kind of folder that rivalries require

Changing the tournament to a quadrennial event could also add to its perceived significance, especially because in the cess, it would bably mostly end the practice of coaches deciding to field lesser-strength rosters

Attendance data from previous Gold Cup tournaments suggests the presence of the team’s best stars does make a considerable difference

And so many competitions, the best way to make fans care is for them to endure unexpected defeats

If Canada, Panama, Costa Rica or Jamaica could break through and end the bi-polar rule of the USMNT and El Tri at this event, it would make more fans of both nations take notice

The talent base in Concacaf is evolving to the point where that feels more ly to happen eventually than it ever has before

If we someday look at a tournament field and think four or more sides could realistically win the title, it becomes easier to equate it with the Euros or Copa America

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