Lost Identity

When we talk about the great rivalries in Mexican soccer, the one between Universidad and América must always come up in the conversation. Pumas and Águilas have become bitter rivals, and for their respective fans a victory in this important duel is a must. The clashes are historic; sporting hatred has led these encounters to become classics.

Therefore, when they face each other, regardless of the state of each of the two clubs, one expects the matches to be competitive, and that everyone who takes to the field will give their all, to defend with dignity the shirt they wear, something that did not happen on Saturday with the Pumas players. It is true that Universidad had several casualties, but that is no justification for what we saw on the field: a team without soul.

I understand that, with the current rosters of both institutions, even with the Pumas having all their stars at their disposal, the Águilas would be the favorites, and should win most of the duels, but I would expect to see the Universitario players killing themselves for every ball, running at all times to compensate for the absences and individual superiority of their rival. The Pumas were never a club that spent a lot of money on the road to becoming one of the so-called greats of national soccer. Their strength lay in the fact that most of the players were not only Mexican, almost all of them had come to the first division directly from the club's youth teams; those young people who identified with the blue and gold colors, defended the colors because they felt them, they knew what it meant to play for the University.

When I started watching football, the Pumas were title contenders, they always had great squads, full of national team players who, when the time came to leave, already had their replacements. There was no need for a bunch of foreigners or experienced Mexican players, what was enough was the youth team and a real love for the jersey. All that has been lost, what happened on Saturday at Ciudad Universitaria was an example.

Few youth players, too many expensive and low-quality foreigners and, to make matters worse, they have a coach who has no experience in that position, who is there because his predecessor recommended him, who is not even Mexican, and even less understands what it means to be part of such an important institution.

In order to compete with América, you need what Universidad had for years and what CU has now lost: grit and the passion of yesteryear. When the rival is superior to you, the collective and the desire must appear to compensate for those deficiencies. Pumas do not have those attributes, which for years allowed the club to be one of the most important in the country, the identity is lost, and therefore the years of not being protagonists accumulate.