The lines that separate us

As a soccer fan, I'm always on the hunt for soccer, whether it's online, on television or in print. Of course, it's always a hunt because if I rely on the typical and popular sports outlet, I'll be left with nothing.

As a soccer journalist, my livelihood depends on the beautful game. My way of life revolves around soccer and I will spend much of my time between now and November around the game.

I find it strange/ironic/irritating that 90 percent of Americans couldn't give a shit about the beautiful game, which is my passion as both a fan and reporter.

At no time is that more pronounced than today, game day of a U.S.-Mexico match. These are special days to me. They don't happen very often (once or twice a year isn't very often) so I treasure them. I can't remember where I was each of my last 10 or 15 birthdays or the details of Thanksgivings or Christmases over the last decade-plus but I can recall with great clarity where I was for every U.S.-Mexico game since 1995. The emotion and passion and electricity produced by these games is, to me, unmatched.

Yet here we are, preparing to go out in the world or deeply immersed in it already, surrounded by people who honestly could not care less. The lady at the front desk, the guard who stands watch over the parking lot, the annoying guy in the next cubicle, the lady at the checkout counter, your boss, none of them gives a rat's ass.

I guarantee most people out there don't even know it's going on, don't know the hatred many Mexican fans feel toward Landon Donovan, don't know that Mexico draws tens of thousands of fans to these games but still can't beat the U.S., don't know that Hugo Sanchez is 0-2 against the U.S. and that Ricardo Lavolpe, Javier Aguirre and Enrique Meza all failed to beat the U.S. on American soil as well, don't know the emotions this game can produce. They don't know what it feels like when your team's ball hits the back of the net and you vibrate in unending joy, or when the other team scores and you feel like your favorite toy just got smashed to a million pieces.

I've been consumed by this game for weeks, by the rivalry for more than a decade. I've been along for the ride in person and via television, as have many of you. I guess that's why I feel a kinship with you guys, because we both understand what this games means. We both get it, even though many of our friends and co-workers most certainly do not.

Whatever happens tonight, whether you are a US fan or a Mexico fan, it's going to be a great game and a fantastic and memorable ride. Dinner, kids, homework, spouses, chores, bills, everything will take a back seat for a couple of hours. We'll all be immersed in the game, and everyone else is just missing out.