THE UNITED STATES and MEXICO are bound together by history, culture and geography. Whether they want to be or not. This complex relationship is nowhere more visible than on the soccer field, and in the stands. With his new book, Sibling Rivalry, Hal Phillips shows why USA vs. Mexico soccer is more than a match. It’s an ongoing family drama proving that rivalry is a uniquely compelling form of intimacy. Phillips investigates the fluid, centuries-old associations between the two nations, on field and off. He explores byzantine border dynamics, shared economic anxieties, and the North American Derby’s stunning evolution from a one-sided “nothing-burger” to an intensely contested, ever-escalating blood feud. The partisans are front and center here, but Phillips also draws on the personal narratives of transnational players and fans, breathing more life and nuance into this thoroughly North American story…
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Graham Zusi, the North American Derby's 21st-century Patron Saint. Click the image or visit the EXCERPTS in top nav to learn more about Graham's unlikely canonization.
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