Why he roots for Mexico

Los Angeles journalist Daniel Hernandez, living temporarily in Mexico City, explains why he cheered for Mexico to beat the U.S. in soccer last week. Excerpt of a piece he posted at Faster Times, apparently when no media outlet picked it up:

When you are born on the U.S. side but live with Mexican sensibilities, you can be naturally torn when these two storied teams take to the field. It’s the old “hyphenated American” push-and-pull. Root for the red, white, and blue? Or the tricolor?...

I did not feel like a traitor to the nation of my birth when I cheered on Mexico to its victory last week, not a bit. Think of it as an expression of cultural flexibility.

Hernandez is a former staff writer at the L.A. Times and LA Weekly who is writing a book in Mexico.