"It hurts not to go to the World Cup, but also losing to the U.S. I don't know if it's because it's our neighbor or because now we know we are the worst ones," said Ruben Galindo, a 40-year-old employee at Mexico City's motor vehicles department.
Even before the loss to the U.S., Jose Manuel "Chepo" De la Torre had been fired as coach in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday, right after Mexico's hair-pulling home loss to Honduras, in which the Tri fell 2-1 after holding a one-goal lead.
The woes of the national team, venerated almost as much as Mexico's patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe, are adding to the anxiety sparked by teacher protests that have blocked major roads and created more traffic in the nation's capital.
Soccer is such a big deal that teachers protesting against a newly adopted education reform complain that Mexicans demand more from the national team's soccer coach than of their president.
"I say: `We have to be optimistic. It can win,"' said Mariana Villalobos, a 28-year-old who sells used clothing on the street. "But then you see how the other team scores once, then twice, and we lose our spirit."
