The history of soccer in Mexico is not one of huge success internationally. However, the Mexican people love soccer, and their passion for the game makes them worth remembering.

History of Soccer in Mexico - A Rough Beginning

The history of soccer in Mexico really began in 1927 with Mexico's first international match. The game was played on home soil against Guatemala. Mexico came out of that game with a 3-2 victory, winning their very first match!

Despite this promising start, Mexico was put to the test in 1930 in the first World Cup. They came out at the bottom in the group stage with nothing but defeats.

This was the beginning of the "dark ages" for Mexican soccer. Their game struggled due to corruption in the system and poor training conditions.

Up until 1970, Mexico won only one World Cup match: a 3-1 victory against Czechoslovakia in 1962.

History of Soccer in Mexico - Growth of the Game

Finally, soccer began to pick up in Mexico due to more investments (which also helped to cut back on corruption in the system), and Mexico gained the honor of hosting the 1970 World Cup.

This was probably the biggest marker in Mexican soccer history. Not only did this World Cup bring the game home for the Mexican people, but the national team made it to the quarter finals!

Though this would not be regarded as a huge success in the eyes of most soccer fans, it was huge for this country after their terrible performances in previous World Cups.

Mexico was again allowed to host the World Cup in 1986. This time they came out at the top of the group stages for the first time ever! Things were looking good for Mexico and many thought they could win the trophy.

However, they were once again defeated in the quarter finals in a game against West Germany.

History of Soccer in Mexico - Closing

Though Mexico has produced many good teams and players, they have yet to make it past the quarter finals in a World Cup.

However, many believe that it is just a matter of time before this country of soccer lovers pulls together and wins their first World Cup.

The history of soccer in the United States has numerous different roots. The modern-day game, is often considered to have been brought to the United States through Ellis Island during the 1870s. However, recent research has shown that the modern game entered America in the 1850s through New Orleans when Scottish, Irish, and German immigrants brought the game with them. It was in New Orleans that some of the first organized games that used modern English rules were held.

However, some variations of soccer in the United States began well before than, with Native American tribes, primarily the Algonkin and Powhatan tribes playing a variation of the sport known as pasuckuakohowog. Pasuckuakohowog, literally meaning "kicking ball sport" was reported to be played on fields a half mile in diameter and as long as nearly a mile. Teams would have nearly 100 people. Some believe that the Pilgrims played this sport during the original Thanksgiving festivities.The Oneida Football Club was established in 1862 by Gerrit Smith "Gat" Miller, a graduate of the Latin School of Epes Sargent Dixwell, a private college preparatory school in Boston. At the time there were no formal rules for football games, with different schools and areas playing their own variations. This informal style of play was often chaotic and very violent, and Miller had been a star of the game while attending Dixwell. However, he grew tired of these disorganized games, and organized other recent preparatory school graduates to join what would be the first organized football team in the United States.

The team consisted of a group of Boston secondary school students from relatively elite public (state) schools in the area, such as Boston Latin School and the English High School of Boston. Organization served the club well, and it reportedly never lost a game, or even allowed a single goal.

USFA vs. AFA, FIFA sanctioning

Within a year of its founding, the AFA organized the first non-league cup in U.S. soccer history, known as the American Cup. Clubs from New Jersey and Massachusetts dominated the first twelve years. It would not be until 1897 that a club from outside those two states won the American Cup. Philadelphia Manz brought the title to Pennsylvania for the first time. Due to internal conflicts within the AFA, the cup was suspended in 1899, and it was not resumed until 1906. The conflicts within the AFA led to a movement to create a truly national body to oversee American soccer. Drawing on both its position as the oldest soccer organization and the status of the American Cup, the AFA argued that it should be the nationally recognized body.

In October 1911, a competing body, the American Amateur Football Association (AAFA) was created. The association quickly spread outside of the Northeast and created its own cup in 1912, the American Amateur Football Association Cup. That year, both the AFA and AAFA applied for membership in FIFA, the international governing body for soccer. In 1913, the AAFA gained an edge over the AFA when several AFA organizations moved to the AAFA. On April 5, 1913, the AAFA reorganized as the United States Football Association, presently known as the United States Soccer Federation. FIFA quickly granted a provisional membership and USFA began exerting its influence on the sport. This led to the establishment of the National Challenge Cup that fall. The National Challenge Cup quickly grew to overshadow the American Cup. However, both cups were played simultaneously for the next ten years. Declining respect for the AFA led to the withdrawal of several associations from its cup in 1917. Further competition came in 1924 when USFA created the National Amateur Cup. That spelled the death knell for the American Cup. It played its last season in 1924.Towards the later portions of the 1920s a period in American soccer known as the "American Soccer Wars" ignited. The Soccer Wars regarded the internal conflicts with the American Soccer League and their affiliated clubs participating in the National Challenge Cup. The debate involved whether the United States Football Association or the American Soccer League was the true chief organization of American soccer at the time, and consequently wrecked the reputation and possibly even the popularity of the sport domestically. The colloquial "war" has been considered responsible for the fall of the ASL, and the end to the first golden age of American soccer.

The initial issue with the ASL had been the scheduling of the National Challenge Cup, which had been straining for the ALS season schedule. Typically, the National Challenge Cup had been played during the ASL's offseason, which made it difficult for ASL clubs to compete in the tournament. Consequently, the ASL boycotted the1925 Challenge Cup due to scheduling conflicts, and the lack of cooperation the USFA inflicted on the ASL. American soccer historians claim that the real issue was the ASL vying to be the premier soccer body in the United States.

In 1927, the issue intensified as ASL clubs were accused by FIFA for signing European players who were already under contract to European clubs. Due to the conflict and apparent corruption in the ASL, USFA president (at the time), Andrew M. Brown traveled to Helsinki, Finland for the 1927 FIFA Congress in the hopes of removing any penalizations imposed on the ASL and USFA. Other issues regarding the soccer league involved the closed league model and the lack of American soccer players dominating the league. It resulted in ASL owners wanting to run their soccer clubs more like Major League Baseball teams, as many ASL owners owned MLB franchises. According to owners of ASL clubs, they saw these rulings as restrictions imposed on themselves, including the National Challenge Cup.

With the hope of breaking away from the National Challenge Cup, Charles Stoneham, an owner of the New York Nationals proposed that the ASL would create their own tournament to determine the champion of the ASL, and thus ultimately determine the top American soccer club. This was the creation of early forms of playoffs culminating a regular season. Additionally, the proposal included expanding into the Midwest to include clubs from the Ohio River Valley and St. Louis regions, and create a new division for these clubs. Stoneham's plan involved having the two divisions compete in their own season, and the top clubs in each division playing in the ASL tournament to determine the ASL champion. Before the proposal, the National Challenge Cup was seen as the ultimate title in American soccer since most professional leagues in the United States focused on a specific region, rather than encompassing the entire country as a whole.In 1967, two professional soccer leagues started in the United States: the FIFA-sanctioned United Soccer Association, which consisted of entire European and South American teams brought to the US and given local names, and the unsanctioned National Professional Soccer League. The National Professional Soccer League had a national television contract in the U.S. with the CBS television network, but the ratings for matches were unacceptable even by weekend daytime standards and the arrangement was terminated. The leagues merged in 1968 to form the North American Soccer League (NASL). It has been suggested that the timing of the merge was related to the huge amount of attention given throughout the English-speaking world to the victory by England in the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the resulting documentary film, Goal. The league lasted until the 1984 NASL season.The biggest club in the league and the organization's bellwether was the New York Cosmos, who drew upwards of 40,000 fans per game at their height while aging superstars Pelé (Brazil) and Franz Beckenbauer (Germany) played for them. Although both were past their prime by the time they joined the NASL, the two were considered to have previously been the best attacking (offensive) (Pelé) and defensive (Beckenbauer) players in the world. Giants Stadium sold out (73,000+) their 1978 championship win.Over-expansion was a huge factor in the death of the league. Once the league started growing, new franchises were awarded quickly, and it doubled in size in a few years, peaking at 24 teams. Many have suggested that cash-starved existing owners longed for their share of the expansion fee charged of new owners,even though Forbes Magazine reported this amount as being only $100,000. This resulted in the available personnel being spread too thinly, among other problems. Additionally, many of these new owners were not "soccer people", and once the perceived popularity started to decline, they got out as quickly as they got in. They also spent millions on aging stars to try to match the success of the Cosmos, and lost significant amounts of money in doing so.

Also, FIFA's decision to award the hosting of the 1986 FIFA World Cup to Mexico after Colombia withdrew, rather than the U.S., is considered a factor in the NASL's demise.

On March 28, 1985, the NASL suspended operations for the 1985 season, when only the Minnesota Strikers and Toronto Blizzard were interested in playing.

Barcelona

Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Catalan footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto "Més que un club" (More than a club). Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the second most valuable sports team on the globe, worth $3.2 billion, and the world's second-richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of $613 million. The official Barcelona anthem is the "Cant del Barça", written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinàs.

Barcelona is the most successful club in Spain, in terms of overall official titles won (81). Barcelona was ranked first in the 'All-Time Club World Ranking' by IFFHS, on 31 December 2009, and was placed on top of the 2012/13 UEFA club rankings. It has won 22 La Liga, 26Copa del Rey, 11 Supercopa de España, 3 Copa Eva Duarte and 2Copa de la Liga trophies, as well as being the record holder for the latter four competitions. In international club football, Barcelona has won four UEFA Champions League, a record four UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, four UEFA Super Cup, a record three Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and a record two FIFA Club World Cup trophies. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Real Madrid; matches between the two teams are referred to as "El Clásico".

Barcelona is one of the most supported teams in the world, and has the largest fan base among all sports teams on all major social networks. Barcelona's players have won a record number of Ballon d'Or awards (10), as well as a record number of FIFA World Player of the Year awards (7). In 2010, the club created history when three players who came through its youth academy (Messi, Iniesta & Xavi) were chosen as the three best players in the world, having bagged the top spots at the FIFA Ballon d'Or, an unprecedented feat for players from the same football school. 

Barcelona was one of the founding members of La Liga, and is one of three clubs which have never been relegated from the top division, along with Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid. In 2009, Barcelona became the first Spanish club to win the continental treble consisting of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Champions League. That same year, it also became the first football club ever to win six out of six competitions in a single year, thus completing the sextuple, comprising the aforementioned treble and the Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. In 2011, the Blaugrana again became European champions and won a total of five titles, missing out only on the Copa del Rey (in which they finished runners-up). This Barcelona team, which reached a record six consecutive Champions League semi-finals and won 14 trophies in just four years under Guardiola's charge, is considered by some managers, players and experts to be the greatest team of all time.

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Real Madrid

Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the team has traditionally worn a white home kit since. The word real is Spanish for royal and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem. The team has played its home matches in the 81,044-capacity Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in downtown Madrid since 1947. Unlike most European football clubs, Real Madrid's members (socios) have owned and operated the club since its inception.

Real Madrid established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s. Domestically, Real Madrid has won a record 32 La Liga titles, 19 Copas del Rey, 9 Supercopas de España, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la Liga. Internationally it has won a record ten European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and a joint record three Intercontinental Cups, as well as two UEFA Cups, and two UEFA Super Cups.

The club was awarded with the recognition of FIFA Club of the 20th Century on 23 December 2000, and named Best European Club of the 20th Century by the IFFHS in London on 11 May 2010. The club also received the FIFA Order of Merit in 2004. Real is allowed to wear amultiple–winner badge on their shirt during UEFA Champions League matches as they have won more than five European Cups.

Early years (1897–1945)

Real Madrid's origins go back to when football was introduced to Madrid by the academics and students of the Institución libre de enseñanza, which included several Cambridge and Oxford University graduates. They founded Football Club Sky in 1897, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa. It split into two clubs in 1900: New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Madrid Football Club. On 6 March 1902, after a new Board presided by Juan Padrós had been elected, Madrid Football Club was officially founded. Three years after its foundation, in 1905, Madrid FC won its first title after defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Cup final. The club became one of the founding sides of the Royal Spanish Football Federation on 4 January 1909, when club president Adolfo Meléndez signed the foundation agreement of the Spanish FA. After moving between grounds the team moved to the Campo de O'Donnell in 1912. In 1920, the club's name was changed to Real Madrid after King Alfonso XIII granted the title of Real (Royal) to the club.

Andrés Iniesta Luján 

 born 11 May 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Spain national team as a central midfielder.

Iniesta came through La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy, after an early emigration from his birthplace, and impressed from an early age. He made his first-team debut in 2002, aged 18. He began playing regularly during the 2004–05 season and has remained in the side ever since. He was an integral part of the Barcelona side in 2009, the only time a club has achieved six titles in one season. He is considered one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.

Iniesta played for Spain at the Under-16, Under-19 and Under-21 levels before making his international debut in 2006. He was selected in the team for the2006 FIFA World Cup. He helped Spain win Euro 2008, playing every game and being selected in the UEFA Team of the Tournament. Iniesta was also chosen for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was a key member of the victorious Spanish side; he scored the winning goal in the final against the Netherlandsand was named the Man of the Match, and was also selected to the tournament's All-Star Team. At Euro 2012, Iniesta steered Spain to their second consecutive continental crown, being chosen as the Best Player of the Tournament and winning 3 Man of the Match awards (including in the finalagainst Italy).

Iniesta won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award in 2012, and was also chosen as the Best Player of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League. He was runner-up to Lionel Messi for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or and achieved third place in 2012. He was named by IFFHS as the World's Best Playmaker in 2012 and 2013, and won the La Liga Spanish Player of the Year award in 2009. Iniesta has been chosen in the UEFA Team of the Year four times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), and has been voted into the FIFA World XI on five occasions: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. In recognition of his outstanding performances with club and country, as well as his individual and team achievements, Iniesta received the Marca Legend Award in 2011.

Club career

Early career

Iniesta comes from Fuentealbilla, a small village in the province of Albacete, Castile–La Mancha. At the age of 12, while playing for Albacete Balompié in a junior seven-a-side tournament in Albacete, he attracted the attention of scouts from many clubs around Spain.^[7] His parents knew the FC Barcelona youth team coach, Enrique Orizaola, and he persuaded them to consider sending Iniesta to the Barcelona youth academy. Iniesta traveled there with his parents and visited La Masia, the farmhouse where the club houses its young players; the trip convinced them to enroll Iniesta in the Barcelona youth ranks.

2004–2008 Iniesta says he "cried rivers" the day he left for La Masia and struggled being separated from his parents; he was very shy and kept to himself while there.He captained the Barcelona Under-15 team to victory in the Nike Premier Cup of 1999, scoring the winning goal in the last minute of the final, and being named player of the tournament. Just after Iniesta arrived at the club, then Barcelona midfielder Pep Guardiola famously told fellow midfielderXavi, "You're going to retire me. This lad [Iniesta] is going to retire us all."

In the 2004–05 season Iniesta featured in 37 out of 38 league games—more than any other player—although 25 of these were substitute appearances. He scored twice as Barcelona won La Liga.An injury to fellow midfielder Xavi at the start of the 2005–06 season allowed Iniesta more regular starts in the centre of midfield, and he continued to improve and develop.He played in 11 Champions League games, including a half-time appearance in the 2006 final to replace Edmílson. His contribution to the team was praised by manager Frank Rijkaard as Barcelona won a league and Champions League double.

The 2006–07 season saw Iniesta's profile continue to rise and he earned plaudits for his willingness to play in any position for his team. On 22 August 2006, after defeating German side Bayern Munich 4–0, Iniesta lifted the Joan Gamper Trophy as the captain of the team. He played for the first time as a left wing-forward for Barcelona in two Champions League matches against Levski Sofia, finding the net twice. In the first knockout stage of the same competition, he played at central midfield against Liverpool. Despite being moved around the pitch by manager Rijkaard, the 2006–07 season remains Iniesta's highest scoring thus far.

With the departure of Ludovic Giuly over the summer break, Iniesta was able to switch his number 24 shirt for his preferred number 8. On 19 July 2007, the Spanish newspaper Marcalinked Iniesta with a move to rivals Real Madrid, who were willing to pay his €60 million release clause. Iniesta responded the same day to deny the rumours, saying: "I've been told about that and I'm very surprised. I can't do anything about it but I'd like to insist once again that I want to stay here. When I say I want to retire in Barça, I say it with all my heart. And my wishes are above everything else." On 25 January 2008, Iniesta extended his contract to 2014, with his buy-out clause being raised to €150 million.

According to the Spanish football magazine Don Balón, a member of European Sports Magazines, Iniesta has been one of the most consistent performers in the last two seasons of the Primera Division, placing fifth in 2006–07 and fourth in 2007–08 on their annual rating system Ranking Don Balón. He also placed 9th in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year voting, gaining 37 total points. Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o, and Xavi also featured in the top ten.

2008–09

In September 2008, after the departure of former vice-captain Ronaldinho to Milan, the Barcelona squad decided on its new team captains. Iniesta was named fourth-choice behind, in order of preference, Carles Puyol, Xavi and Víctor Valdés; all four were products of the Barcelona youth system. In mid-November 2008, Iniesta suffered a leg injury and was expected to return to action in six weeks. Iniesta, however, did not want to come back until he was 100 percent and finally returned to action on 3 January 2009 as a 65th minute substitute against RCD Mallorca. After only 10 minutes he scored a crucial goal and completed a Barcelona comeback in front of the Camp Nou. His performances in the 2008–09 season have been highly lauded, receiving standing ovations both in Barcelona at the Camp Nou, as well as from rival supporters in away matches.

Iniesta scored a vital equaliser from outside the penalty area in the final minute of stoppage time during the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, securing the tie on away goals as the match finished 1–1. In his diary of the season, Un Any Al Paradis, he wrote "I connected with that shot with the outside, not the inside or the tip of my boot, but right from my heart, with all my might."On 5 February, Iniesta made his 250th appearance for Barcelona in the Copa del Reymatch against Mallorca. Iniesta once again got injured in Barcelona's home match againstMálaga CF, but returned to action for the first leg Champions League quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich, which Barcelona won 4–0. Former teammate Samuel Eto'o described Iniesta as being "the best player in the world; whenever Iniesta is on the pitch, he creates a spectacle."

"I knew I would play injured and do more damage. For 17 days, all I thought about was the final in Rome and winning, even knowing that I would do more damage. I'd repeat it, for sure. I love this club and my profession and I wanted to win. If we had lost the final that would have been a total disaster."

Andres Iniesta

This goal sent Barcelona through to the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final in Rome against defending champions Manchester United. Prior to the final, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said: "I'm not obsessed with Messi, Iniesta is the danger. He's fantastic. He makes the team work. The way he finds passes, his movement and ability to create space is incredible. He's so important for Barcelona." Despite a thigh injury, Iniesta played and was influential in the game, providing the assist for the first goal scored by Samuel Eto'o as his team went on to win 2–0; in his analysis, David Pleatwrote, "In the end the midfield artistry of Iniesta and Xavi, helped by Messi, was the critical factor". After the game, Wayne Rooney described Iniesta as the best player in the world.

Don Balón rated him as the most consistent performer in the 2008–09 La Liga season, ahead of team-mates Xavi and Lionel Messi.

2009–10

On 18 October, Iniesta was included in a list of 30 candidates for the prestigiousBallon d'Or, given to the top player of the year in Europe, along with teammates Xaviand Lionel Messi and former teammates Thierry Henry, Yaya Touré, Zlatan Ibrahimović, and current Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o. Andrés was one of five nominations for the World Player of the Year award alongside teammates Lionel Messi, and Xavi Hernandez. Proud of the nomination, he commented that "the fans of the team who have always been there to support our team-mates also deserve to be recognised". The ceremony was held in Zürich and teammate Lionel Messi took home the award. Iniesta placed fifth with 134 votes. He scored his first goal for the season against Racing Santander in a 4–0 win. Iniesta's 2009–10 season was largely disrupted by recurrent injuries. He missed pre-season fitness training due to the thigh tear suffered in the 2009 Champions League final, and this meant that despite featuring in almost as many matches as the previous season, he did so mostly as a substitute, starting only 20 games throughout. Nevertheless, Barcelona once again won the La Liga title, securing a record 99 points. His season came to an end after he aggravated a previous calf injury during training.

On 27 November 2009, he made a one-year extension to his Barcelona contract which now runs until 2015; his buy-out clause was raised again from €150 million to €200 million.

2010–11

After being given extended rest by Spain coach Vicente del Bosque following the World Cup, Iniesta returned to Barcelona for a pre-season medical on 9 August 2010. Speaking to FC Barcelona's website, he said of the message dedicated to Daniel Jarque revealed during his goal celebration in the World Cup final: "I did it because I felt it deeply. It showed that what is more important than rivalry, your team or your colours is to be human and a good person. I am delighted because it was the most important moment in my career." Asked about the recurrent injuries that plagued his 2009–10 season, he said: "It was hard, but I will start with more desire than ever."

Iniesta scored his first goal of the season for Barcelona during the opening La Liga fixture against Racing Santander, lobbing the ball into the net from a distance of 30 yards. He received standing ovations from home fans at El Sardinero and the Vicente Calderón Stadium in appreciation of his World Cup-winning exploits whilst with the Spanish national team. He also had a standing ovation in the home pitch of RCD Espanyol in El Derbi, with the crowd acknowledging his friendship with Daniel Jarque.Barcelona won the match 5–1.

He was one of the three finalists for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or along with Barcelona teammates Xavi and Messi, and came second as Messi won the award.