Abstract
The complicated relationship between the United States and Mexico plays out on youth soccer fields all over the US, and increasingly in soccer clubs in Mexico. Mexican soccer clubs and the national federation have increased their recruiting efforts aimed at Americans. A growing number of young Americans are choosing to play professionally in Mexico, with mixed results. Among the factors at play: generational ties, culture, opportunity, regional soccer history, and the American pay to play system. It is not always easy. These young men often feel like they are in both worlds, and in neither.
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Shrader, J. (2017). The Border War for Young Mexican American Soccer Players: How Family and National Identity Play Out on the Field. In: Kassing, J., Meân, L. (eds) Perspectives on the U.S.-Mexico Soccer Rivalry. Global Culture and Sport Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55831-8_1
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