As Episode 1 of "Good Rivals" (2022 release; 3 episodes ranging 55 to 60 min each) opens, we are at the "World Cup South Korea 2002", as the USA and Mexico are taking the field in the knock-out round of 16, a historical and unprecedented match-up. We hear from Landon Donovan and Rafa Marquez as to the outsized importance of that match in the scheme of things. We then go back in time to understand how the Mexicans have dominated this soccer rivalry for decades... At this point we are 10 minutes into Episode 1.
Couple of comments: this mini-series is the latest from Nicaraguan director Gabriel Serra. Here he examines the US-Mexico soccer rivalry that wasn't a rivalry until the 1990s. This documentary mini-series doesn't stick to just soccer, though, and tries to venture into the broader aspects, including economical and political, that define and intertwine the 2 countries, and that is fraught with risks. Some may find it impossible to separate sports from politics, but I really did not want to see the Liar-In-Chief popping up, repeatedly at that, in this documentary. Setting aside that annoyance, this mini-series is enjoyable when it sticks to the soccer aspects. Many talking heads pass the review, but in the end it's the archival footage that I really enjoyed the most. The 1994 World Cup in the US brings back fond memories, and I can't wait for the WC to return here in 2026.
The initial two episodes of "Good Rivals" premiered on Amazon Prime last night, with the third and final episode coming in a week. (Why not release all 3 episodes at once?) This release is timed to more-or-less coincide with the 2022 World Cup now taking place in Qatar. As Landon Donovan quipped about the US and Mexico meeting up in the 2002 WC knock-out round of 16: :It could be another 50 or 100 years before the US and Mexico meet again the World Cup." If you are a soccer fan, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion, but be forewarned that this mini-series doesn't just stick to sports.
*UPDATE* 12/3/22* I've now watched Episode 3, which contains a sizeable segment on the most recent US-Mexico game, the WC qualifier a year ago here in Cincinnati (where I live). I was at the game and it's one of the best memories in a life time of going to soccer games. The Qatar World Cup was an embarrassment and outright disaster for Mexico, as they didn't even advance to the knockout rounds. The US fared better, losing to the Netherlands in the Round of 16. I can't speak for Mexico, but the US team should be in absolute peak form for the next WC in 2026 right here in the US. Can't wait for that!
