Former LA Galaxy and Mexico goalkeeper Jorge Campos has high hopes for the United States at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
In a feature with Sports Illustrated, Campos declares that he believes the USMNT is ahead of Mexican side at present. The U.S. advanced to the Copa America Centenario semifinals, finishing fourth while Mexico was famously eliminated 7-0 by eventual champion Chile in the quarterfinals.
“The [men’s] team—I have to say it’s better than Mexico’s. Mexico is good, but [the U.S.] do more than us in the World Cup. They’ve gone to the quarterfinals. We have never done that. I think they have a chance to go to the semifinal or final [in 2018].”
It may come as a surprise that a two-time World Cup participant with Mexico has such kind words for their archrivals, but Campos—who still lives in Los Angeles—attributes the Americans’ success to the growth of the sport since he arrived at the Galaxy in 1996.
“Instead of [American] football, they play soccer. On a baseball field—everybody’s playing soccer!” Campos said. “When I came here in 1996, to MLS, there were 10 teams. Every three months we’d play the same team two times. Now it’s a real league. They grew up fast.”
