The evolution of technology keeps providing society with new words, a process that happens even faster in the multilingual world of soccer – especially when passionate fans on either side of North America's biggest rivalry mix it up on social media.
Add this one to your list of Spanglish catchphrases: “Trolear.”
It's the Spanish word for “troll,” and the official Twitter account of Liga MX couldn't resist doing a bit of it in MLS's direction on Tuesday night as the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final between Mexican clubs Cruz Azul and Toluca kicked off.
Of course, this is the tournament that many MLS clubs so desperately want to win, and the arrival of a fifth all-Mexican final in six years provided the league's cross-border counterpart with an irresistable opportunity to remind everyone that it remains an elusive prize for the Norteamericanos.
“We invite @MLS and @futbolMLS [the league's official Spanish twitter handle] to follow the grand final of @TheChampions in our timeline or on FOX Sports Norte. Enjoy it,” read the tweet. As you can see, Liga MX employed English in that last part, just to make things clear.
The teasing banter comes a few months after US Soccer supporters – and even the federation's official Twitter account – engaged in a similar round of light mockery after the Mexican national team's World Cup hopes were rescued by the US national team, most famously Sporting Kansas City midfielder Graham Zusi.
Zusi's goal spearheaded the USMNT's comeback win over Panama on Oct. 15, 2013, of course, which enabled El Tri to edge past Los Canaleros and grab CONCACAF's final shot at Brazil 2014, an intercontinental playoff against New Zealand in which Mexico snared one of the final berths in this summer's tournament.
Goals by Zusi and Aron Johannsson set off a frenzy of “#DeNada” (you're welcome) tweets that clearly ruffled some feathers, as shown when fans on both sides of the border rivalry immediately reacted to Tuesday night's banter.
“Ouch. @LIGABancomerMX just trolled @MLS hard,” said one fan, while another retorted in Spanish that “Mexico has to kiss the [rear end] of the USA” nonetheless, referring to the heroics of “San Zusi.”
Another fan noted that the “#ZusiTuitazo” (which roughly translates as the “epic Zusi tweet,” apparently in reference to US Soccer's #DeNada post) had been “well avenged.”
Thus far Liga MX's tweet has earned 119 retweets and 69 favorites. And the conversation probably isn't over yet.
