Sibling Rivalry Archives - Sibling Rivalry

A New World Guide to Sensible World Cup Expectations

Hal Phillips — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 18:25:46 +0000

I was rereading and search-engine optimizing some older essays last week, when I came across a column from early October 2017. To be precise, the piece was written two frantic days after the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. That remains, you may recall, a dire moment in what I [...]

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Women’s Soccer Sheds Entirely New Light on US vs. Mexico

Hal Phillips — Mon, 25 May 2026 15:21:39 +0000

[See here an excerpt from Chapter 10 of “Sibling Rivalry.” It appears in the Summer/June issue of Soccer Journal magazine, available here.] The North American Derby does fascinating things to the footballing attachments of young Latinas. Meet Alexandra, whom Professor Erick Calderon interviewed in May of 2024. The date is relevant. El Tri femenil had [...]

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Excerpt: The Continuing Education of Rafa Marquez

Hal Phillips — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:28:00 +0000

Rafa Marquez is a thoroughly modern figure. In the twenty-first century, no one has wielded more influence on the fortunes and reputations of Mexican soccer. The modern game is a global game, so it follows that Rafa made much of his mark, for himself and his countrymen, abroad. In 1999, he left the security [...]

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