Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah....

I knew something was odd last night, when I watched the FS1 coverage of the Mexico-USA CONCACAF World Cup Qualifier match.

This match, in the sixth round of the hexagonal final group (six teams, home and home), was at the infamous mile-high Estadio Azteca in Mexico City -- a venue the NFL also uses and will use for one of it's highest-profile games of the season:  New England-Oakland.

But there's been a nasty little secret about our neighbors to the south with respect to their feelings toward their opponents, and the first thing I saw on the mid-stadium crawl indicated it...

I actually saw the word "puto" in an "advertisement there.

(My apologies to any Spanish-speaking blog readers for the use of the word -- it is only being used as explaining what is going on.)

The word is one of the biggest insults and slurs you can speak in the Spanish language, roughly translating as a gay whore.

The Mexican soccer federation has been fined a number of times over the years for their fans using the slur against players from the other team.

So much so, the federation tried to warn the fans about this, in a comment roughly translated to:

"Chanting 'puto' does not make you more Mexican.  Help us to avoid sanctions.  Join us."  (MSN)

Nope.

Every time USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan lined up for a goal kick...

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah....  Puto!!!"

More fines are expected.

And before you think American fans are any better, the new MLS team in Atlanta had it's fans chanting the same slur in it's first match.

The United States took a large step toward qualifying for the World Cup in Russia with a 1-1 draw Sunday night.