If you're a fan of El Tri, you've resigned yourself to the fact that for every highlight reel goal or historic victory...
... It will inevitably be followed by a moment of agonizing heartbreak.
1. When Manuel Negrete scored that incredible scissor kick goal against Bulgaria in the 1986 World Cup.
You probably didn't see it happen live, but you've seen this goal played over and over for years.
2. When Mexico missed the 1990 World Cup due to the "Cachirules" scandal.
3. When you thought Hugo Sánchez was coming in to save the day, but he stayed on the bench.
1994 World Cup: Mexico was tied 1-1 in extra time with Bulgaria in a Round of 16 match. When the game went into extra time, it looked like Mexico coach Miguel Mejía Barón was going to sub in Hugo Sánchez – the greatest player in Mexican history – to add more firepower to the team. Instead, often-stubborn Mejía Barón left Sánchez on the bench and...
Eventually, Mexico lost the match to Bulgaria in a penalty shootout.
4. When Cuauhtémoc Blanco unleashed the "Cuauhteminha" at the 1998 World Cup.
5. When Cuauhtémoc Blanco went airborne to help Mexico draw with Belgium at the 1998 World Cup.
6. When Luis "El Matador" Hernández made a last-ditch effort to tie Mexico's match with the Netherlands.
And guaranteed their place in the knockout stage.
7. When Luis Hernández gave Mexico a 1-0 lead over Germany in the Round of 16 at the 1998 World Cup.
¡SI SE PUEDE! ¡SI SE PUEDE!
8. When Mexico conceded two late goals to Germany in the second half and were knocked out of the 1998 World Cup.
No se pudo. Yep, that's current U.S. National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann scoring the first goal versus Mexico.
9. When Mexico beat Brazil 4-3 to win the 1999 Confederations Cup.
10. When Jared Borgetti scored a wondrous header versus Italy in the 2002 World Cup.
And Gianluigi Buffon, one of the best goalkeepers in the world, could do nothing but watch.
11. When Mexico lost 2-0 to the United States in the Round of 16 of the 2002 World Cup.
12. When Mexico defeated Brazil to win the 2005 U-17 World Cup.
13. When Argentina knocked Mexico out of the 2006 World Cup with a wonder goal by Maxi Rodriguez.
Hey, Mexico is playing great! Maybe this is – what's that? Oh, just a lump in my throat. This is why Mexico fans will forever root against Argentina.
14. When Nery Castillo helped Mexico beat Brazil at the 2007 Copa América.
15. When Nery Castillo's career took a nosedive.
16. When two errors against Argentina cost Mexico dearly in a Round of 16 matchup at the 2010 World Cup.
After a heartbreaking elimination at the hands of Argentina during the 2006 World Cup, Mexico was looking for payback. Unfortunately, two mistakes ruined Mexico's shot at revenge. The first was a missed offside call from the assistant referee that led to a goal. The second was a giveaway by defender Ricardo Osorio that led to a second goal, and more importantly, the nail in the coffin for Mexico.
17. When Julio Gómez's heroic performance helped Mexico win the 2011 U-17 World Cup.
After going down with a head injury moments after Mexico tied its semi-final match with Germany, Gómez returned late in the game to do this:
18. When Giovani Dos Santos scored an incredible goal to cap off a comeback victory against the United States in the 2011 Gold Cup.
19. When Mexico upset Brazil to win the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games.
20. Pretty much the whole 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign.
21. Except this goal:
22. When Guillermo Ochoa became a worldwide trending topic...
23. When Miguel Herrera's celebrations put a smile on everyone's face.
24. When Mexico defeated trash-talking Croatia to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2014 World Cup.
25. When Mexico conceded two late goals to the Netherlands and watched their World Cup hopes vanish.
