Cuauhtémoc Blanco — doing the job Americans can’t…

First David Beckham, now Cuauhtémoc Blanco:

Mexican soccer legend Cuauhtemoc Blanco will put pen to paper Tuesday on a deal with the Chicago Fire, the club has announced. … 

Like David Beckham, who agreed to a five-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy in January, Blanco won’t join his new club until the summer. His contract with his current team, Mexican powerhouse Club America, expires June 30, and Blanco will be eligible to join the Fire immediately thereafter.

The guy’s got talent.  He was on the 1998 and 2002 Tricolor teams, and scored 9 goals in the 1999 FIFA cup tournament, which featured “la Cuauhtémiña” — a down the field bunny-hop with the ball between his feet.  Yeah, that’s legal. 

There are probably some in Mexico who aren’t sorry to see him leave.  He once complained to the press about National team coach Ricardo LaVolpe’s selections, telling the reporters “I don’t like some of the players, and I would have picked other guys.” 

LaVolpe picked some other guys.  Blanco’s fans picketed — but, then, in Mexico, manifestaciones are the OTHER national sport. 

Blanco started a brawl at Estadio Azteca (not a usual occurance at a Mexican futbol game) and ended up with a one-year international suspension. He refused to play an away game in Dallas for Americas.  It seems he’d punched out an autograph seeker in a Houston bar and process servers were standing by.  Dissing a referee — ok, Mexico’s first female referee — didn’t go over real well with the Mexican sportscasters (or fans, which is kind of suprising). 

Described as “part-Dennis Rodman, part Alex Rodriguez, part-Kobe Bryant,” the 34-year old Tepito native should fit right into the word of American pro-sports. 

 On the field…