Monterrey crowned Mexican champions

Monterrey won the Mexican title for the second time in a year after an enthralling final against runners-up Santos that showcased the very best elements of Mexican soccer.

In front of a full Estadio Corona, Santos won 3-2 Thursday after an end-to-end game in which both teams attacked in incessant waves. With Ecuadorian Christian Benitez and Colombian Darwin Quintero on fire in the striking department, it looked like Santos would break the curse of their Argentine manager Ruben Omar Romano who before the game had lost his three previous finals in Mexico. In contrast, Monterrey coach Victor Vucetich faced an uphill task in maintaining his 100 percent record in his four previous Mexican finals.

Up in the northern city of Monterrey on Sunday for the return leg, the atmosphere seeped through the TV set as the preview to the game commenced and the sun set against the backdrop of Monterrey’s famous La Silla (Saddle) mountain.

The game started at break neck speed with an intensity that you rarely see in the Mexican game. It was reminiscent of watching the English Premier League with tackles flying in and the ball rapidly transferred from one end of the pitch to the other. Both teams fought fiercely in the middle of the park although in the first half it was Monterrey who increasingly looked the more likely to score, with Humberto “Chupete” Suazo nailing one left footed shot against the underside of the crossbar early in the encounter. It was a warning for Santos that the diminutive Chilean was in the mood to cause havoc.

On 28 minutes he started doing just that. Suazo played a neat one-two on the edge of the box before drilling the ball first time into the bottom left corner of the goal. It wasn’t really a chance but Suazo had opened the scoring from nothing. On the other hand Benitez, the Mexican league’s top scorer, was finding it hard work against a physically strong Monterrey defense.

The overall score stood at 3-3 at halftime but Monterrey continued to press forward while Santos were pressed further and further back. You felt at some point that Benitez and Quintero would create something but it was Monterrey who grabbed their second on 71 minutes, Jose Maria Basanta leaping high and nodding in from a corner kick.

Mayhem ensued in the stadium and around Monterrey. The city has been in the press for its increasing role in the drug war, but Sunday it was a welcome change from the negativity.

What was to come brought even more reason to celebrate. Just as Santos were throwing men forward in search of the goal to take the tie to extra-time, Suazo produced the night’s truly memorable moment.

Picking the ball up just over the halfway line, 29-year-old Suazo slalomed past three Santos defenders at pace before lifting a delicate chip over Santos ‘keeper Oswaldo Sanchez. Think Brazilian Ronaldo when he was at PSV or Barcelona. Suazo’s goal was sublime and a fitting end to the game – 3-0 to Monterrey.

Santos could have no complaints on the night, although they can count themselves unlucky to have finished second in both championships this calendar year. Monterrey produced a team performance that will go down in history. It was the best this reporter has ever seen from a Mexican side.

The star was obviously Sauzo and European clubs will undoubtedly be casting a few envious glances. If he leaves it will be to the detriment of Mexican soccer. The same goes for Santos’ Benitez who has excelled. The only sad thing is that neither of them is Mexican. Oh, and the fact that coach Vucetich turned down the post of national team boss earlier this year.

Monterrey and Santos prepare for final

Billed as the “Battle of the North,” Santos and Monterrey lock horns Thursday in the 1st leg of the final of Mexico’s Apertura 2010 in a final that is delicately balanced on paper.

For Santos, the memory of last years final still hurts. Captain Oswaldo Sanchez and coach Ruben Omar Romano have both said this week that being just one penalty kick away from winning the title six months ago and then losing has made the team stronger and more united.

A physically strong team from the unfashionable city of Torreon, Coahuila, Santos finished the regular season just two points behind Monterrey, having let in one goal less than their northern rival. Monterrey scored one more over the 17 games.
The statistics indicate there will be little in the game and Monterrey’s coach Victor Manuel Vucetich has said that the sides know each other very well.

Both teams have quality in abundance all over the park and were by some way the superior side in their respective semi-finals. October 23, Monterrey got the better of Santos in Torreon 2-1, although Santos had the vast majority of the possession giving little indication about how this series will play out. At home though, Santos are particularly strong and have only lost twice this calendar year.

On the bench though, it’s Monterrey who have the edge. Vucetich has won every final he’s participated in while Argentine Romano has lost three finals in Mexico.
Regular followers of Mexican soccer will know that the Mexican league’s two best strikers will be on display in this final: Santos’ Christian Benitez and Monterrey’s Humberto “Chupete” Suazo.

Ecuadorian Benitez has taken the league by storm this year scoring 14 goals in the regular season. He’s gone on to net two in the liguilla. Alongside him, striking partner Darwin Quintero has hit form at just the right time and has three goals in the playoffs. Between the Ecuadorian and Colombian Quintero, Santos has a fearsome strike force that need only the slightest of opportunity at goal to make the opponents suffer. Strong and fast, the pair could be the best in the country.

Rivaling them though are Monterrey’s Humberto “Chupete” Suazo and Aldo de Nigris who scored 16 between them in the regular season. The classic little and large combination, Suazo feeds off de Nigris’ physical presence. It’s been a big surprise that Chilean Suazo never made it when he tried his luck in Spain. Without any doubt though, Monterrey have been the beneficiaries.
With such attacking talent on display the game should be a good show of what the Mexican league can offer at its best.

The Beer Cup

Also gaining a lot of interest around this game is who the clubs are owned by. Monterrey is backed by FEMSA and Santos by Grupo Modelo. Between them, the two companies make up 90 percent of Mexico’s beer market. FEMSA produces beers like Tecate, Dos Equis and Sol; Grupo Modelo makes Corona, Modelo and Pacifico.
The games sub context is therefore a battle of the breweries.

Santos v Monterrey - Thurs, Dec 2, 2010 @ 8 p.m. in Torreon

Monterrey v Santos – Sun, Dec 5, 2010 @ 6 p.m. in MTY

America/Pumas face uphill struggle

Mexican giants America have to win by two clear goals against Santos to proceed to the final of the Mexican playoffs and Pumas have to beat Monterrey.

For many it was the dream final: America v Pumas. A final that could put new impetus into Mexican soccer, that would see two of the biggest teams in the land lock horns. Sponsors and television companies licked their lips at the prospect of the bitter Mexico City rivals making it to the finals.

Following the Thursday night games when both teams played at home, both face a monumental struggle to make the dream final come true.

America, in front of a pitiful crowd at the Estadio Azteca, lost 2-1 to Santos thanks to a late Christian Benitez screamer. Although America gave as good as they got and a tie may have been a fairer result, the class of Benitez snatched it for Santos. The nouveau riche team from Mexico’s north now consistently in compete in the last stages of the liguilla. Both teams are rumored to pay the highest salaries in the Mexican game but it is Santos that have molded the better team.

In Torreon on Sunday, America need to win by two clear goals. It might be good for television figures if America go through but Santos won’t care about that. They want to get their hands on the trophy that was denied them by an epic penalty shootout against Toluca in the final last season.

Players to watch:

Christian Benitez (Santos): Already has 15 goals to his name this season at a ratio of over a goal per game. Enough said.

Daniel “Rolfi” Montenegro (America): Just coming back from injury much of America’s positive play comes through the Argentine. Playing just off the front man, if America are to turn the 2-1 scoreline around, Rolfi will surely be at the heart of it.

Pumas v Monterrey

Pumas will have to beat Monterrey on Sunday night if they are to make the final following a 0-0 draw in the Estadio Olimpico on Thursday.

On paper it is a difficult assignment, but there are reasons Pumas can go into the game with confidence. Monterrey have gone five games without a victory and have conceded ten goals in their last three at home. Their defense looked good against in the 0-0 draw on Thursday but when they are forced to come out a little, cracks may appear. Pumas also can point to their victory over Cruz Azul as evidence that anything is possible.

With Humberto Suazo and Aldo De Nigris is scintillating form upfront, Monterrey are a frightening attacking force though. The bottom line remains that Pumas face a difficult task in what will be a hostile environment.
Players to watch:

Humberto Suazo (Monterrey): Exceptionally lively striker in and around the box, the Chilean will be looking to add to his season’s goal tally of 11.

Francisco Palencia (Pumas): Pumas’ creative inspiration, the long-haired 37-year-old will be looking to roll back the years to unlock the Monterrey defense.

Mexico prioritize Copa de Oro over Copa America

Mexico will send a weakened team to the Copa America 2011 following an agreement between the Mexico Soccer Federation (FMF) and CONMEBOL.

Rumors were rife earlier in the week that Mexico may not be invited to future Copa America tournaments if they send a weakened squad this year.

Speaking on his return from the draw for the group stages of the Copa Santander Libertadores 2011, President of the FMF Justin Compean said the rumor was in no way true.

“We are 100-percent confirmed to continue participating,” Compean told the Mexican press.

An agreement was struck to allow Mexico to send a squad made up largely of Under-22s with five additional senior players to the Copa America. The new Mexican coach Jose Manuel de la Torre will not take charge of the team for the tournament, perhaps a consequence of the sacking of Hugo Sanchez after his young side’s poor showing in the Olympics in Bejing.

Since 1993, Mexico has taken one of the two spots in the Copa America given over to invited countries from outside the South American region. This year, the Copa de Oro, the regional tournament for CONCACAF teams, is in June, the final taking place just one week before the Copa America kicks off, posing a logistical problem for Mexico.
Mexico, with strong encouragement from CONCACAF, sees the Copa de Oro as a much more realistic way of getting into the Confederations Cup in 2013 in Brazil.

Many in Mexico remain unhappy that their best players won’t be around to compete with some of the best teams in world soccer in the the Copa America, considered the international game’s second or third most prestigious competition.

Breathless weekend of Mexican football as favourites fall

The semi-finals of the Mexican playoffs are set in stone after a couple of games that may compete with the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham for “Game of the Weekend” award.

Pumas beat Cruz Azul

Cruz Azul, the best team in Mexico with the most points, most goals scored and least goals, conceded in the general standings, were knocked out of the playoffs in the quarter finals Saturday after losing 3-2 on aggregate to fellow Mexico City side Pumas UNAM.
Holding onto a 2-1 victory from the first leg in Pumas Olimpico Universitario, Cruz Azul were heavy favorites knowing that only a 2 goal or more defeat would see them get knocked out. To put the gargantuan task Pumas had to face into perspective, Cruz Azul won all eight of their home games in the regular season, conceding only three goals.
As can happen with playoff tournaments that are, in effect, knockout cup competitions, teams can have an off day and bang, they’re out.
That’s exactly what happened to Cruz Azul. Pumas snuck a goal within two minutes and suddenly Cruz Azul knew they were in for a fight in front of their own fans. By halftime they’d had a man sent off, were a goal down and had two other players substituted with injuries (including national team midfielder Gerardo Torrado). In the second half, Pumas pressed for the second and came close on a number of occasions. Dropping back with nine men behind the ball, it appeared that Cruz Azul might just hang on. Then more misfortune. The referee called a penalty for Pumas for a handball. It was a decision which could’ve gone either way. To rub salt in Cruz Azul wounds, Juan Cacho stepped up to convert the penalty. Cacho was a product of Cruz Azul’s youth system.
Fair play to Pumas though. They were determined, efficient and made the most of the opposition’s crumbling luck and lack of zip. Scrapping for their place in the playoffs in the last few weeks has obviously done them no harm. They came into the liguilla battle-hardened. Cruz Azul, on the other hand, qualified some weeks ago and perhaps couldn’t find that extra gear in the second half Saturday.
Questions about how just it is that Cruz Azul lost their first home game of the season and were dumped out will be asked. But for non Cruz Azul fans and the game in Mexico, this game was a great example of the playoff system at its best whether you agree with it or not.

America teach “little brother” a few basic lessons

The Aguilas of America soared imperially in the Estadio Azteca on Saturday evening dishing out a masterclass to a San Luis team that defensively were all over the place.
Following a stale 0-0 draw in San Luis in the first leg, America won 4-1 and coach Manuel Lapuente was lapping up the applause on the touchline as the fourth went in. All season the coach has been angered by questions about how defensively minded his America team is. For most teams it wouldn’t matter but this is America and there past tells them they have to not just win, but win well.
Of course, San Luis is owned by the same Televisa television company and suspicions of corruption linger in the press. The theory goes that for gate receipts and general interest in the liguilla it’s more financially rewarding for America to advance and somewhere in the corridors of futbol power shady deals are done to make sure the result goes the right way.
The accusations have to be taken with a pinch of salt though and on the field though it was clear that America were dominant and could be hitting form at the right time. With America’s Argentine midfielder Daniel “Rolfi” Montenegro back and ready for the semi finals, no one will fancy facing them.

Monterrey survive scare to put Pachuca to the sword in epic clash

Played out in 30 degree Centigrade in Monterrey’s Sunday afternoon sun it would’ve been easy to predict a languid affair. What a game this was played out in front of a packed house in Monterrey’s Tecnologico Stadium with the city’s famous Serro de la Silla (Horse Saddle) mountain providing the backdrop.

Chilean Humberto Suazo scored a goal worthy of the setting after slaloming his way through the Pachuca defense and slotting home on 18 minutes. Pachuca needed to win after Thursday’s 1-1 draw in Pachuca and the early goal could’ve killed them.
Pachuca weren’t giving this up though and equalized via the head Colombian Franco Arizala seven minutes later after a fine ball by Argentine Damian Manso. Then, on 36 minutes, Aldo De Nigris tapped in after a fine passing move from Monterrey. Going into halftime at 2-1 to Monterrey, the game appeared all but over.
Pachuca came out and pushed for the goal they needed to tie the game and make Monterrey nervous. They hit the post and they looked dangerous. Then on a rapid counter attack in the 57th minute, Monterrey struck again. Game. Set. Match.
Pachuca had other ideas though and refused to go out ignominiously, continuously pressing for the three goals they needed. Arizala scored on 84 minutes and then again on 89. Monterrey fans were extremely nervous as Pachuca put their giant goalkeeper Miguel Calero upfront to try and win balls pumped into the box for the four minutes of injury time.
In the end, it wasn’t enough but Pachuca leave the Apertura 2010 with their heads held high. It’s worth remembering that if it was a Champions League game, they would’ve progressed on away goals. In the Mexican league it is decided by final position in the general standings.
Monterrey, as we have become accustomed, are an extremely dangerous team. The Suazo/De Nigris striking partnership is looking ominous. Last time the duo really got their scoring act together, Monterrey won the Apertura 2009. With Cruz Azul out the way, they are now favorites to lift the trophy but they’ll need to tighten up the defense. In their last three home games they’ve conceded ten goals.

Santos and Jaguares bore

Like chalk and cheese, the second leg of the Santos v Jaguares series on Sunday was a stale game settled by a last minute penalty for Santos. Requiring a win after a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Jaguares pressed but failed to break down the Santos defense. The home fans booed at 0-0 even though their team was set to get through.
Perhaps the highlight of the game was the haircuts of the Jaguares players; multicolored in the style of the cat they are named after.

Semi-finals (times and dates not 100 % confirmed):

Pumas v Monterrey (Wed, Nov 24 @ 9 p.m. in Estadio Olimpico, Mexico City)

America v Santos (Thurs, Nov 25 @ 9 p.m. in Estadio Azteca, Mexico City)

Return legs:

Monterrey v Pumas (Saturday, Nov 27 @ 7 p.m. in Tecnologico, Monterrey)

Santos v America (Sun, Nov 28 @ 6 p.m. in Estadio Corona, Torreon)

Estadio Jalisco closed for two games

Violent clashes between supporters of Guadalajara soccer team Atlas and the police marred the last weekend of soccer fixtures this year for the city’s teams.
The stadium will be closed for Atlas’ first two games of 2011 and the stadium owners will have to pay a fine of 173,000 pesos to the Mexican Soccer Federation. The fracas ended a dire season for Guadalajara’s soccer teams. Chivas, Atlas and Estudiantes Tecos all failed to reach the playoffs and are under pressure to perform much better in 2011.

Let the liguilla begin

After a fascinating last weekend of games, the preliminaries are over in the Mexican league and the playoffs are about to begin with some fascinating ties in store.

Game of the week:

Cruz Azul (1st in general table) v Pumas (8)

In Mexican Spanish the team backed by a cement company, Cruz Azul, has been chingón. In other words: the big daddy, the main man, indisputably Mexico’s best team in the Apertura 2010. Cruz Azul have emerged as the clear favorites for the title having scored more goals than anyone else, let in less and finished top of the general league.
From goalkeeper Jesus Corona, through the spine of the team with Gerardo Torrado and Chaco Gimenez on to strikers of the quality of Emanuel Villa and Javier Orozco, the squad oozes class. Managed by the vastly experienced and multiple title-winning coach ‘Profe’ Enrique Meza, Cruz Azul are the big favorites against Pumas.
A look back in the history books will give UNAM’s Pumas some reason to hope though. The last four times Cruz Azul finished top of the overall standings (1995-96, Invierno 98, Invierno 2000 and Apertura 2006), they were eliminated by the 8th placed team in the quarter finals. If Pumas can grab something in the first leg at home, they could make the second tie a nervy one for Cruz Azul. Last time the two teams met, Pumas won. In fact, Pumas were excellent at home throughout the season.
Off the back of an emotional, if fortuitous, 1-0 victory against America in the Estadio Azteca to snatch a place in the playoffs at the last minute, Pumas fans will say the momentum might just be with them. And, if Pumas need more stats to boost their confidence against the awesome Cruz Azul, they should remember that they were the last team to finish 8th and win the tournament, in the Apertura 2004.
It should be remembered that this is a Mexico City derby and form coming into the encounter may be thrown out the window. Whatever happens, the atmosphere for both games promises to be electric.
Bottom line despite the stats: it would be a major shock if Cruz Azul aren’t in the semi-finals.

1st leg: Wednesday, November 17 at 9pm (Olimpico Universitario ((Pumas))
2nd leg: Saturday, November 20 at 5 pm (Estadio Azul)

Monterrey (2) v Pachuca (7)

Pachuca will be quietly fancying their chances in this dual. They come into the liguilla (playoffs) off the back of three straight victories. In comparison, Monterrey have lost their last two and are without five of their best players (Luis Pérez, Jonathan Orozco y Severo Meza through suspension and Walter Ayovi and star striker Humberto Suazo to international call ups) for the first leg.
The teams met at the same stage of the playoffs in the Bicentenario 2010 when Pachuca, who finished 8th, knocked out the northern team.
Monterrey smell revenge but Pachuca will be looking for a first leg lead while Monterrey are weakened.

1st leg: Thursday, November 18 at 6pm (Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca)
2nd leg: Sunday, November 21 at 4 pm (Estadio Tecnológico, Monterrey)

Santos (3) v Jaguares (6)

Santos boast the league’s most prolific goalscorer in Ecuadorian Christian Benitez but he won’t be playing in the first leg as he’s been called up by his country. With other players like Fernando Arce, Daniel Ludueña and Darwin Quintero, Santos still look strong however and are heavy favorites to prevail.
For Jaguares, Jackson Martínez and Ismael Fuentes have both been called up for international duty and miss the first leg.
Jaguares have only lost once at home but with Santos seeking revenge after they lost the Bicentenario 2010 on penalties, the Jaguares of Chiapas face an uphill task.

Thursday, November 18 at 8 pm (Estadio Víctor Manuel Reyna, Tuxtla Gutiérrez)
Sunday, November 21 at 6 pm (Estadio Corona TSM, Torreon)

America (4) v San Luis (5)

Both teams are owned by the same huge Televisa broadcasting company and San Luis are known as America’s “little brother.” Yes, Mexican soccer can be bizarre.
San Luis’ president has already been busy telling the media that he just hopes the referee is fair and doesn’t favor the bigger team. In the last fixture between the two less than a month to go, America won 2-1 but the Gladiadores of San Luis had two goals disallowed, which they felt shouldn’t have been.
Both teams have been neck and neck all season. Expect a tight game.

Wednesday, November 17 at 7 pm (Estadio Alfonso Lastras Ramírez, San Luis Potosi)
Saturday, November 20 at 7 pm (Estadio Azteca, Mexico City)

A lesson for Mexico from the Premier League?

Rumblings of change in the structure of the game always crop up in Mexico, but this week one man came to talk to the federation, clubs and businessmen about potential changes.

Former Chief Executive of the English Premier League Rick Parry has been charged with analyzing the structure of the Mexican league and helping to devise a formula to make it the best in the Americas. Parry was a big influence behind the creation of the Premier League, which brought an influx of cash into the English game and, with it, a big improvement in quality.

Parry was initially cautious about criticizing the current state of Mexican soccer though, indicating, amongst other things, that having two championships a year isn’t necessarily a problem. For Parry, even the fact 20 percent of the teams in the Primera Division are owned by television stations isn’t necessarily a problem. Would TV stations in other countries be allowed to own clubs? When Sky TV tried to buy Manchester United in 1999, the government’s monopolies commission said it would simply be unfair competition for a television company to own the country’s biggest club. For Mexico, substitute Manchester United with Televisa owned America.

In fact, Parry didn’t seem to have a problem with anything in Mexico although he admitted he needed time to get to grips with Mexican soccer before making a final judgement.

Perhaps the biggest stumbling block for Mexican teams (and something Parry should look at) is the lack of an international competition that brings the financial rewards and exposure of the Champions League. The Concacaf Champions League is weak at best with only MLS and Mexican sides really having any quality. Attendances at games are usually poor.

Stimulating a continent wide tournament that includes South, Central and North America may be a logistical nightmare, but would really help Mexico and probably soccer on the whole continent.

twitter.com/mexicoworldcup

D-Day in Mexico

It’s the last weekend of games in the Mexican Primera Division before the playoffs begin. For fans of the teams that don’t make it, a long wait until January when the league starts all over again is in store. With six teams still in the hunt for the three remaining places, it promises to be a topsy-turvy 48 hours.

Game of the week: America v Pumas

Without doubt the biggest game of the weekend takes place in the Estadio Azteca between Mexico City teams America and Pumas on Sunday afternoon. Apart from the intense rivalry the two teams share, Pumas have to win to have a chance of qualifying. If by Sunday night, Pumas need three points to make it through, expect an intense game both on and off the pitch.
Previous games between the two have led to spates of violence between supporters outside the stadium. The Pumas supporters’ group, CU, is known as the wildest in Mexico.
Part of the traditionally anti-establishment UNAM, Latin America’s biggest university, Pumas’ players sing the team’s anthem along with fans, clench-fisted right arms aloft, before each home game. In contrast, America are owned by huge TV corporation Televisa and are very much part of Mexico’s establishment.
There might only be three points up for grabs, but there’s a whole history at work when America play Pumas. Don’t miss it!

Friday, November 12

Necaxa v Pachuca (8:10 p.m.)

Currently sitting in a playoff position thanks to goals scored, Pachuca need a big win to confirm their place. A tie or loss would likely see them heading for an early vacation, but that depends on how Toluca and Pumas fare. Necaxa too will be desperate for three points with relegation next summer a real possibility unless they pick up some serious points between now and then.

Saturday, November 13

Queretaro v Jaguares (5 p.m.)

Queretaro are another team fighting for their place in the Mexican top flight while Jaguares de Chiapas need one point to secure a place in the playoffs. Lose and it could be a nervous-wrenching 24-hours waiting for other results to come in for Jaguares.

Cruz Azul v San Luis Potosi (5 p.m.)

With both teams already in the playoffs it may be a case of taking it easy and resting some players.

Monterrey v Guadalajara Chivas (5 p.m.)

A fixture that would usually stand out between teams from Mexico’s second and third most important city (depending on which you are from). Monterrey are already through to the playoffs while Chivas fans should be praying to the Virgin of Guadalupe: they need a minor miracle and for Pumas, Toluca, Pachuca and Morelia all to lose. Oh, and they need to actually scores goals and beat Monterrey.

Santos v Estudiantes Tecos (7 p.m.)

Representatives from Glasgow Celtic were in Torreon this week to look round the Santos Laguna club with a view to a possible partnership. This game is dead rubber however. Santos already qualified and Estudiantes haven’t and aren’t in danger of relegation.

Atlas v Tigres (8:45 p.m.)

Another Guadalajara v Monterrey affair. A win for Tigres UANL and they book their place in the playoffs. Anything else and they’ll have to rely on other results going in their favor.

Sunday, November 14

Morelia v Puebla (midday)

Morelia, the team from the state of Michoacan, need to win and hope Pumas, Toluca and Pachuca all lose. They sit one point above Chivas however.

Toluca v Atlante (midday)

Current champions Toluca could be out if results don’t go their way this weekend. New Mexico boss Jose Manuel de la Torre will have more time to plan but it’d be a sad way for him to leave after two glorious years in charge of Mexico’s Red Devils and two championships to his name. With what should be an easy win over Atlante they need two of 1/ Pachuca to lose or tie 2/ Pumas to lose or tie and/or 3/ Tigres to lose. Toluca usually sneak into the playoffs though, so don’t bet against them.

America v Pumas (4:30 p.m.)

See above.

A sad fact for Mexico fans: Foreigners have scored 207 goals in the Mexican league this season, Mexicans 140 goals. No Mexican-born player appears in the top 10 goalscorers’ list.

Mexico to experiment with six officials

The president of Concacaf, Jack Warner thanked Mexico for agreeing to implement a pilot scheme to test the effectiveness of having six officials at every Mexican league game starting January.

There will be two additional assistant referees working the lines for every game, meaning Mexico will have a total of 54 officials, or six for every nine games each weekend.

Full details of how it will all work to follow ...

Chicharito’s derby challenge

It’s official. Javier Hernandez Balcazar has won over United fans the world over. The vote for October’s player of the month proves it, as do the sombreros outside Old Trafford and the amount of fans with “Chicharito” on the back of their shirt.

On Wednesday though, the boy from Guadalajara, Mexico has the chance to bring the mutual love up to another level altogether, especially for United fans born and bred around Manchester.

With Wayne Rooney still out of action and Dimitar Berbatov doubtful for Wednesday’s big game against Manchester City, the job of leading the United line is likely to fall to Chicharito.

Hernandez has played derbies before and the rivalry between former club Chivas and Atlas in his home town is intense. However, it pales in comparison to Wednesday’s game when the eyes of the world will be on Manchester, and Chicharito. A packed house, freezing weather and a level of pure hatred coming from the City fans that he will never have witnessed, the Manchester derby is a further test of Chicharito’s thus far impeccable character.

We’ll see Wednesday how he fares but what better way to put the cherry on the cake of his exceptional start at United than a goal or two to shut up United’s rich neighbours? And how nice it would be for United fans to see the Mexican steal the headlines from Carlitos Tevez, a fellow Latin American that used to be a United favourite and is now City’s leading light.

Hugo Sanchez on Mexican national team

Select quotes from fifa.com:

A few months on from the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, what’s your view on the current state of Mexican football?

We’re still not good enough to harbour hopes of winning a Copa America or a World Cup. Mexico are not yet ready to challenge the dominance of the likes of Brazil or Argentina. We started to show we were capable of going toe-to-toe with them back in 1993, but we haven’t taken the decisive step yet. I think that El Tri’s rightful place is as Las Americas' third-best team. Quite simply, the number of Mexican players at big clubs just doesn’t compare with those countries.

Do you think Mexico are in the process of narrowing that gap?

The results suggest not. I think the players have enough talent, but what often happens in Mexico is that other things are allowed to get in the way and slow the progress of our country’s football. Head coaches should be supported and backing should be given to the players, that’s what really matters. Without that, I think it [narrowing the gap] will be a real struggle. You can’t demand good performances if the set-up isn’t right.

El Tri are set to begin a new era under a new coach, Jose Manuel De La Torre. What needs to happen for this period to be a successful one?

I’ve always said that coaching cycles should be allowed to be brought to completion and that coaches need to be left to get on with the job. What happened to me was that I made the mistake of agreeing to coach the Olympic squad (Sanchez was sacked following Mexico's failure to qualify for Beijing 2008), which meant all the good work we’d been doing with the senior team was undone. The circumstances will be different now, but if people want results then coaches need to be allowed to get on with the job.

What can you tell us about the latest crop of Mexican footballers plying their trade in Europe?

I like their talent and their quality but, and I repeat, I think they need to be protected. They have what it takes to succeed but too much pressure is put on them, too much is expected of them, and they’re criticised too much. They’re very young players and the way they’re treated in our country makes them prefer to stay with their clubs rather than travel to play for the national team.

There are those that say Javier 'El Chicharito' Hernandez is the best striker to come out of Mexico since your good self. Would you agree?

Of course, you just have to look at the team he’s signed for. It’s not just anybody who earns a transfer to Manchester United at that age. I think he’s in the most favourable environment possible but watch out, he shouldn’t be compared to anybody because that’ll burden him with unnecessary responsibilities. Since we’ve not got many players with exceptional talent, we’ve got to look after them.

What advice would you give to these young Europe-based players?

They should be brave and not rest on their laurels. It was already tough for them to leave Mexico and come to Europe but they must understand that you have to maintain that level of effort. You don’t get too many opportunities like that in life and they’ve made the most of theirs, but they shouldn’t lose heart. If they’re patient, the results will come.

How do you think Mexico fared at South Africa 2010?

Well, it went the same as it always does. When I was appointed national-team coach I said that if we wanted to become world champions we needed to work as a team, with players, directors and journalists all pulling in the same direction. But that didn’t happen and there have been countless coaching changes. And while that’s good enough to see us in a mid-table position, between tenth and 20th in the world, I think that if there’d been continuity then we would have done as well as Uruguay did.

Do you feel like Mexico are no longer the dominant force in the CONCACAF region?

Not at all, the statistics are clear and the history books don’t lie. Only when the United States, Costa Rica, Honduras or Guatemala have appeared at more World Cups than Mexico or have historically got better results than we have will I think they’re on the same level. Form comes and goes, but you don’t build up that kind of prestige in a couple of years, not even in ten.

Would you be willing to retake the Mexico reins at some point in the future?

Of course! I could never refuse my country anything. When they need me, I’ll be there.

Mexican league begins to boil

Talk of reverting back to a regular year long league like in Europe is emanating for certain Mexican club directors. The crux of the matter is whether interest in the league can be maintained year round and if clubs’ substantial incomes from television rights would be reduced.

The debate lingers about the justice of a team finishing fourth or fifth in the general league and going on to win the championship but when push comes to shove, the race to get into the postseason playoffs in the Mexican Primera Division brings a certain buzz.

With only two games left, candidates are being whittled down and every point is vital to get into what Mexican commentators call the “big party.”

There’s no doubt on paper which game in the Mexican Primera Division stands out this weekend: Guadalajara Chivas v Cruz Azul.

Although Chivas are the most decorated team in Mexican soccer, it is “born great” Cruz Azul that are the dominant force this season and have scored 32 goals in 15 games while amassing 35 points. In stark contrast, Chivas have only scored 13 goals in their 15 games so far in the Apertura 2010, pointing to a clear flaw in their striking department following the departure of Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez to Manchester United.

If Chivas fail to get the three points, remote dreams of qualification for the playoffs are thrown out the window. The players, coaches and owner Jorge Vergara will face a long winter contemplating how they are to get themselves out of their current rut. However, they may be aided Saturday by suggestions that Cruz Azul, already qualified for the playoffs, may field a weakened team to give crucial players a rest.

Fans at the new Estadio Omnilife are likely to lose out and attendance is likely to be way below the norm for a fixture between two of Mexico’s big clubs.

Apart from Cruz Azul’s prolific attack (Argentines Emanuel Villa and Chaco Gimenez alongside Mexican youngster Javier “Chuletita” in particular), look out for shaven-headed Chivas midfielder Jorge “Chaton” Enrique. Word is that the tall 19-year-old is destined for great things.

Who qualifies?

The Mexican Primera Division is split into three groups. The top two teams in each group go through to the liguilla (playoffs) while the two other teams are made up of the next best-placed teams in the general table.

Who needs what this weekend?

Saturday’s games:

Estudiantes UAG v Toluca (8:10 p.m.)

Estudiantes sit bottom of the general table and have nothing to play for while Toluca are in the thick of the action. A Toluca win could book their ticket (depending on other results) while a tie or defeat leaves them needing a result next weekend against Atlante.

Jaguares de Chiapas v Atlas (5 p.m.)

Four points from the remaining two games and Jaguares progress. Atlas have had a campaign to forget and are looking over their shoulder at possible relegation.

San Luis Potosi v Santos Laguna (5 p.m.)

Santos are already through to the playoffs while SLP need just a point to guarantee their place. Most likely result: 0-0.

Chivas v Cruz Azul (7 p.m.)

The team from Guadalajara need a minor miracle. Three points would be a start while they pray other results go their way. Cruz Azul are sitting pretty having already qualified.

Pachuca v Queretaro (7 p.m.)

Both teams need to win both their remaining games to have a chance. This game is like an early playoff. The loser is effectively eliminated.

Tigres UANL v Morelia (7 p.m.)

One point should be enough to put one of the Tigres’ feet into the liguilla. Morelia have a mathematical chance of qualification but it would be a minor miracle.

Atlante v America (9 p.m.)

America can book their place with a victory while Atlante have little but pride to play for.

Sunday’s games:

Pumas v Necaxa (midday)

Pumas need a victory to retain hope of qualifying while Necaxa, based in Aguascalientes, have no hope at all.

Puebla v Monterrey (midday)

A real dead rubber of a game. Puebla can’t make the playoffs and Monterrey have already made it.

All times are Mexico City based.

Betting tips: Toluca are the reigning champions in Mexico but have failed to recapture their form in the Apertura 2010. Don’t let that put you off them though. Toluca are known for doing what it takes to get into the playoffs where they tend to convert themselves into shrewd knockout competition experts. Players and fans alike will want to give coach Jose Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre a good send off before he takes charge of the national team in January.

Time for change at Guadalajara Chivas?

Mexican striker Javier Hernandez has stolen headlines following his match-winning goals against Stoke on Sunday and Wolves on Tuesday but things aren’t so rosy back at his old club Guadalajara Chivas.

Sunday’s “clasico of the clasicos” against bitter capital city rivals America ended 0-0, the second half of which was at times exasperating to watch.

The clash pits the all-Mexican, provincial “people’s club” from second city Guadalajara against Mexico City’s America, whose name alone alludes to intentions of grandeur. America spend big on players, flaunt their wealth and their fans are proud of it. Chivas, thanks to an era of domination called the campeonisimo in the late 1950s and 1960s, lead America eleven to ten in the overall title count but both clubs currently find themselves in a slump.

The Mexican sports press was ferocious in building the game up, suggesting the clubs owed the fans a true classic after recent mediocrity and scandal in the national team.

After 90 minutes, boos rang out and the game only served to highlight how both clubs now have some thinking to do in terms of how they can compete on the pitch, not just commercially, with Mexico’s new elite: Monterrey, Cruz Azul, Toluca, Santos Laguna.
Of the two giants of the Mexican though, it’s Chivas who are very much in flux.

Fans are almost unanimously against club owner Jorge Vergara, who bought the club in 2002 and said he would make it into one of the biggest in the world.

“On paper the project is fine but in practice it’s not that easy,” says Chivas fan Luis from Mexico City before Sunday’s game. “Where’s the money going to come from?”

Chivas fans dancing, singing and drinking in a Mexico City park before making their way to the Azteca hid a shared concern about the future of the club.

“I’ll tell you, none of us like Vergara,” says Carlos of Guadalajara’s Legion 1908 fan group. “You go round the park and ask people what they think of him.”
A major problem for Chivas fans in Guadalajara this year has been the new Omnilife Stadium.

“It’s an amazing stadium, incredible but the prices are too high and we can’t get there easily,” says Jorge, who was one of those to make the trip from Guadalajara to Mexico City on Sunday.

Hardcore fans like Jorge and Carlos go to the new stadium every home game, but thousands have been put off.

The Estadio Omnilife is like a modern European stadium, set on the edge of the city. It is genuinely impressive. The problem is that Mexicans can’t pay Western European costs and most people simply can’t afford to pay the ticket prices plus transport to the stadium and then the food and beer inside the stadium. In comparison to the vast majority of Mexican stadia, there are no independent vendors outside; meaning Vergara has a monopoly on food, booze and merchandise.

Vergara laughs it off and says the stadium has been a success and that it’s the media causing the discontentment, but he would be better looking at the stark facts.
There were swathes of empty seats around the ground when Chivas took on local rivals Atlas a couple of weeks ago and when Pumas came to town it was the same. At the old Estadio Jalisco it was rare if one of the above games didn’t sell out, regardless of the circumstances of the team.

The stadium isn’t the only sign of discontent within Chivas however.

“This year I only brought one bus to the clasico,” says Luis Felipe Martinez, organizer of the Legion 1908 in Guadalajara. “I usually bring three.”

Outside the Azteca on Sunday another supporters’ club was protesting a potential change to the club badge.

As in all sports, a successful team brings fans around and while Chivas are performing like they did on Sunday, discontentment is bound is reign.

Perhaps what is required in the long term is that the club relaxes the rule on not allowing foreign players. Chivas have struggled in recent years in the Mexican league and now rely almost exclusively on talent coming up through the youth team.

The “sacred herd” has won just three titles since the Campeonisimo era ended in the 1960s. Toluca, on the other hand, has won seven titles since 1997.

The template for success in the Mexican league seems to be to have a large base of seven or eight Mexicans complemented with a few foreigners sprinkled in there. The Mexican identity remains while the team can be hugely aided by foreigners who can provide the missing link.

An additional problem for Chivas’ “Mexican only” policy is that it is combined with a policy of selling players that are successful. ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez played exceptionally well for only one year with Chivas before being whisked off, while 19-year-old midfield starlet Jorge Enriquez is being tipped to move in the same direction in the not too distant future.

If Chivas’ best players are sold on, the team naturally loses quality and it becomes difficult to win trophies; the most surefire way of getting supporters back into the stadium.

Most worryingly of all, Chivas fans are already fantasizing about the potential end-of-career return of the already mythical Chicharito. With his goals on Sunday, the wait could seem like an eternity.

Chicharito to stake claim for first team place?

The shenanigans of Wayne Rooney have dominated headlines in recent days, but for Mexico's Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez, a golden opportunity to earn a regular starting berth has arrived.

Just two months into his United career, the responsibility on United's strikers, minus Rooney, has increased and many will be looking to the young Mexican after a bright start to his United career.

A partnership with Dimitar Berbatov appears mouthwatering. The two have linked up well already this season and showed signs of understanding. The sleek, subtle genius of Berbatov combined with the sharp movement, awareness, sheer pace and workrate of
Chicharito would be a nightmare for any defence.

Time is required for the duo to knit, of course, but with Rooney's future up in the air, the Berbatov/Chicharito partnership might just be given a run of games.
It may be a steep learning curve for Chicharito so early in his United career but the keen Guadalajara native seems to be relishing life at Old Trafford. And, he's showed no sign, so far, of being overawed by anything put in front of him.

De la Torre to take charge of Mexico

Mexico's new manager Jose Manuel de la Torre is an unknown outside of his home country but during his five years as a coach has quickly gained an awesome reputation in Mexico.

Three league titles won in those five years shunted 44-year-old 'Chepo,' as he is commonly known, to the top of the Mexican Football Federation's list to take over from Javier Aguirre.

Known as a stern, attack-minded coach who will give short shrift to players that step out of line, Chepo had a distinguished playing career starting out at Guadalajara Chivas in 1984. In the 1986-7 season Chepo helped Chivas to the title. He also won titles with Puebla in 1989-90 and Nexaca in the Invierno 1998 tournament.

He was a regular for the national team but never played in a World Cup.

After he retired from playing in 1999, Chepo took up coaching positions helping managers such as Mario Carrillo, Leo Beenhakker and current America boss Manuel Lapuente.

Born in Guadalajara, it was Chivas that gave Chepo his first chance at managing. In just his second tournament in charge in 2006, Chivas won the league title, a feat he repeated with Toluca in the Apertura 2008 and again in the Bicentenario 2010.

Having only played one year outside Mexico for Real Oviedo in Spain, it's been argued that Chepo doesn't have the international experience required for the post of national team coach, especially during a time of crisis.

Chepo's brother, Nestor de la Torre, was director of the national team until he was forced to resign from the post earlier this month.

Chepo's first job when he officially takes over in January will be to finally put to bed the ongoing fallout from September's party after the game against Colombia in Monterrey.

Eleven players were fined and two (Carlos Vela and Efrain Juarez) suspended for their role in the shindig, but all thirteen took offence at the very public nature of the investigation. All thirteen responded by refusing to play for the national team. The players then asked a public apology from Nestor before the recent friendly against Venezuela. When he refused, he was forced to resign.

Such examples of player power are rare in other countries. The Mexican press had a field day, one cartoon reading: "The party goes on!"

Finding the balance between appeasing the FMF and getting the players behind him will be difficult for Chepo. The hope is that it will be a smooth transition from successful club manager to international glory.

Chepo's first major tournament will be the Copa America 2011.

Scandal, sex and soccer: recent Mexican soccer news

Mexican soccer is currently awash with interesting stories both on and off the field.

The most attention grabbing has been regarding the national team and a party in a Monterrey hotel after the September 7 game against Colombia.

The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) fined 11 players 50,000 pesos for their part in the shindig. Two players, Efrain Juarez and Carlos Vela, were banned from the national team for six months.

Then, last week team captain and New York Red Bulls star Rafael Marquez responded by penning a letter stating that he and the other 12 players sanctioned were refusing to play again for the national team until the directors clean up their act. (Mexico still has no permanent manager despite knowing Javier Aguirre would leave before the World Cup). All the other players, including Manchester star Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez supported Marquez verbally but didn’t sign the letter, according to Marquez.

In the letter, Marquez called for a cleaning up of the FMF and also seemed bizarrely to put himself in the frame to head the organization. The Mexican press was split between supporting the players’ demands for more organization and decrying them for acting like babies spitting out their dummies when the FMF punished the players.

The latest news is that Marquez says he will play for the national team and that there has been dialogue between him as captain and the FMF.

The players’ case wasn’t helped in any way when transvestite Yamille, also known as “Gema,” came out last week and said Fulham left back Carlos Salcido invited him to a party in the players’ hotel. In a video interview with TVNotas, she also recounted a sexual encounter the two had in the bathroom, described by Yamille as “oral sex.”

The two met via Facebook in April earlier this year, according to Yamille, who would easily pass as a female to be fair to Salcido, but it wasn’t until after the September 7 game that the two actually met.

Yamille described the “moral hangover” she felt after the incident, as Salcido had no idea that he was a man. The transvestite, who appeared on a high-class prostitutes website, told Salcido later and he was said to have been a little shocked. Yamille also apologized to Salcido’s wife.

Salcido denies the event happened and is suing the transvestite.

One newspaper columnist asked the question that if Salcido did what he did and only got a 50,000 peso fine, then what could Juarez and Vela have done to deserve a six month ban?

In other national team news, next Tuesday, October 12, the team travel to Ciudad Juarez to play against Venezuela. Known as the most dangerous city in the world, the game is more a PR exercise than anything else. Everyone is hoping everything goes smoothly. Security is likely to be extremely tight.

In the domestic league, Cruz Azul top the general standings after a 1-0 home derby victory over the giant America on Sunday. Cruz Azul hadn’t beaten their Mexico City rivals for seven years.
In the big Guadalajara clasico, Chivas took on Atlas at their brand new Estadio Omnilife. Unfortunately, the stadium was only around half full but on the field the game was full of incident. It may be a world class venue but there is a big difference between the price people in Guadalajara can pay and the price of the tickets. Chivas owner and businessman Jorge Vergara was left with egg on his face. For many in town, the Chivas-Atlas derby is the biggest game of the season.
On the field action was highly entertaining and ended in heartbreak for the loyal Atlas fans who have seen their team win only once since late April.
After a fairly even first half in which both teams set out to get goals, the score was 1-1. On 63 minutes, Chivas player Marco Fabian had a penalty saved by Pedro Hernandez. As fate would have it, Atlas took the lead for the second time on 73 minutes and goalscorer Gerry Flores got a “Zorro” mask from somewhere, put it on and saluted away fans going crazy for their team known as the “Zorros.” Unfortunately the referee took a dim view of the humorous prank and gave Flores a second yellow card followed by a red.
Naturally, Chivas piled the pressure on Atlas but couldn’t get the equalizer. The rapid Omar Arellano and playmaker Adolfo “Bofo” Bautista pulled the strings while Atlas looked increasingly dangerous on the break as Chivas ploughed men forward.
In the first minute of injury time, Bofo broke free inside the penalty area, made his way to the byline and put in a low cross. With two Chivas players waiting for a tap in, Atlas defender Nestor Vidrio sliced a clearance into the top corner of his own net. The game ended 2-2 with the Zorros devastated.
Elsewhere and the post-season playoffs (liguilla) look to be shaping up the same as they have for the last couple of years.
Cruz Azul, Monterrey, Santos and Toluca make up the top four with San Luis, Pumas and Puebla just behind them.
The big question is whether the “big two” of Mexican football, Chivas and America, will be there along with the aforementioned clubs. The playoffs have missed them in the later stages over the last few years.

Mexican player to watch


Cruz Azul striker Javier “Chuletita” Orozco has grabbed a lot of headlines this season and is a young Mexican player to look out for. He’s scored six goals so far and recently broke into the national squad and came on to make his debut. From Sinaloa, Orozco played more baseball than football but, thankfully, he opted for the latter despite being an excellent batter.

Salcido's transvestite oral sex shame

Mexican national team soccer star Carlos Salcido may have some explaining to do to his wife after a transvestite made some astonishing claims about a sexual encounter in a hotel bathroom.

Transvestite Yamille said Salcido invited him to a party in the players’ hotel during an interview with a national magazine and described a sexual encounter the two had in the bathroom.

The two met via Facebook in April earlier this year, according to Yamille, but it wasn’t until after the September 7 game against Colombia in Monterrey that the two actually met.

Yamille described the “moral hangover” she felt after the incident as Salcido had no idea that he was a man. The transvestite, who appeared on a high-class prostitutes website, also apologized to Salcido’s wife.

Salcido, born near Guadalajara and who plays in the English Premier League for Fulham, was fined 50,000 pesos along with ten other players for his role in what the Mexican Soccer Federation described as a “party.” Two players, Efrain Juarez and Carlos Vela, were banned from the national team for six months.

Team captain and New York Red Bulls star Rafael Marquez responded by penning a letter stating that he and the other 12 players were refusing to play again for the national team until the directors clean up their act. All the other players, including Guadalajara star Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez are supporting Marquez.

The mess will need to be sorted out before Mexico take on Venezuela in a friendly in the battle weary city of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua on October 12

For Salcido, the barrage from the British tabloid press and opposing fans is likely to be relentless.

Mexico v Ecuador preview

On Saturday, September 4 at 8 p.m. Mexico play a friendly match against Ecuador in celebration of the country's Bicentennial of Independence.

The team to start the game has already been announced in advance:

Guillermo Ochoa,
Hector Moreno,
'Maza' Rodríguez,
Carlos Salcido,
Andres Guardado,
Pablo Barrera,
Rafael Márquez,
Gerardo Torrado,
Giovanni Dos Santos,
Carlos Vela,
Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez

Remarkably, only one player in the starting line-up plays in Mexico, Gerardo Torrado. The rest are based in Europe, aside from Rafa Marquez who recently moved to New York Red Bulls.

The brand new Estadio Omnilife is a sight to behold but the 45,000 capacity stadium has been dogged by complaints about its synthetic pitch and the likelihood of injury.

When Pumas visited the stadium last Saturday, some of their staff were vocal about the danger of the synthetic pitch.

"The pitch is and falling could provoke grazes and even cartilage problems and tendon injuries," said the Pumas physio after the game. "It represents a risk and the people that made it should have a long, hard look at it."

Former Mexico star Israel Castro declared himself far from happy playing on the grass.

Already, two Chivas players have got injured and Juan Francisco Palencia was injured for Pumas last weekend.

There should be a few worried club managers come Saturday.

Formation

It's been suggested that Mexico will play with three at the back but another option would be Moreno at right back with Rafa Marquez in central defence.

Temporary coach manager Efrain Flores (Mexico seem to be waiting for Toluca boss Jose Manuel 'Chepo' de la Torre, who will probably take the reins in late December/early January) will have the final decision about how the team lines up on Saturday but it looks like Mexico will come out attacking.

The same team could very well start in the Copa America 2011.

ps. Mexico will play in a special kit to celebrate the Bicentennial:

Chivas most popular team in Mexico

Guadalajara Chivas is the most popular team in the Mexican Premier Division, a nationwide Grupo Reforma poll has revealed.

The rojiblancos topped the poll with 30 percent, with America, of Mexico City, in second place on 26 percent.

The biannual poll done by Reforma shows Chivas at their highest ebb since the polling began in July 2001.

In the first half of the decade, more people voted for America, but since February 2007 there has been a shift towards the Chivas.
Cruz Azul and Pumas, both from Mexico City, sit in third and fourth on 12 and 7 percent respectively.

The increase for Chivas should not be a surprise.

Recently, the team finished second in the prestigious Copa Libertadores competition, the joint best performance by a Mexican team.

The boom has also been enhanced by the club opening the Estadio Omnilife and the inaugural game against Manchester United.

An extra boost has undoubtedly been caused by Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez’ move to Manchester United earlier this summer off the back of some excellent performances for Chivas.

Interestingly, and partly due to the geographical location of the clubs, America were more popular than Chivas in the center and south of Mexico.

New, modern stadium for Chivas but who's going to go?

There wasn’t much to shout about on the field during Chivas’ game against Pumas (it finished 0-0) in the Estadio Omnilife. So much so that it became impossible to miss the rows upon rows of empty red seats glaring from the screen.

The official attendance was 22,000 but in a stadium of over 45,000 and against one of the country’s best-supported teams, it must be a major cause of concern for Chivas owner Jorge Vergara.

To put it in perspective, the last game against Pumas in the Estadio Jalisco was a sell out. The capacity in that stadium is over 60,000.

Presumably to offset the decrease in ticket sales, Vergara is negotiating with the Office of Visitors and Conventions (Ofvc) to offer tourist packages for Chivas games.
Tours of the stadium and the pitch are planned, combined with tickets for games and one night in a hotel.

Ofvc believe that some 14,000 people would pay for a ticket and a room for the big clasico game when Chivas play America in Guadalajara and between 800-1,000 when Chivas play Atlas in the local clasico.

In the inauguration of the Estadio Omnilife when Chivas played Manchester United, around 20,000 of the 45,000 crowd were made up of people from outside Jalisco. Hotels in the city were at 98 percent of their overall capacity.

Two problems remain though.

Ticket prices started at 150 pesos and went up to 800 pesos for Saturday’s game against Pumas. Although lower than expected, it appeared the lower end tickets sold out with the more expensive ones nearer the pitch sparsely populated. The obvious problem is who is going to regularly buy tickets that cost 500 or 600 pesos (40-45 US dollars)? Especially if Chivas are playing Nexaca and not Pumas or Manchester United.

Secondly, the location of the stadium doesn’t help. Outside of the periferico (ringroad, beltway) to the west of the city centre, it’s extremely difficult for those that live in the centre or east of the city, where the Esatdio Jalisco is located, to get to the new stadium. Much of Chivas' traditional working class support, which let's face it create the atmosphere, comes from nearer the city centre and not the 'suburbs.'

The lack of transport infrastructure makes getting in and out of the stadium a headache.

Chicharito steals headlines, again

He may be miles away across the Atlantic Ocean but Guadalajara-born soccer star Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is still hogging the headlines in the local sports pages.

"Little Pea," as the British press seem to be calling Chicharito, scored a bizarre goal for Manchester United in his first competitive game for his new club as the Red Devils came out 3-1 winners against Chelsea and lifted the Community Shield.

"It's like a movie," reads the headline in local sports' daily Cancha and although the young striker is not yet a "Champion" as the headline in La Aficion pronounces, his story does have the beginnings of a blockbuster.

After agreeing to sign for Manchester United in April, everything has gone right for the former Chivas star.

In the World Cup playing for Mexico "Chicha" broke the deadlock against France with a sublime finish and added to his tally with a rocket of a goal to give el Tri a flicker of hope in the game against Argentina.

After a break back in Guadalajara, Chicharito joined up with his new Manchester United teammates in Houston for the game against the MLS Allstars. Coming on as a sub in the 62nd minute, it wasn't long before he put the ball in the back of the net to the delight of the Mexican-Americans present.

The next stop for the 22-year-old was the inauguration of the Estadio Omnilife in Guadalajara. Playing for his former team Chivas in the first half against Manchester United, it was Chicharito who scored the first goal in the impressive stadium within ten minutes.

The furor surrounding Chicharito's visit seemed more suited to Enrique Iglesias or David Beckham but shows the popularity the youngster has garnered in Guadalajara and around Mexico. Around 1,000 mainly young girls screamed his named at a signing session and his boyish face seems to be in every commercial and billboard around.

For someone who prefers to stay in with his family than go out and doesn't drink alcohol, the sudden fame must be hard to deal with but perhaps his private school education, English language skills and the gap of an ocean from the Mexican press may help.

The fame certainly doesn't seem to be affecting the Little Pea thus far. In a friendly in Ireland last week, the wonderkid continued his run of goals, netting a goal Machester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described as "fantastic."

As if further evidence was required that everything is going right for the Tapatio, Chicharito's goal against Chelsea on Sunday at Wembley Stadium, London is the icing on the cake.

Manchester United were winning 1-0 deep into the second half but were coming under increasing pressure from English champions Chelsea.

On a quick break, Ecuadorian Antonio Valencia swept a fast, low cross beyond the Chelsea defense. Chicharito had the goal at his mercy but seemed to run past the ball in his enthusiasm to get there. Whilst slipping, Chicharito connected with his right foot and the ball bounced up, smacked him in the face and ricocheted into the empty net. A jublilant Chicharito celebrated by kissing the badge on his shirt and pointing wildly at his head.

Blessed with natural athletism, speed and the knack of being in the right place at the right time, it seems the devout Catholic can do nothing wrong.

The long English season and cruel winters mean that it would be wise to err on the side of caution though, at least for now.

Chivas’ big day nears and new stadium still has no permit

Zapopan City Hall has yet to grant a license for the new 45,000-seat Chivas stadium that will enable the July 30 inaugural game against English football giants Manchester United to go ahead as scheduled.

Several conditions stipulated by Zapopan Mayor Hector Vielma and agreed by Chivas owner Jorge Vergara on October 20 are still to be met.

Primarily, 40 million pesos (3.1 million dollars) that Vergara promised as a down payment for his part in the funding of the stadium’s access roads has not been deposited in municipal coffers, according to Vielma. Work on the main access road has yet to begin.

Despite his hard-line stance over the past few months, Vielma this week provided some hope that the July 30 game could go ahead by suggesting a temporary license might be granted.

“We can grant a provisional license, but the principal requisite is that (Vergara) comes up with the 40 million pesos,” said the mayor. (Vergara, a business magnate who owns the multi-level Omnilife nutritional supplements empire, told the Guadalajara press this week that he was ready to pay but didn’t know which bank account to deposit the money.)

Even if the ancillary road work around the stadium is incomplete, the game could still be played as long as municipal inspectors deem the site safe, Vielma said.

And while the stadium itself may be finished on time, the limited access and parking, and inevitable traffic and transport chaos on the day, could transform the opening game from a showpiece into a media disaster.

Located at the corner of the Periferico (city beltway) and Avenida Vallarta, the stadium has taken more than five years to complete. As well as hosting all the games of the Guadalajara Chivas – Mexico’s most popular soccer team – it will also be used for concerts and other large-scale public events.

Fans of Manchester United – who habitually travel around the world to see their team perform – have been complaining on fan websites about the disorganized nature of the planning of the game. Even Manchester United officials are telling fans hoping to travel to Guadalajara that they “don’t know” how to go about getting tickets.

Wrote one fan from Manchester on www.manutd.com: “I hope we get news sooner rather than later. I’m all paid up for both flights and hotel and would really rather not be traveling out there just to see a mariachi band - as much as I loved ‘Desperado.’”
Chivas’ website says tickets will be on sale “soon,” but the reality is that they can’t be put on sale until a license is granted.

Chivas release new shirt

Chivas have released the first images of the shirt that they will play in starting against Manchester United on July 30.



Not bad. It also has a little note on the back of the neck saying "100% Mexicano" on the back of the collar. No non-Mexican has ever played for the famous rojiblancos.

Chicharito tops World Cup poll but he doesn't have Twitter

Mexico's top goalscorer in South Africa, Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez has topped a Mitofsky poll which asked Mexicans to rate each player's performance.

New Manchester United player Chicharito scored two goals in the tournament and received an evaluation of 8.8 out of 10.

Barcelona player Rafael Marquez got 8.7 marks, the same as Tottenham Hotspur's Giovani Dos Santos. Ironically both players are unsure as to where they will be playing in a matter of weeks.

Rumours suggest Marquez could be moving to Galatasaray while the latest club to express an interest in Dos Santos is Blackburn Rovers.

At the bottom of the table, the much maligned Guillermo Franco scored a 7.1 out of 10 with Mexican fans, just below Paul Aguilar (7.4) and Ricardo Osorio (7.5) who made that grave mistake against Argentina. The average score was 7.7.

Seventy-two percent of Mexicans said they watched the game against South Africa 64% the one against France, 62 % against Uruguay and 68 percent the game against Argentina.

Mexico officially finished in 14th place in FIFA's assessment of the World Cup, but have slipped seven places down the rankings from 17th to 24th spot. The United States is in 13th and Paraguay in 16th.

In this blog's poll, a massive 68 percent of voters thought Chicharito was Mexico's best player, followed by Carlos Salcido (11%), Giovani dos Santos (6%) and Rafa Marquez (5%).

And, in case you were wondering, Chicharito doesn't have Twitter, as this photo seems to suggest:

Chicharito wows English press; Valencia move unlikely

Guadalajara's soccer golden boy Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez was one of the bright lights of Mexico's World Cup campaign. At the time of writing he has 65% of the vote for being Mexico's best player in South Africa on this blog.

Although he only started one game out of four, the 22-year-old scored two goals and has excited the English press and media on the eve of his big move to Manchester United.

“It’s been unanimous praise, people are starting to think United have a real player on their hands," says manutd.com Contributing Editor Steve Bartram. "They were raving about the goal (against France). He was calm when he went through, showed neat touch and intelligence in the run.”

The feeling is that Chicharito’s excellent forward runs will benefit greatly from having players like Scholes, Giggs, Carrick and Rooney to supply the young Mexican with all the ammunition he needs to get goals.

However, the Mexican press has been full of reports linking the 22-year-old former Guadalajara Chivas player with a loan move away from Old Trafford due to the plethora of young strikers at the Manchester club. Today's front-page headline in Record states Valencia are hot on Chicharito's heels.

“I would personally be amazed,” says the journalist who was writing a blog on the English team’s website about Chicharito and the Mexican national team. “Especially with how he’s played for Mexico.”

“It’s not how United do things,” adds Bartram. “Even if he comes to United as an impact substitute, it’s what United need.”

Bartram also says new young players at Manchester United are always given a chance in the first team to impress manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

“I fully expect him to be here next season,” says Bartram firmly.

The Manchester United reporter adds that the British press is mystified Chicharito wasn’t starting games for Mexico.

Says Bartram: “Obviously Franco has been fairly ineffectual, the team selection against Uruguay seemed strange.”

The newspapers and television pundits in Britain heaped praise on Chicharito’s goal against France and are excited about the impact the Tapatio could have in Manchester.

Aguirre resigns, Bielsa / De la Torre to take his place?

Mexico manager Javier Aguirre has officially resigned from his post as Mexico boss in a press conference in Mexico City today.

"I was responsible for the elimination and it's a very responsible decision to leave the post," said Aguirre. "I hope that the person that comes in can carry the process forward until Brazil."

"I have a lot of faults as a coach and as a person but I always had in mind the well-being of Mexico. It manifested itself in many ways but the only concrete truth is that I put the interests of the national team above my own."

Although heavily criticised during the World Cup for his out-of-the-ordinary selection choices in the games against Uruguay and Argentina, one newspaper poll suggests over 60 percent of Mexicans wanted Aguirre to carry on.

Two names have cropped up in all todays daily Mexican newspapers regarding Aguirre's replacement: José Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre of Toluca and Marcelo "El Loco" Bielsa who looks likely leave Chile's national team.

De la Torre, 49, may be young for a national team manager but he's had a meteoric rise as a manager and was a successful player in the Mexican league. De la Torre also seems to be popular within the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), not least because his brother is the general director of the national team.

The Guadalajara man has won three titles in the past four years in Mexico and it seems unlikely that current club Toluca would stand in his way if the FMF came calling. A young and fresh coach might be exactly what the new generation of Mexican players require as they try to break the vpodoo of exiting the World Cup in the round of 16.

However, it's been reported in Chile that a pre-contract agreement exists to bring Argentine Bielsa to Mexico for 10 million dollars a year.

Aguirre's future is unknown. There is a report that he may manage Bolton Wanderers in the Mexican press, but that seems unlikely. More probable is that he'll take his time and take over a Spanish club, although his dream is to manage a team in the English Premier League.

Media roundup: the morning after the night before

Mexico's media was split the morning after the 2-1 defeat against Argentina.

Pundits slammed the referee, Ricardo Osorio's costly error and Javier Aguirre for again changing a system that had worked so well against France.

"The referees' errors are a scandal," reads the front page of Record. "Do something!" is the page three headline of the same newspaper. Page four's article continues in disgust, under the headline "A very dirty game," referring to FIFA's decision to flatly refuse to consider technology in the wake of the England "goal" and the clearly offside position of Carlos Tevez. How can FIFA bang on about Fair Play if they can't come clean and admit mistakes themselves, is the general consensus.

The front page of Cancha reads "The theft, the error, the great goal ... and adios," in reference to, well, Argentina's lucky goal, Osorio's error and Tevez's golazo.

Mexican newspapers generally believe that Argentina's first goal changed the whole outlook of the game and Mexico's players "got hot-headed" in the immediate aftermath.

That the referee and linesman could look up at the big screen in the stadium and clearly see their error only rubs salt into the wounds.

Javier Aguirre should take his share of the blame too, at least according to El Tren.
"A deception called Javier Aguirre," read one of their headlines. Former manager Ricardo La Volpe writes in Cancha that Aguirre was right to start with Chicharito, "but the Bofo thing is incredible."

"If el Tri had been good going forward in previous games (except against Uruguay) using a 4-3-3, it difficult to understand why he again chose to play a man off the striker again yesterday," writes La Volpe.

La Volpe also points out that Mexico probably lost a quarter-final spot due to their poor showing against Uruguay in the last group game and their failure to top their group.

Most people simply wanted Aguirre to do what should've been the obvious thing and play Barrera in place of Carlos Vela, thus retaining the 4-3-3 formation.

There is a positive side to Mexico's performance though, summed up by the headline "Adios old Tri, Hola new Tri," in Record. Reads the subtitle: "Yes, it hurts a lot, but Mexico has a new generation on the move, that already know how to play, score and win in a World Cup. The defeat closes the era of el Tri that could never make that fifth game."

As the post below says, many of Mexico's young players did themselves proud. Chicharito was perhaps the star of the show for Mexico and they look to have found a striker who could potentially become Mexico's all time record scorer in World Cups. He's already joint third with two goals.

Hector Moreno, Efrain Juarez, Andres Guardado, Giovani Dos Santos and Pablo Barrera could all hold their heads up high. Add to them Jonathan Dos Santos (presuming he will continue to play for Mexico), Guillermo Ochoa and Carlos Vela and Mexico already have a good number of players with experience that will make up the 2014 team.

How many other nations can genuinely say the same? England certainly can't.

How the ref might have seen Argentina's first goal

There's an email doing the rounds in Mexico giving two alternative theories of how the referee and linesman saw Carlos Tevez' clearly offside first goal.

Mexico fail to conquer demons, no thanks to the ref

The word that kept coming from Meixcan commentators in the last 10 minutes of Argentina v Mexico was "dignity."

It counts for little though as Mexico crashed out of the World Cup.

Argentina's first goal was clearly offside. That much is more than obvious.

Coming into the game Mexico needed to play to the best of their ability AND get a little luck along the way. They didn't have it.

How the officials didn't see that Carlos Tevez was a long way offside when he nodded in Argentina's first goal will become part of World Cup bloopers in years to come.

Where on earth were the officials looking, if they weren't looking at the game?

If England could feel a hard done by, Mexico could only feel more injustice. The team won many plaudits for bringing the game to Argentina and if it wasn't for the first goal, the story might have been different.

As it is, Argentina go through. The Maradona bandwagon rolls on. But, a final word about Mexico.

With the right manager, it's no exaggeration to say Mexico can be genuine contenders in 2014. Why not? Ochoa, Moreno, Juarez, Guardado, Giovani, Chicharito, Vela, Barrera. The future of el Tri looks good. Gracias Rafa, Carlos (Salcido), Cuau, Conejo, there's another generation chomping at the bit.

Bofo, Chicharito and Guardado surprise starters

It appears Mexico coach Javier Aguirre has caved into the media pressure and will start the game against Argentina with Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez and Andres Guardado.

The biggest surprise came with the news Guadalajara Chivas forward Adolfo 'Bofo' Bautista will also start.

Bofo was poor in warm up games and was even booed in the farewell game in the Estadio Azteca against Chile.

Chivas owner Jorge Vergara this week called for his inclusion but at the time it seemed unlikely at best.

Bofo is a flair player that will be looking to open up Argentina's shaky defense. Not the quickest player, he has played exceptionally well in the past against Argentine opposition in the Copa Libertadores.

Aguirre, as usual, has sprung a major surprise.

Mexican pundits have called for the inclusion of Guardado and Chicharito since the Uruguay game.

Line-up in full: Óscar Pérez, Rafael Márquez, Ricardo Osorio, Francisco Javier Rodríguez, Carlos Salcido, Efraín Juárez, Gerardo Torrado, Andrés Guardado, Adolfo Bautista, Giovani dos Santos, Javier Hernández.

Has Mexico's time finally arrived?

That’s the question doing the rounds in Mexico as the minutes tick down to Sunday’s big game with Argentina.

Two strains of thought prevail.

Some look at the game against Argentina through the lens of fatalism that tends to define Mexico’s psyche (see post from yesterday about Rafa Marquez) and say the national team is destined to lose, like four years ago when Maxi Rodriguez broke Mexican hearts in extra time at the same stage of the competition.

But another, far more positive theory is gaining ground.

The optimists argue that 2010 is Mexico’s year, when the nation marks the 200th anniversary of its independence from Spain, as well as the bicentennial of its bloodthirsty revolution that threw up heroes like Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. Something is supposed to happen this year. Will it be football related? Revenge against Argentina perhaps?

What is certain is that Mexico will need to play at the highest level to be victorious. The key men will be holding midfielders Rafael Marquez and Gerardo Torrado, whose task will be to break up Argentina’s intricate passing game. Both have experience on their side, Marquez knows Messi inside out and both will want to end their international careers on a high.

The other major debate is who should play up front. Argentine-born Mexican Guillermo Franco isn’t cutting it and most fans are calling for Manchester United new boy Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez to start.

Chicharito has become the ‘golden boy’ of the ‘golden generation’ of Mexican youngsters. In 1998, a fresh-faced Michael Owen scored a wonder goal against Argentina in the same round. Millions of Mexicans are praying Chicharito can do the same.

Probable starting line-up: Perez, Osorio, Moreno, Rodriguez, Salcido, Marquez, Giovani, Juarez/Guardado, Torrado, Vela/Barrera, Franco/Chicharito.

If pressed: Juarez, Barrera, Franco to start based on what Aguirre has done so far and his stubbornness! Vela depends on his fitness.

Chicharito fastest player in World Cup group stages

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez registered the fastest run in the group stages of the World Cup, according to FIFA statistics.

The 22-year-old Guadalajara-born striker hit a top speed of 32.15 kilometres-an-hour, or 20 miles-an-hour, say FIFA.

The news puts more weight behind the massive campaign in Mexico for him to start against Argentina (see posts below).

In other positive news for Mexico, Lionel Messi has had most shots without scoring.

Pundit's Corner: Emor Villa

Like most of Mexico, Record journalist Emor Villa isn't in agreement with Javier Aguirre's selection policy and is hoping for a change against Argentina. Villa votes for youth and argues the whole Mexican Football Federation set-up is hampered by shadowy figures on the side-line.

Who will win and why?

It's all up in the air although the prognostics favour the powerful Argentine attacking artillery. I had forecast that Mexico would reach the semi-finals where they would face Argentina, but having not finished first in Group A, it appears Mexico is condemned to elimination.
For me Argentina should win, but if Javier Aguirre and not Mario Carrillo (they say Carrillo is in charge of the tactics of el Tri)takes charge of the set up of the team, Mexico can bring the fight to Argentina, even with Messi, Higuain, Tevez and the whole Argetinian arsenal.

Who will play for Mexico?

Knowing the history of Aguirre, I'm sure not much will change. People say the assistant Mario Carrillo choses the team and if that is that case, what a disaster!
How can the manager let his assistant tell him how to play? Javier Aguirre already showed he's a good strategist in Spain, although defensive.
What's more, el Tri appear to be manipulated by other people that aren't on the bench.
In agreement with the interests of some media outlets (that make Mexican football rotten), the Mexico line-up will be: Óscar Pérez (goalkeeper), Francisco "Maza" Rodríguez, Héctor Moreno (centre backs), Carlos Salcido (left back), Ricardo Osorio (right back), Rafael Márquez y Gerardo Torrado (centre midfield), Efraín Juárez (midfield), Giovani Dos Santos, Carlos Vela and unfortunately, Guillermo Franco (forwards).

If you were Aguirre, how would you set up?

It's like the song "If I was Maradona!"
Mexico has the means to give a good fight against one of the best generations of footballers Argentina has produced. Today it's not like when Maradona was the standard bearer of the team. They might have got good results, but Valdano, Burruchaga and others don't compare with the technical quality that Higuain, Aguero, Milito, Tevez and the others have today.

But, Mexico also has it's best generation in recent years. In the team there are world Under-17 champions that already have an important trajectory at world level.

The line-up I'd put in is the following: Luis Michel (GK) - one-on-one he's better than el Conejo Perez and he reduces the angles for shots for attackers.
In defence I'd keep it the same: Maza, Moreno, Salcido and Osorio. I believe it's the best centre back partnership Mexico has had in its history. Rafa Marquez would play in central midfielder, next to Torrado. Those are indisputable.
Out wide I'd play Andres Guardado (left) and Pablo Barrera (right) with Giovani Dos Santos as a second striker. As the main centre forward I'd pick Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez.
But that line-up isn't likely to be seen, above all because of the way the team is run in our country.

Finally, I have two predictions. The first is that Guille France will play. Secondly, if he does, I'm sure Mexico will lose and it could be a thrashing. If Aguirre risks young blood, the penalty could be the end of this history (of losing).

Chicharito must play, says Congressman

The clamour for Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez to be in Mexico's starting eleven against Argentina on Sunday reached the Congress this week.

PRI Congressman Eric Rubio demanded that coach Javier Aguirre should be called to explain to the nation his selection decisions and why he took Andres Guardado off at half-time.

"He should have to answer why he started the spoilt Blanco, why he took off Guardado and why he didn't put 'Chicharito' Hernandez in the starting team," said the Mexican politician.

The demand for Chicharito is all over the papers, all over the television and all the talk among Mexicans. "Stubborn" is the word that continually crops up when Aguirre's selection of Guillermo Franco is discussed.

There's even a prayer going the email rounds, which plays on a TV advert in which the players star, with the catchphrase "make sandwiches."

Here's part of it in Spanish:

San Dwichito… Que la meta el chicharito. (Play Chicharito)

San Dwich de Pan Blanco… Que no metan al Guille Franco (Don't play Franco)

And to end the whole thing:

San Dwich con Queso blanco…..No se te olvide… que no metan al Guille Franco.
(Don't forget, don't play Franco)

A front page editorial in El Tren newspaper, also begged people to pray that Chicharito will start. Indeed, in the face of Aguirre's "stubborness," it appears praying is common activity to counter it.

Mexican manager at the World Cup four years ago, Argentine Ricardo La Volpe perhaps summed up the situation best in an opinion piece.

"Guille Franco has been given his chance and he's not done it. It's time for Chicharito."

Rafa:"It's Argentina, so what?"

Mexico's most decorated player Rafael Marquez, with four Spanish league titles and two Champions Leage winners medals, took a dig at the fatalism and pessimism of Mexico and Mexicans before the game against Argentina and declared that the team is ready to win.

"Mexico has to change its mentaily if it's to grow as a country," said Marquez, visibly getting a little worked up in a pre-game press conference.

"There's always pessimism," continued the Barcelona player likely to move on after the World Cup. "Sometimes we don't have the credibility, we can't count on that advantage other countries have. We are doing all we can, we give everything we have to bring joy to the Mexican people."

The comments divided opinion on late night football talk shows. Some pundits think the comments an unecessary diversion before such a massive game, while others believe Marquez is 100 percent right.

A proven winner, Marquez has never captured the Mexican public like peers Cuauhtemoc Blanco. The common suggestion is that he doesn't give his all for Mexico, especially during qualifers and has previously got sent off on purpose in certain games, people say. The slight Spanish accent some say he has picked up belies his small-town Michoacan roots and has been mocked in Mexico.

Of course, there has been no better Mexican player than Marquez over the last ten years and he's done won things in Europe that only Hugo Sanchez can claim to rival.

If people still need evidence of how important Marquez is to Mexico, look no further than this World Cup. Marquez scored the vital equaliser against South Africa, set up the opener against France with an excellent pass and has generally been excellent playing in midfield. Testament to his continued influence is how important Marquez will be against Argentina in stemming their attack. Without Marquez, how much would Mexico's probability of winning be reduced?

What's more, Marquez is right. A change of mentality is needed. Argentina are good but far from invincible. Si se puede but the team has to genuinely believe it.

Mexico manager Javier Aguirre spoke of his disappointment about the Mexican team's attitude in the game against Uruguay and said they failed to adapt to the oppositions plan to stop them.

"We lacked the initial attitude, to truly want to win the game and not just saying it in the changing rooms," Aguirre said at the post-match press conference. "We lacked the nous to read that Uruguay were pressuring us high up the field and to change the angle of attack."

Aguirre went on to say his instructions to get the defence to stop playing the ball patiently forward and instead play more directly failed to reach the players, especially in the first ten minutes when Uruguay's tactics became obvious.


And when questioned about the wisdom of starting with Guillermo Franco for the third straight game, Aguirre said: "Coaches always lose. The players are the ones that win. We came here to qualify for the second round and we have qualified. We will regroup, recuperate and wait for our rival on Sunday."

"If we play Argentina, it will be a beautiful opportunity for revenge for what happened four years ago," added Aguirre.

When it came to asking why Andres Guardado was taken off at half-time, Aguirre took full responsibility and said it was for tactical reasons.

"It's very difficult to please everyone," said Aguirre. "I only try to do what's best for the national team."

Nevertheless, there is widespread criticism already appearing in the Mexican press.


Ex national team player turned football pundit Carlos Albert called Aguirre "fatuous" and "stubborn" on ESPN's Futbol Picante.

Talking about the big "surprise" choice of Blanco and Franco upfront, Albert pulled no punches but sums up what many Mexicans on the street are thinking.

"Without doubt it was an error by the coaching staff. How is it possible that Aguirre starts with Cuauhtemoc Blanco, takes off Guardado (the team's best player in the first half) and stubbornly persists in starting with Franco when it was the chance to put in Javier Hernandez," steamed Albert.

The Record newspaper are also apparently running a piece tomorrow on how Aguirre should put faith in the younger players (see post below).

Aguirre did however set things up nicely for the Argentina game. Four years ago in Germany, Maxi Rodriguez scored an amazing goal in extra time to break Mexican hearts. This time around, Aguirre wants revenge.

"We will try to change the course of history and hope that on this ocassion the player to score a wonder goal is Mexican."