Interest in Mexicans playing overseas at all-time high

As an Englishman living in Mexico, the concept of a section of sports newspapers and websites dedicated to nationals playing football abroad is alien.

The reason is simple: very few British players play or have ever played abroad, so British publications have never had the need.

If you go along with one of the theories outlined in “Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil win …”, by Kuper and Szymanski, the fact England has had so few players ply their trade outside the British Isles is one of the reasons that the team has only ever reached one World Cup final and consistently disappoints in major tournaments.

It is now generally and widely accepted that playing outside your country opens up a player to new experiences, training styles, tactics and, depending on the league, better quality football.

Read American soccer websites or the Mexican press with that in mind and the general consensus is that players from both countries should follow the Argentine and Brazilian model and ship increasingly more players to the Old Continent.

Increasingly that has happened, with Hugo Sanchez paving the way in Mexico, followed by a period in which Rafa Marquez dominated and then a mini-boom over the last few years since Mexico won the 2005 Under-17 World Cup in Peru.

Off the back of that World Cup win, Carlos Vela, Giovani Dos Santos and Efrain Juarez found themselves in Europe. In other words, three of the stars of the World Cup win and three players thought then to be the future of the national team were on the other side of the pond.

Naturally, the Mexican press latched onto that and newspapers started carrying more and more updates of the players´ progress.

Emphasis on Mexicans playing abroad continued to grow with Carlos Salcido moving to PSV in Holland in 2006, being followed from Chivas to the Dutch team by Maza Rodriguez two years later. Omar Bravo also moved to Deportivo La Coruña in 2008.

The momentum of Mexicans abroad took hold, even though the progress of Dos Santos, Vela and Bravo was hardly turning many heads.

The obvious big turning point came in April 2010 when Manchester United signed Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.

The baby-faced goalscorer was splashed on front pages all across the country on the day he signed, but no-one expected him to have the impact he had in his first season.

The Chicharito phenomenon was followed by last summer´s second Under-17 World Cup victory for Mexico and a third-place finish at the Under-20 World Cup.

Interest from Europe in Mexican players is at an all-time high, with foreign scouts scouring from Chilpancingo to Coahuila looking for the next big thing.

With seven regulars of the Mexican team currently playing abroad and a host of talent desperate to make the leap over to Europe, all signs point to the fact that the “Mexicans Abroad” sections in the media will have increasing importance over coming years.

Mexico fans hope that Kuper and Szymanski´s theory was right and the quality of the national team also increases exponentially.

Mexico Takes Pan Am Football Gold

Jeronimo Aquino slotted home in the 76st minute to give Mexico a 1-0 victory against Argentina to win the gold medal at the Pan American Games, in front of a sold out Estadio Omnilife.

Argentina held off Mexico´s advances for the vast majority of the evening.

The gold medal game was the most-hyped event in Mexico in the whole Pan American Games.

Mexico had the better of the first half, with Miguel Ponce creating chances down the left wing, but Argentina too had opportunities and forced a couple of good saves from Mexico goalkeeper and captain Jesus Corona.
Argentina went close in the third minute of the second half, a flick on from a corner falling into the hands of Corona, just as an Argentine player was poised to pounce.

Chivas´ Miguel Angel Ponce had a golden chance to open the scoring for Mexico with a free header with short distance in the 60th.
Ponce put another back-post header wide in the 72nd after a fast break from an Argentine corner.

Amione was released for his goal by Javier Aquino, who had cut in from the right wing.

Brizuela went through one-one-one with the keeper with one minute remaining, but the keeper saved.

The Under-23 Mexico team played with three over-aged players, while Argentina fielded an Under-20 team largely made up of players that participated at last summer´s U-20 World Cup in Colombia.

Mexico Line-up:

Mexico: Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul), Hiram Mier (Monterrey), Nestor Araujo (Cruz Azul), Darvin Chavez (Monterrey), Eduardo Zavala (Monterrey), Javier Aquino (Cruz Azul), Oribe Peralta (Santos), Jeronimo Amione (Atlante), Ricardo Bocanegra (Atlas), Cesar Ibañez (Santos), Miguel Ponce (Chivas).

Subs: Jorge Enriquez for Bocanegra (77th), Isaac Brizuela for Amione (84th), Hugo Rodriguez for Aquino(44th)

America Must Turn to Youth

Club America not only lost Mexico’s superclasico 3-1 to a superior Guadalajara Chivas on Sunday, but it was outplayed on all fronts and the fallout from the game has highlighted a club in need of a sharp reassessment.

“We have a captain made of water and a defense made of plastic,” America’s Angel Reyna, the top scorer in the Mexican league last season, told the press after the game.

They were hardly words that the broken team needed to hear straight after a loss against its biggest rivals.

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Chivas' Marco Fabian Regrets Celebration, Reveals Tragic Past

Chivas forward Marco Fabian travelled to the violence-plagued Ciudad Juarez Thursday to make a plea for forgiveness after his tasteless goal celebration last weekend, and donate one million pesos to an institution that helps orphans.

Chivas fined Fabian and teammate Alberto Medina 50,000 pesos each for performing a mock execution in a pre-planned goal celebration after Fabian scored on Saturday against Estudiantes Tecos.

Fabian, considered one of Chivas' brightest talents, also revealed for the first time details about the murder of his 23-year-old brother, as well as his regret at not having thought about the consequences of such a celebration before carrying it out.

“His friends came by the house for me, they honked the horn, he ran out to get in the car with them and left to never return,” said 22-year-old Fabian on the brink of tears. “That day marked us forever.”

“We never got any explication, or justice,” he continued, not saying when the event happened. “We found him massacred in a ditch; they'd killed him.”

“My respect to Mexico, for a Mexico free of violence, for the Jonathans that have left thier houses and never returned and for the mothers and siblings of the victims,” Fabian concluded.

Chivas owner Jorge Vergara joined Fabian in Juarez to deliver the one-million peso (74,000 US dollar) check to a foundation dedicated to help children that have been made orphans by the violence associated with the drug trade.

Fabian and Medina were initially fined 50,000 pesos each, but voluntarily doubled it. The rest of the money came from Vergara, other Chivas players and members of staff.

Fabian is expected to play in the Estadio Azteca on Sunday for Chivas against archrivals America.

Violence has invaded Mexico's football realm recently, especially following the shootout outside the Estadio Corona in Torreon on August 20th which caused the match between Santos and Morelia to be cancelled after 40 minutes.

A campaign designed to keep football free of the drug trade-related violence was launched after the Torreon incident.