Mexico seeks redemption against Honduras

September 9, 2009

Some stared into the distance with a stale expression.

Others stared at the ground while they walked off the field.

Their body language depicted what had just occurred at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano.

Honduras had beaten a deflated Mexico squad 3-1. Mexico players were in what appeared to be in disbelief.

It was a moment coach Javier Aguirre’s team would like to forget and the same time perhaps keep in mind as a rejuvenated El Tri seeks retribution in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifying match against Honduras.

This time the contest will be at Estadio Azteca with the possibility of more than 100,000 screaming fans behind its beloved Tri.

This time it will be a different Mexico facing what is also a different Honduras squad, one that comes into the match on a hot streak.

“We anticipate an intense game,” Aguirre told Mexican newspaper El Record. “Both teams should play a good game. We want revenge. They beat us in the away game and we are in a position where all the points possible are in dispute because it is do or die at this point. There is no tomorrow. We need the three points.”

The top three teams earn an automatic berth to next year’s World Cup in South Africa. The fourth place team will face South America’s fifth place team in a home-and-away playoff.

Mexico (12 points) sits behind Honduras and the United Status (both 13 points) in the standings of the hexagonal round of the region’s qualifiying tournament.

The last time both teams played, Mexico was headed to the bottom of the group with a loss to El Salvador to follow its defeat to Los Catrachos.

That was in April. The coach was Sven Goran Ericksson, who was fired and replaced by Aguirre soon after the loss to Honduras.

Aguirre now in his second term as Mexico’s coach is close to accomplishing what he was asked to do in 2002: rescue El Tri from possible elimination and qualify to the World Cup.

Since losing to Honduras and El Salvador (Aguirre’s re-debut), El Tri is 3-0 during a stretch that includes wins against the United States and last week’s 3-0 convincing win at Costa Rica.

Indeed, this is a different Mexico team led by rising star Giovani Dos Santos, a 20-year-old forward, and veteran Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

It appears Mexico has found the fluid brand of soccer that enabled the team to dominate the region during the 1980s and 90s.

But El Tri will face perhaps its toughest challenge yet.

Honduras comes into the match riding a three-game win streak in qualifying.

Coach Reinaldo Rueda’s team has outscored its opponents 9 to 1 during those games, all at home in San Pedro Sula. A 4-0 rout of Costa Rica, group leader at the time, highlighted the Hondurans’ fine form.

Honduras has shown its best attack in recent years in this qualifying tournament. Even 33-year-old veteran midfielder Amado Guevara added a goal of his own in a 4-1 against Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday.

Guevara is the all-time caps leader for Honduras with 127.

Mexico will be without a couple of veterans against Los Catrachos.

Team captain Gerardo Torrado and Guillermo Franco will serve a one-game suspension each for yellow card accumulation.

Mexican players who will step on the field hope this time they won’t have to walk out of the stadium with their heads bowed or have to stare into the distance.

By Ivan Orozco

Tags: aguirre, amado guevara, automatic berth, azteca, body language, captain Gerardo Torrado, catrachos, Costa Rica, disbelief, el tri, ericksson, estadio olimpico, good game, Guillermo Franco, Honduras, hot streak, intense game, Ivan Orozco, Javier Aguirre, last time, metropolitano, Mexico, retribution, revenge, san pedro sula, Santos, second term, South Africa, South America, trinidad and tobago, United, United States, World Cup

Revenge for Gold Cup on the mind of the United States

August 11, 2009

Only 17 days after it was routed by Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final, the United States gets a chance for redemption and revenge where the stakes are higher — World Cup qualifying.

The Americans will visit Mexico in a qualifier at Estadio Azteca on Wednesday afternoon.

“We’ll be ready,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “It’s 90 minutes and it starts over.”

The fourth-place and underachieving Mexicans (2-0-3, six points) desperately need a victory over the second-place Americans (3-1-1, 10) to remain in contention for three automatic berths for South Africa. The fourth-place team will meet the fifth-place South American side for a World Cup spot.

It doesn’t sound like the U.S. will need much motivation.

“If they think the next game is going to be like this, they have another coming,” forward Brian Ching said two weeks ago on the day of the Gold Cup final, a 5-0 loss to Mexico.

“It’s not going to be hard to carry over those emotions,” Ching said. “Standing on the field there, watching them accept the trophy, it’s pretty much etched in the back of my mind for a long, long time to come. I’m not going to need any more motivation than that.”

Bradley agreed.

“When you have a game that feels like this at the end you don’t forget it,” he said. “It something on the inside we’ll talk about and be honest about.”

The United States will bring in its first choice side team for this encounter, essentially the same one that reached the finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa in June instead of the internationally inexperienced side in the Gold Cup.

The American team includes 17 players from that Confederations Cup squad, including the starting lineup of the team that stunned then top-ranked Spain 2-0 in the semifinals. Midfielder-forward Landon Donovan, who played his best soccer in South Africa, midfielder Clint Dempsey, the Bronze Ball winner there, and Tim Howard, the Golden Glove winner as the best goalkeeper in the tournament, are among the key U.S. players.

The United States has never won at Azteca. It’s lone point in Mexico City came in a 1-1 qualifying draw in 1997. But the Americans are vying for more than just a point this time.

“We’re confident we can play with any team in the world,” Donovan said. “It’s no longer good enough to be competitive. It’s not about getting a point.”

Besides the Mexicans, the United States must overcome altitude, smog, mid-afternoon heat and 105,000 partisan fans at Azteca.

“It’s not that you worry about those issues,” Donovan said. “These are realistic issues. If you walk around Mexico City for a few minutes, you’ll get tired.”

Donovan and company face a more difficult challenge. They must run around Azteca for 90 minutes.

By Michael Lewis

Tags: automatic berths, azteca, back of my mind, ball winner, best goalkeeper, bob bradley, brian ching, Clint Dempsey, coach bob, concacaf gold cup, Donovan, fifa confederations cup, golden glove, long long time, mexicans, Mexico, mexico city, midfielder, six points, South Africa, South American, Spain, starting lineup, tim howard, U.S., United States, wednesday afternoon

Costa Rica tavels to Trinidad riding momentum of victory over United States

June 5, 2009

Fresh off a thorough 3-1 win against the United States that sent Costa Rica to the top of the table in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, the Ticos travel to Trinidad & Tobago to play a squad that has never beat them in 12 previous qualifiers dating back to 1966.

On Wednesday night in front of a raucous crowd, Costa Rica dominated the Americans, scoring twice in the first 13 minutes and delighting the fans at Estadio Saprissa in San Jose.

The Ticos improved to 3-0 at the Monster’s Cave in the final round of qualifying, their lone defeat coming to Mexico in its only road match at Estadio Azteca on March 28.

While Costa Rica has momentum and history on its side, Trinidad, which is desperate for a result, will have the crowd support at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet, Tobago. The Soca Warriors are tied with El Salvador in last place of the six-team group with two points from three matches, drawing Honduras and El Salvador.

Saturday’s match will mark the managerial debut of Russell Latapy, who replaced Francisco “Paco” Maturana. The Colombian resigned April 8 and the 41-year-old Trinidad legend, who scored a critical goal against the USA to advance the Soca Warriors to the final round of qualifying, took over on an interim basis.

“I’m pretty satisfied with the way things are going at the moment,” Latapy told FIFA.com. “I’ve had a good bit of time to work with the local players, and I have to applaud the coaches from the pro league here, who have allowed me access to their players for two full weeks of camp. So, as far as I’m concerned, things are going well and I couldn’t be more pleased.”

As if the task of securing points against Costa Rica isn’t daunting enough, it became even more difficult when Stern John injured his back, putting added pressure on other players. But English-born midfielder Chris Birchall told Trinidad & Tobago reporters that he’s ready to assume the responsibility.

“I know the last time was the goal against Bahrain (in the playoff for the 2006 World Cup), and then I scored in a friendly after the World Cup against St. Vincent, but it’s felt like such a long time since I’ve scored for Trinidad and I think I owe the team a goal or two now,” Birchall said. “It would be great to get on the score sheet on Saturday and help the team to a victory.”

By Dylan Butler

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Tags: azteca, bahrain, chris birchall, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, concacaf world cup, Costa Rica, critical goal, crowd support, dwight yorke, Dylan Butler, Francisco, interim basis, John, local players, match, Mexico, midfielder, momentum, monster, paco, raucous crowd, russell latapy, saprissa, soca warriors, st vincent, stern john, team group, Tobago, Trinidad, United States, USA, wednesday night

Desperate for victory, Mexico returns to Fortress Azteca for match against Costa Rica

March 26, 2009

Desperate for a victory, Mexico returns to the fortress that is Estadio Azteca in Mexico City Saturday for a critical World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica on Saturday. But El Tricolor will do so without captain Rafael Marquez, who has been handed a two-game ban by FIFA for his red card against the United States in a 2-0 loss in February.

The Barcelona defender was sent off in the second half for a late challenge on American goalkeeper Tim Howard in the opening game of the final round of CONCACAF qualifying for next year’s World Cup.

It was just the latest in what has become a rash of high-profile ejections for Marquez, who was also sent off in the 2002 World Cup and the Confederations Cup in 2005. Marquez, in an interview with FIFA.com, said the blame with Mexico’s recent form shouldn’t be placed on his shoulders.

“I…think it’s unfair that people are trying to pin the blame on me for the bad results we’ve been having,” he said. “If you ask me, Mexican football has a deep-rooted problem and that’s the cause of the bad patch we’ve been going through. Our football is stagnating and with everything that’s happened, it’s time to come right out and say it. If we carry on like this, we’re all going to pay for it.”

Mexico is winless in its last four World Cup qualifying matches, including three losses, and manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has come under intense scrutiny from the Mexican news media and former players, including Cuauhtémoc Blanco.

But a day after the loss to the United States, the president of the Mexican Football Federation gave Eriksson his full backing.

“There’s total support for Eriksson because we have a commitment with him to get to South Africa, and we are going to be there,” Justino Compean said.

A 5-1 victory in a friendly against Bolivia on March 11 helped ease some of that panic, but the pressure will be on Saturday to get a result against Costa Rica, the only visiting team to claim three points in Azteca, doing so in 2001.

Three points isn’t the only thing on the line for the Mexican players, according to defender Julio Cesar Dominguez.

“Against Costa Rica, we are going for the three points and the continuity of this team,” Dominguez told reporters after training Monday. “The results have not been there, so we need to get six points (from the next two games) any way we can in order to maintain our places on the national team.”

While Mexico is struggling, Costa Rica seemingly has been unstoppable, winning eight straight games in qualifying, including a 2-0 victory against Honduras in the “hexagonal” opener in February.

Andy Furtado scored twice the Ticos, which is tied with the USA atop the six-team field.

Despite Mexico’s recent poor form, Costa Rican manager Rodrigo Kenton said the CONCACAF giant has a “lack of humility” and that his team will be demanding respect on Saturday.

"They always think less for the teams coming from Central America,” Kenton told reporters Monday following training. “They always talk about the situation that in Central America there are no teams for them, that they should be participating in a European tournament… and that is lack of humility. "I think that is what hurt the most, because if they had respect for the other team, if they were cautious, maybe the ‘bomb’ wouldn’t be so strong."

By Dylan Butler

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Tags: american goalkeeper, Andy Furtado, azteca, Barcelona, bolivia, captain Rafael Marquez, Central America, concacaf, CONCACAF Champions' Cup, confederations cup, Costa Rica, critical world, Dylan ButlerGo, ejections, FIFA, football federation, fortress, game ban, Honduras, intense scrutiny, Julio Cesar Dominguez, Justino Compean, march 11, mexican news, Mexico, mexico city, news media, rafael marquez, rash, Rodrigo Kenton, South Africa, Sven-Goran, tim howard, United States, USA, world cup qualifier, world cup qualifying matches

World Cup Profile: Honduras feels wind at its back heading into final round of qualifying

January 27, 2009

For those unconvinced Honduras belongs in CONCACAF’s final round of World Cup qualifying, Benfica striker David Suazo merely points to its clinching victory over Mexico.

Los Catrachos head into the final round – known by its informal “hexagonal” title – with the momentum of the 1-0 victory over Mexico on November 19 and the confidence that comes with finishing atop one of the three semifinal groups.

To qualify for the World Cup for a second time – and first since 1982 – Honduras will have to overcome Mexico again, and fellow regional powers Costa Rica and the United States to claim one of three guaranteed berths from CONCACAF. Many see it as contending for fourth place and a playoff against a South American side with El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago.

The final round of qualifying opens February 11 with Honduras travelling to face Costa Rica at San Jose’s Estadio Ricardo Saprissa.

Besides its victory over Mexico in San Pedro Sula, Honduras also led El Tri at Azteca in the semifinal round opener until a pair of goals by Pavel Pardo in the final 17 minutes rescued Mexico.

A pair of victories over Canada and another over Jamaica provided the bulk of the points to get Honduras to the hexagonal, and the win over Mexico – only its fourth in 26 matches against El Tri – assured it.

Six different players accounted for Honduras’ eight goals, three of them by midfielder Ramon Nunez. But it was Amado Guevara who was the key to the offense. Honduras’ fortunes could rest on the Toronto FC midfielder, who has a reputation for emotional play that already has cost him one game at the Central American Nations Cup.

Rueda will have his choice of Suazo, Wilson Palacios, Carlo Costly, Hendry Thomas and returning career scoring leader Carlos Pavon for scoring options.

While Honduras’ title chances at the Central American Nations Cup have been hindered by not having available European-based players such as Suazo, it has given Rueda time to test his depth.

It’s a double-edged sword also impacting Costa Rica and El Salvador.

Like the semifinal round, Honduras will open the last round of qualifying with two away matches, After Costa Rica, it will face Trinidad and Tobago at Port-of-Spain on March 28.

Long regarded as a master tactician, Rueda will need to keep his side focused and not become dispirited until it has a home crowd against Mexico on April 1. Developing a strategy to continue to capitalize on his players’ speed and predatory instincts will be critical.

If Rueda and Honduras can sustain the momentum it built to close out the semifinal round, Los Catrachos could look to possible consecutive victories over Mexico for the first time in its history.

By Vijay Setlur

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