Arsenal roughed up by Stoke goal hero Fuller

January 25, 2010


Ricardo Fuller was the scourge of Arsenal as Stoke finally ended their long wait for an FA Cup triumph over the Gunners with a 3-1 win in the fourth round on Sunday.

Fuller scored twice to punish Wenger’s decision to field an inexperienced side at the Britannia Stadium and hand the Potters their first victory over Arsenal in this competition in eight attempts, stretching back to 1928.

Jamaican forward Fuller took only 70 seconds to stun the visitors and although Denilson levelled, the Stoke star nodded in a 78th minute goal to guide Tony Pulis’s men through to the fifth round, with Dean Whitehead’s late third completing a memorable day.

The last meeting of these side at the Britannia a little over a year ago was something of a shock to Arsenal as Stoke bloodied their noses with a 2-1 defeat.

While last season’s bruising encounter created controversy, Stoke supporters of an older persuasion are probably still harbouring the painful memories of 1971 and 1972 when Arsenal beat them in successive FA Cup semi-finals.

Wenger has made no secret of his need to lift some silverware, after five years without a trophy, but his team selection was very similar to a youth team, with out captain Cesc Fabregas and Denilson surviving from the side that beat Bolton on Wednesday.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas made his debut, while Francis Coquelin, Carlos Vela and Craig Eastmond were among the youngsters thrown into the starting line-up.

And hardly a minute had elapsed before the home side stunned an Arsenal defence including Sol Campbell, making his second debut for the club.

While Rory Delap’s gargantuan throws are no longer a surprise to anyone, Arsenal could not handle the first exocet. Lukasz Fabianski flapped and Fuller stole ahead of the Polish goalkeeper to find the net with a header.

That early setback clearly unruffled Arsenal and their first half performance was littered with stray passes and errors of judgement.

Stoke could have been awarded a penalty ten minutes before half-time when Fuller appeared to collapse under a desperate lunge from Mikael Silvestre.

But Arsenal finally levelled in the 42nd minute through Denilson. Fabregas played a free kick outside the box across to the Brazilian midfielder and he arrowed a low drive past Thomas Sorensen, with the aid of two deflections off Stoke defenders.

The second half saw Stoke dominant, with Fabianski under siege for most of the 45 minutes from an aerial bombardment.

Fabregas tested Sorensen with a long-range drive but Stoke pressed for a winner, with Coquelin almost turning Mamady Sidibe’s cross into his own net.

Wenger simply had to make changes and with 22 minutes remaining introduced Andrey Arshavin, Eduardo and Aaron Ramsey in a desperate bid to avoid a replay.

He did avoid one, though not in the way he wanted. Sidibe’s excellent work down the right ended in an inch perfect cross for Fuller to nod past a stranded Fabianski.

Visibily stunned, Arsenal’s exit from the FA Cup was confirmed when the excellent Etherington crossed for Whitehead to put the icing on the cake with his first goal for the club in the 86th minute.

STOKE, England (AFP)

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Gunners cruise into last 16

November 25, 2009


Arsenal regained the swagger that has characterised their best performances this season as they eased into the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Standard Liege on Tuesday.

First-half goals from Samir Nasri and Denilson were enough to ensure the Gunners progressed to the knockout stages as winners of group H with a game to spare.

The Belgian champions were arguably unfortunate to see a Diedonne Mbokani shot strike the woodwork when the match was still goalless as well as being denied what appeared to be a clear penalty shortly after Nasri had given Arsenal the lead.

In truth, though, Arsenal could have won by a significantly larger margin and manager Arsene Wenger will have been delighted with a performance that, in the opening 45 minutes, could scarcely have been further removed from the lacklustre display that resulted in a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland at the weekend.

That performance had provoked Wenger into a rare public display of frustration with his own players, and it was quickly apparent here that the manager’s point had been absorbed.

With Andrey Arshavin and Nasri supporting Carlos Vela in attack, Arsenal looked significantly sharper from the outset and the Belgian champions’ goal lived a charmed life early on.

A Cesc Fabregas corner after quarter of an hour generated a string of chances with Sinan Bolat saving Arshavin’s header before Vela hit the rebound against the post.

Bolat then denied William Gallas twice in quick succession before a goal-bound shot from Thomas Vermaelen bounced to safety off the head of the unwitting Arshavin.

There was another let-off for the visitors when Emanuel Eboue went down in the box following a challenge by Eliaquim Mangala.

Standard were living dangerously yet they went close to taking the lead when Mbokani unleashed a shot from the edge of the area that beat Manuel Almunia and struck the angle of post and bar.

A clash of heads between Gallas and Arshavin as they both went for a Fabregas cross left the Frenchman nursing a sore head that was to result in him making way for Mikael Silvestre at the break, by which time Arsenal were deservedly two goals in front.

Arshavin was still receiving treatment for his wounded head when Vermaelen launched a long diagonal ball for Nasri to chase through the inside right channel.

Landry Mulemo should have intercepted but his slip allowed Nasri to get clear and the midfielder took his chance with style, steering a controlled half-volley past Bolat’s right hand.

Arshavin appeared to have suffered no ill effects from the clash with Gallas as he connected with a Nasri pass to shave the outside of the post.

At the other end, Reginal Goreux had a good penalty shout turned down after being bundled over by Gallas but Arsenal were undeniably good value for the two-goal lead they established thanks to Denilson’s long-range effort in first-half stoppage time.

Picking the ball up 30 yards out, the Brazilian was not put under any kind of pressure and Standard paid the price of their relaxed approach when Bolat was unable to keep out a shot that swerved significantly but was directed at the centre of the goal.

With Chelsea due at the Emirates on Sunday, it was perhaps inevitable that Arsenal’s tempo dropped off after the interval.

That might have given Standard a way back into the contest but after Axel Witsel fluffed his strike from close range after being picked out by Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez’s clever free-kick, they did little to seriously unsettle Arsenal’s back four.

Standard finished the evening with ten men after Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez received a straight red card after an attempted head-butt on Fabregas with four minutes left.

LONDON (AFP)

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League Cup offers glimpse of giants´ futures

October 28, 2009


It might be one of English football’s grand occasions but Wednesday’s League Cup match between Arsenal and Liverpool is likely to reveal more about their future prospects than their current form.

Both Arsene Wenger and Rafael Benitez are likely to make a raft of changes for the game at the Emirates Stadium, mindful of the need to keep their regulars fresh for more pressing priorities in the Premier League and Europe.

In the third round win over West Bromwich Albion, Arsenal’s line-up was composed of players almost exclusively under the age of 21 – Mikael Silvestre and Philippe Senderos were the sole sops to experience – and Wenger has promised to do likewise this week.

“It will be a mixed team but we want to win every single game we play, no matter who plays,” he said.

Wenger will also be mindful of the possible benefits of piling more pressure on Benitez by inflicting an early exit on his team.

The Spaniard has ridden the immediate crisis created by four straight defeats by engineering a victory over Manchester United last Sunday but Liverpool’s season is still in danger of sliding away, with the club’s Champions League hopes hanging by a thread and a six-point gap separating them from league leaders Chelsea.

Being dumped out of the League Cup would not precipitate any drastic action at Anfield but it would deal another blow to morale and Wenger, while he would never admit to it in public, would consider that incentive enough ahead for his makeshift team.

There are more prosaic concerns for his players, as well, not least convincing Wenger that they could be worth a place in his regular starting line-up.

Teenagers such as Francis Coquelin, Sanchez Watt, Jack Wilshere, Mark Randall and Kerrea Gilbert – all of whom can expect to be involved at some point on Wednesday – might still be too raw for Premier League football but that does not apply to all the stand-ins.

Carlos Vela, the Mexican winger, and Croatian striker Eduardo will be determined to re-establish themselves in Wenger’s thoughts after frustrating spells out with injuries.

And with Manuel Almunia out of favour and Vito Mannone low on confidence following several errors, there is a chance for goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, recently recovered from knee surgery, to stake his own claim with an assertive display in north London.

“It has been a frustrating time for me because of the injury but it’s gone now and I need to look forward to the future,” Fabianski said.

“I want to get back into the team, fighting for my place really hard. I want to show my quality and, hopefully, win a trophy with Arsenal. I can think about this now that I am completely fit, which is the main thing. I want it to stay that way.”

Another player set to strain every sinew at the Emirates is David Ngog, the Liverpool striker whose clinching goal against United last Sunday should earn him a huge ovation from the travelling contingent from Merseyside.

Ngog has fond memories of the League Cup, having scored the winner in the third round tie at Leeds United, and the French striker is seeing the trip to Arsenal as another chance to impress the notoriously demanding Benitez.

“The goal against United was a fantastic moment for me and the team and I would say it’s my best moment in football,” he reflected.

“But now we have Arsenal and we are looking forward to it. All I can do is keep working hard and show what I can do when I get the opportunity. I just want to do my best for the team.”

LONDON (AFP)

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Da Silva´s late show forces Arsenal to settle for a point

October 21, 2009


Arsenal were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against AZ Alkmaar in Tuesday’s Champions League clash as the Dutch champions snatched a last-gasp equaliser.

Arsene Wenger’s side were within seconds of securing their third successive Group H victory after Cesc Fabregas’s first half goal.

But David Mendes Da Silva punished the Gunners for a lacklustre second half display when he struck deep into stoppage time at the DSB Stadium.

Wenger had already claimed he wouldn’t pause to celebrate his 60th birthday on Thursday and the French coach has even less reason to break out the party hats now.

The north Londoners are still firmly on course for the knockout stages, but they have more work to do before they can be sure of finishing as group winners.

Wenger once again opted to keep faith with young Italian goalkeeper Vito Mannone ahead of Manuel Almunia, but the Gunners boss was without injured wingers Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky.

Although AZ boasted an impressive European home record of just one defeat in 34 home matches, Arsenal arrived in Holland on a high after seven successive wins in all competitions.

In stark contrast, Ronald Koeman’s Dutch champions, who had taken just one point from their first two group matches, were reeling from the news that the club’s owner Dirk Scheringa had been declared bankrupt on Monday.

Koeman could take heart from a famous Champions League win over Arsenal when he was in charge at PSV Eindhoven two years ago.

But it was Arsenal who made the early running. Robin van Persie had scored five goals in his previous six games and should have added to that tally in the ninth minute from Abou Diaby’s cross.

Van Persie’s finish didn’t match the quality of the incisive attack though and he shot straight at Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero.

AZ created their first threat when Moussa Dembele fed Mounir El Hamdaoui on the edge of the Arsenal penalty area, but his shot didn’t test Mannone.

After a period of stalemate as both sides struggled to find their rhythm, Arsenal were gifted the lead in the 36th minute.

Niklas Moisander’s careless control allowed Andrey Arshavin to play in van Persie down the left side of AZ’s penalty area. Van Persie picked out Fabregas and the Arsenal captain dispatched a cool strike past Romero for his fifth goal of the season.

Romero almost presented Arsenal with a second goal before half-time when he allowed van Persie’s long-range effort to skim off his gloves and just past a post.

There was little repeat of that flurry of goalmouth action in the second half as Arsenal settled for keeping possession without ever really promising a second goal.

Van Persie forced Romero to make a fine save from a low free-kick but AZ gradually began to realise there was little to fear from Arsenal in this mood and they poured forward in the closing stages.

Diaby almost deflected a cross into his own net as the Gunners began to creak, then Hector Moreno squandered a glorious chance to equalise.

Moreno had the goal at his mercy from no more than six yards, only to head wide via a team-mate’s leg.

Arsenal appealed in vain for a penalty when Kew Jaliens got in a tangle and appeared to foul substitute Carlos Vela.

But they were made to pay for their lethargic performance in the third minute of stoppage time.

Arsenal’s defence stood statuesque as Graziano Pelle flicked on a high ball towards Da Silva, who was perfectly placed to lash a volley past Mannone and end Arsenal’s winning run.

ALKMAAR, Netherlands (AFP)

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Mexico qualifies for fifth straight World Cup with 4-1 victory

October 11, 2009


Mexico qualified for a fifth straight World Cup on Saturday, using a first-half own-goal and second-half tallies from Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Paco Palencia and Carlos Vela to beat El Salvador 4-1 and end the visitors’ slim hopes.

The win gave Mexico 18 points, moving it atop the standings in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying pending two matches later Saturday.

Marvin Gonzalez’s misdirected clearance attempt in the 26th minute put Mexico ahead, but Blanco’s finish in the 71st, Palencia’s tally in the 85th and Vela’s finale in injury time assured Mexico of being the first team to clinch a berth out of CONCACAF.

El Salvador remained with eight points, four points behind fourth-placed Costa Rica with one match to play. The top three sides are guaranteed places in the 32-team World Cup field while the fourth-placed team faces the fifth-placed side from South America for the last berth in South Africa.

Gonzalez’s own goal came after Andres Guardado fed Guillermo Franco at the top of the area. Franco was closed down but managed to get the ball to Cuauthemoc Blanco as he came through the area. Gonzalez made a lunging left-footed tackle and then while on the ground tried to kick the ball away with his right, but only dribbled it past goalkeeper Miguel Montes.

With Mexico repeatedly threatening, Blanco finally converted to give El Tri insurance. Ricardo Osorio drove a long ball to Blanco, who backheeled to Carlos Vela, who returned with a backheel to Blanco.

Blanco fed Franco, who drove on goal until he reached the top of the area and then sent the ball wide to an unmarked Blanco, who finished past an approaching Montes.  Palencia scored in his first national team appearance since March 28, 2007 and Vela finished the celebration.

The match was delayed after the start for about 8½ minutes when a swarm of flying insects began to nest along the crossbar of the El Salvador net at Estadio Azteca. Montes complained to Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres as both swatted away the pests.

Batres halted the match in the second minute and grounds crews fumigated the goal area and another area that included television sound equipment. The effort appeared to work although players and others could be seen swatting a stray insect from time to time.

Mexico had the better of quality chances including Carlos Vela’s bicycle attempt that Montes had to dive to block with both hands eight minutes into first-half injury time, and a left-footed free kick by Andres Guardado that skipped off the crossbar in the 56th.

Montes kept the game within a goal in the 68th, extending fully to get his fingertips to a header by Franco that skipped just wide of the the right post.

El Salvador relied on the counter and had its best chance in the 13th minute on a 25-meter free kick by Eliseo Quintanilla that skipped wide of the near post. Julio Martinez scored a consolation goal for El Salvador in the 88th, driving a 30-meter free kick past goalkeeper Memo Ochoa.

Besides winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July, Mexico has won five straight World Cup qualifiers since a 2-1 loss at El Salvador on June 6. The loss was El Salvador’s fourth in its last five games, with its only victory at home against Costa Rica on September 9.

MEXICO CITY

Source

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Van Persie breaks stubborn Olympiakos resistance

September 30, 2009


Robin van Persie rewarded Arsenal’s patience as the Gunners finally shattered Olympiakos’s stubborn resistance to claim a 2-0 win in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Arsene Wenger’s side dominated the Group H clash at the Emirates Stadium from start to finish, but were frustrated until 12 minutes from full-time by a superb display from Antonis Nikopolidis.

Greek goalkeeper Nikopolidis made a series of fine saves to keep Arsenal at bay until Dutch striker Van Persie slotted home and then Andrei Arshavin notched the second to give the scoreline a more realistic look.

Wenger will become the longest serving manager in Arsenal’s history on Thursday when his tenure in north London stretches to 13 years and this was the perfect way to celebrate that milestone.

His team produced the kind of eye-catching play that Wenger loves and more importantly maintained their winning start to the group stage.

After falling two goals behind to Standard Liege in a woeful opening to their first Champions League group game two weeks ago, Arsenal made a much sharper start this time.

Their movement off the ball was too much for Olympiakos’s statuesque defence and should have led to a goal in the 13th minute.

Gael Clichy made a perfectly timed run down the left and his cutback from the touchline gave Arshavin the chance to force a smart stop from Nikopolidis.

Wenger’s side went even closer moments later. A mesmerising exchange between van Persie and Arshavin cut open the Greek defence and Cesc Fabregas drove a fierce strike onto the crossbar. Van Persie seized on the rebound and fed Tomas Rosicky, only for Nikopolidis to push away his shot.

At 38 years old Nikopolidis is well into the twilight of his career, but he was keeping Olympiakos in the match almost single-handedly and denied Arshavin again, this time low down at his near post.

Arshavin seemed to induce mass panic in the Olympiakos back-four whenever the Russian ran at them and chances continued to flow.

Arshavin’s incisive pass gave Fabregas a clear sight of goal but Nikopolidis came to the rescue once more as he repelled the Spaniard’s shot.

Such a ferocious onslaught left Zico’s team with nothing more than self-preservation on their minds.

Twice in quick succession, Van Persie tricked Raul Bravo to such an extent that the left-back was left flat on his back, but the Dutch forward’s finish was too tame to beat Nikopolidis.

Olympiakos finally caused Arsenal hearts to flutter just after half-time when Olof Mellberg’s header looped goalwards before young Italian keeper Vito Mannone clawed it to safety.

Arsenal’s response was immediate and Van Persie took Emmanuel Eboue’s pass in stride before forcing another good save from Nikopolidis.

Nikopolidis was called into action on fewer occasions after the break but he was still alert and when he kept out van Persie’s snapshot, Arsenal’s frustration grew.

But Wenger sent on Croatia forward Eduardo and Mexican striker Carlos Vela in a final attempt to break down the Olympiakos rearguard.

The move paid dividends immediately as Eduardo combined with Van Persie to break the deadlock in the 78th minute.

Fabregas started the move with a glorious pass to Eduardo and the Croatian timed his cutback perfectly for Van Persie to sweep past Nikopolidis at last.

That broke Olympiakos once and for all and Arshavin, standing in what looked an offside position, cleverly back-heeled in Fabregas’s cross to seal the victory in the 86th minute.

LONDON (AFP)

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Cahill backs City target Lescott to cope under fire

August 15, 2009


Everton midfielder Tim Cahill believes Joleon Lescott will be able to ignore the storm surrounding his prospective move to Manchester City if he plays in Saturday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal.

Lescott stunned Everton manager David Moyes earlier this week when he handed in a written transfer request at Goodison Park in an attempt to provoke a move to City, who have already had two bids for the England defender rejected by the Toffees.

The former Wolverhampton centre-back remains a priority target for City boss Mark Hughes and has been offered the chance to triple his wages at Eastlands.

Everton fans may not take a sympathetic view of Lescott’s transfer request but Moyes has spoken to the player at length about his state of mind and is confident he will remain professional amid the furore, despite concerns about the reception he will receive from home supporters.

Moyes is not about to further weaken a defence already without Phil Jagielka and Australia star Cahill is convinced Lescott has the strength of character to cope.

Cahill believes Lescott will not be distracted and said: “It’s a catch 22 for the lad. Sometimes there are once in a lifetime bids and it’s astronomical money.

“But he is such a great professional and I know at the weekend he will give everything. It’s very hard for footballers these days to be put in such a difficult position.

“He’s a big player for Everton and England. If he goes, he goes, if he stays, he stays. But whatever decision he makes, I’ll support him.

“We make decisions for our families and the one thing about Joleon is that he is a great professional.”

Meanwhile, Thomas Vermaelen intends to stay one step ahead of the game at the heart of the Arsenal defence this season.

The Belgian centre-back, manager Arsene Wenger’s only signing so far, is hopeful of recovering from a groin problem to make his full debut at Goodison Park and shore up a defence brutally exposed last season and now missing Kolo Toure.

The former Ajax player said: “I will always give 100 per cent. I have a good mentality. I want to do my best for Arsenal, playing as well as I possibly can.

“I think I am decent in the air and technically and I always want to battle on the pitch. You do need a little time to adapt and we will see how fast it goes, but I want to adapt as quickly as possible at Arsenal and play as many games as I can.

“I am looking forward to playing Premier League games. I have always admired the way the teams play, the commitment of the players. They always want to fight and that is what I like.”

Wenger’s main focus will be on how many of his internationals return fit from their midweek games.

Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) and Samir Nasri (broken leg) have both already been ruled out for the opening few weeks of the season, while Eduardo, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott, Andrey Arshavin, Emmanuel Eboue and Carlos Vela all represented their countries.

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP)

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Fabregas not for sale, insists Wenger

August 14, 2009


Arsene Wenger insists Cesc Fabregas is not for sale at any price after Barcelona were once again linked with a bid for the Spain midfielder.

Fabregas left Barcelona as a teenager to join Arsenal but he has repeatedly been a target for the Catalan club over the last three years.

The close-season departures of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to Manchester City and Wenger’s struggle to find top-class replacements has left many experts predicting Fabregas will be the next to leave for a more ambitious club.

But Wenger, whose side start their Premier League campaign at Everton on Saturday, said on Friday: “Do you really think we sell now our players one day before the championship starts, players who are basic players of the team? There is no chance.

“You cannot stop people from having a lot of creative imagination during their sleepless nights, but that does not mean we will do it.

“I believe that in life you are committed to clubs with contracts and in no contract is the colour of your blood described.

“We are the beginning of a new season now, and it is important that everybody focuses – me, Fabregas everybody else, just on being successful for the club we love, and the best way we can do that is to do well.”

Despite Adebayor and Toure’s exits, Wenger maintains his squad is stronger than this time last year and can win the Premier League for the first time since 2004.

“We are young and have developed. Why should we not be better in August than we were in March?” he said.

“We lost two great players. However, we have bought (Thomas) Vermaelen to replace Kolo and we have Eduardo back, who for me is a great player.

“We have players who develop very well and are young, like Carlos Vela, Nicklas Bendtner, (Theo) Walcott, who are all strikers, so I do not feel we are short in these positions.

“The ambition is to finish as high as possible. What is as high as possible is to finish first, it is as simple as that.

“The competition is of a high level and many aspire to that, so let’s continue to play the game the way we want to play it and I believe we can show that we have made big steps forward.”

Wenger revealed Arsenal are no further forward in any potential transfer deals, which have included a look at bringing former captain Patrick Vieira back as well as Bordeaux’s Morocco striker Marouane Chamakh and Fulham defender Brede Hangeland.

“I have all the players in place,” he added. “If we need to add one or two more, the transfer period is open until August 31.

“Ideally you want not to move any more, but you always have to adjust. If there is a need there, we will do it.

“There are still a lot of players who want to come to Arsenal, because they like the way we play and develop them.

“They feel they get access to top level competition, so I do not think we have a financial handicap.

“The market now is a world market, so you can always find good players.”

LONDON (AFP)

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Mexico out to prove Gold Cup final was not fluke

August 11, 2009


It was a topic they wanted to avoid.

Mexico national team players quickly tried to change the subject when asked about it. Some made sure to say they didn’t want to speak about the infamous date: August 12.

“We’re not thinking about that right now.”

“That’s not in our plans this minute.”

“We have another objective before that.”

Those are some of the phrases Mexican players used during the Gold Cup to describe their thoughts on El Tri’s highly anticipated showdown against the United States at Estadio Azteca Wednesday.

It’s a World Cup qualifier against its nemesis. It is a match in the hexagonal round of the region’s qualifiers. It is perhaps Mexico’s most important match this decade outside of the World Cup finals.

Mexico enters its match against the Americans sitting in fourth place in the hexagonal standings with six points behind Honduras (seven), the United States (10) and group leader Costa Rica (12).

The top three teams qualify for the World Cup in South Africa next summer. The fourth place team enters a two-leg playoff against a team from South America.

El Tri is coming off its first Gold Cup title since 2003 after overwhelming a young United States team in the final July 26. That gave coach Javier “El Vasco” Aguirre’s team a boost of confidence.

But that story was left behind. At least that’s what Aguirre says.

“I was clear from the start,” Aguirre told Mexican reporters this week. “The Gold Cup stayed there and I’m not going to let my players relax.”

Mexico has good reason not to take this match lightly.

The Gold Cup team different American side from the one the Mexicans will face Wednesday.

United States coach Bob Bradley used young players mostly from Major League Soccer rosters to fill his Gold Cup squad.

Mexico didn’t have all its European-based players but carried enough regulars to win the title.

Giovani dos Santos, Carlos Vela, Miguel Sabah, Guillermo Ochoa, Gerardo Torrado and Jonny Magallon are some from the list.

Aguirre has called for the qualifier against the United States what could be deemed as the base for his roster: Carlos Salcido, Ricardo Osorio, Gerardo Guardado and Cuauhtémoc Blanco to mix with 15 players from the Gold Cup roster.

That could be an advantage for Mexico in addition to a partisan crowd of 100,000, altitude, humidity, heat and heavy smog in a stadium where the United States has never won.
The Americans called in their starters who mostly play in Europe but have not played together as a team since the Confederations Cup in South Africa in June.

Most players from the Gold Cup final will not see the field at Azteca. Forward Brian Ching, midfielder Stuart Holden and defender Chad Marshall are the only three players who played in the Gold Cup title match that were selected for the roster for Wednesday’s game in Mexico City.

What will be on the field is a team that wants redemption for what happened in the Gold Cup despite being a different team.

The result left the U.S. embarrassed.

“I’m not in that locker room, and I don’t know what they’re thinking,” Ching said about Mexico after the Gold Cup final. “But if they think the next game is going to be anything like this, they’ve got another thing coming.”

Mexico knows that.

They’ve probably known it since prior to the Gold Cup.

There is no way to know if Wednesday’s match really wasn’t on Mexico’s mind during the Gold Cup. Chances are August 12 was imprinted in their minds since their last qualifier a 2-1 win against Trinidad and Tobago at Estadio Azteca.

That was a result that left fans wanting more, especially after losing in El Salvador 2-1 four days earlier. It didn’t impress Mexican pundits and left doubters doubting more.

Aguirre insists this is a rejuvenated El Tri no matter who is on the pitch.

“We’re better,” Aguirre said. “After the El Salvador game, I was always optimistic. There were six games left and we’re a point out (of an automatic berth). Now there’s (five games) left. It’s not a dark scenario. Why the heck were we going to be out of the World Cup? They have to give us a chance. If there was one game left and we had to win and have two rivals lose, then I would say it was tough. But things are different. Things have improved.”

A win against the Americans would probably silence doubts until the next qualifier. A loss or draw probably would raise criticism and maybe even some panic.

It would give the Mexicans something new to talk about or simply try to avoid.

Rafa Marquez out with new injury

FC Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez will not play against the United States at Estadio Azteca.

The Mexican center back suffered a left torn calf during a training session prior to Barca’s exhibition match against MLS side Sounders FC earlier this week.

Marquez returned to the line up and saw his first action last week when he played 31 minutes in a friendly against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

He was coming off a knee injury kept him out for almost four months.

Marquez had reconstructive knee surgery after tearing ligaments during a match against English side Chelsea in April.

Marquez knew his chances of playing against the United States were slim prior to his calf injury.

“I am not at 100 percent and I won’t be for that day,” Marquez said after the Galaxy match. “I’ll try to do my best to be ready but it’s practically impossible to be at 100 percent by then.”

Marquez was expected to miss 10 to 15 days.

By Ivan Orozco

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Mexico squad for USA clash includes 12 Gold Cup players

July 30, 2009

Mexico manager Javier Aguirre has selected 12 of the players that participate at this month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, for the crucial World Cup qualifier with the United States on August 12.

The Mexicans desperately need a win in order to remain with a good chance of qualifying, while the US will be looking for their first ever victory at the Azteca stadium and revenge following the 5-0 defeat in the Gold Cup final.

The inclusion of goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is no surprise, and the selection of Giovani Dos Santos is not unexpected either. Others that were selected from the Gold Cup squad are Jose de Jesus Corona, Efrain Juarez, Jose Antonio Castro, Jonn Magallon, Israel Castro, Gerardo Torrado, Alberto Medina, Miguel Sabah, Carlos Vela and Guillermo Franco.

Aguirre also added Ricardo Osorio, Carlos Salcido, Rafael Marquez, Oscar Rojas, Aaron Galindo, Andres Guardado, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Nery Castillo.

United States manager Bob Bradley isn’t expected to field any of the players that faced Mexico last Sunday.

By: Jonathan Roorda

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