A Gringo in Mexico

Outside of sheer determination, here are the main reasons why El Tri prevailed. There is a basic blueprint if you will on how to defeat the Americans. The US obvious weak point is at each fullback position. Teams that have recently defeated them have exposed this. Costa Rica is a very good example. Attack relentlessly, and eventually good things will happen. In this game, Mexico also dominated the midfield, in every aspect. I knew going in that Mexico would control possession, hell they always do, but more than that if an American player had the ball in the midfield he was immediately manhandled by 2 or 3 Mexicans. Those two factors more than anything else spelled doom for the US, and joy for El Tri. This was a huge win, in so many ways, now let see what they do with it.

2-1 victory for Mexico. I will have more on the game later. For now lets see what kind of excuses, those red necks over at Ives have to say now. Ha Ha, what goes around comes around.

The big showdown between the U.S. and Mexico is finally here. Goal.com’s Allen Ramsey takes a look at what each team needs to do to come out on top.
Aug 12, 2009 9:09:10 AM
By Allen Ramsey

It’s been a long build up to the U.S. vs. Mexico part three of this year, but the day is finally here.

Everyone has an opinion on who will win, what the score will be, and how this match will be played. But in the end, we’ve only got a few more hours before all the talking stops and the players step on the field to fight out CONCACAF’s biggest rivalry.

With all of the talk and irrational thought that goes into a match like this people tend to overlook the basics of the game and argue with their hearts. But what will the U.S. really have to do to claim their first win in Azteca, and what does El Tri need to do to keep their dominance at home alive?

For the U.S.

Control The Pace- Mexico is going to have more possession. There is very little doubt about that. But how much more, and how much the U.S. has to chase the ball will tell the story of this match.

If the U.S. can hold spells of possession (especially in the second half) and keep Mexico from knocking the ball around the pitch all afternoon, they can slow the pace. Keeping the match at their tempo and pushing Mexico deep, even if it doesn’t lead to their best chances, would go a long way in helping the U.S. deal with the altitude and heat.

Simply put, the U.S. can’t defend the entire game. Will the Red White and Blue be the more defensive side? Absolutely. But they have to find as much of the ball as possible to keep Mexico from coming forward in waves.

Strike First- Once in 24 years. That’s how many time the U.S. has come from behind to win a World Cup Qualifying match. And since that one time happened in their last match against Honduras, the odds against it happening again today are very long.

Aside from that little stat, there is no better way to quite the Azteca crowd than to put El Tri behind. On top of that the Mexican squad is not hard to frustrate and chasing the game, even at Azteca, is not where they’re at their best.

Use The Counter- I know, I know. Everyone hates counterattacking tactics. Who cares. If it works, use it. While fans think the better team is the one that plays the prettier footy, a World Cup spot is on the line and it’s all about getting the W.

The truth is that the U.S. is going to have chances to spring on the counter. Two or three times in this match Mexico’s central defenders will be asked to deal with the pace of the American front line. Whether or not they can is the big question mark for El Tri.

For Mexico

Make It Count- Don’t just possess the ball, put it in the net. Just like my last comment, you can look pretty and walk out with nothing to show for it. Mexico has plenty of quality to put the ball in the net, but they have struggled at times in making their possession count.

Against the U.S. it’s vital that Mexico jump out to a lead. The U.S., as much as they would say otherwise, would be completely content to walk with a 0-0 draw. El Tri can’t afford that.

The longer Mexico goes without capitalizing on their chances the more frustrated they will get and the more frustrated the crowd will get. That frustration generally leads to pushing more numbers forward and opening up space in behind the defense.

An early goal, or at least a goal on one of their first good chances, would be a big boost for El Tri.

Ignore The Pressure- Mexico just smashed the U.S. in the Gold Cup final, but this game has much bigger implications. A loss here and the World Cup starts to drift away. More than that, Mexico has to win at home, and they’re playing a team that they know is dangerous.

Mexico has to ignore that reality, push the pressure aside and play with the free flowing style that they are known for. And they have to do this without their leader, Rafael Marquez to help settle the back line.

How well a younger Mexican squad can deal with this type of match and the pressures of playing for their World Cup lives could tip the balance one way or another.

With all that said, most of Mexico’s young stars have been in big games and fought some high pressure situations so they should be able to deal with this match pretty well.

Push The Pace- Mexico has to make this game as fast as they can make it. It won’t be easy. The heat and poor air means that this match is probably going to be somewhat slow. But the more Mexico can force the Americans to run the better off they’ll be as the match goes into the late stages.

Rather than slowing the ball down through midfield and trying to work calmly for the an opening, or feeling out the game, Mexico needs to break into the attacking third in the early going.

Forcing the U.S. midfield to track deep into their own defensive third early in the match could save Mexico the trouble of being broken on later. Plus, running the legs out of the U.S. defenders should open up more space for Mexico to work with.

Allen Ramsey is an associate editor of Goal.com.

On Wednesday, I will be cheering for El Tri. However, I have known for some time that US is at this point a much better team than Mexico, and in my opinion are in a good position to take all three points. Prior to the Gold Cup, I was certain this would happen, now I just think its likely to occur. So there is some hope for us who will be cheering for the good guys. Some may wonder why I can make such a bold prediction. The reason is simple, the US has much more talent at several positions on the pitch, they play to a system that is second nature to their players and well suited to their talents, and tends to give Mexico fits.

If you take a close look at the teams position by position, its not close, Mexico has a lot of youth full of promise, but the Americans have players right now who are really good.

The key to this game will come down to who scores first. If its the US, its all over, if its the Mexicans, well that’s in my opinion the only way they can win.

After I was gutted on Saturday evening watching TFC blow it in extra time, I was able to rejoice as Mexico crushed the USA 5 - 0.  Mexico needed this badly, if anything to just get their mojo back. The US team that comes into Azteca on Aug 12th will be very formidable, so Mexico better be ready.  In the meantime, those of us here in Mexico will enjoy the moment.  Here are the highlights.  Enjoy.

Well the group stages for the Gold Cup, and the Quarters have come and gone, and wel, well, well what teams do we have left. Hmm, the top 4 in the region many would argue, which speaks to the depth of those four countries, especially the USA. Here are the match up for Thursday Nights Semi Final match ups:

USA vs Honduras at 7pm est

Mexico vs Costa Rica at 10pm est

USA vs Honduras:  The two teams met in the group stage, which was very competatvie until the Americans eventually wore down the Hondurans.  The Americans regardless of roster seem to have a higher fitness level then almost all of their opponents.  The US has had most of the few Euro based players leave to go join their clubs, so this is now primarily a MLS based roster.  Should be interesting to see how well they do.  I expect a close match, and really think this could easily go either way.  I’ll pick the USA to win this game but only because the USA always seems to win the tough close games, and that is what I expect.

Mexico vs Costa Rica:  I expect this to be another close one.  Mexico finally put some goals in the net the other night, so maybe if anything, they may have some momentum, but ticos scored a bunch of goals as well.  On paper, Mexico has by far the most talent of the 4 remaining teams left in the tournament.  But that does not mean much.  I am not convinced that Mexico has what it takes to win tough close games which this one will be, so I will have to pick Costa Rica to win the game.  I hope I am wrong, as a Mexico vs USA final would be more fun.

Obviously, due to WCQ and the recent Confed Cup for the US, most teams sent their B level teams as the next Confed Cup birth is not at stake this time around.  However, I have been surprised at the level of play, I think the region is getting deeper and deeper with talent.  Too bad I could not say the same about the ref’s.

Depending on what team you support, I think the group stage of this years addition of the Gold Cup could be viewed as either great or painful. I happen to support Canada, so thus far its been great. I also enjoy watching Mexico, (kind of painful) and I feel obligated to watch the US (They just keep it rolling don’t they?). So here is the Quarter Final match-ups.

SATURDAY (in Philadelphia)
Canada vs. Honduras (5pm, Telefutura)
USA vs. Panama (7:30pm, Fox Soccer Channel, Telefutura)

SUNDAY (in Dallas)
Guadeloupe vs. Costa Rica (4pm, Univision)
Mexico vs. Haiti (7pm, Univision)

I think the Canada vs Honduras will likely be the most competitive match of the four. Canada, even with it’s semi B team is in good form at the moment, and Honduras look particularly good against the USA until the Americans just took over.

The USA vs Panama won’t be close, the USA will get the result going away.

Guadeloupe vs Costa Rica could be close if the Ticos allow Guadeloupe to use their pace. However if they can clog the middle of the pitch and hold some possession then Costa Rica should get the result.

Mexico vs Hati, should of course not be close. Notice I said should. This current Mexico team does nothing the easy way and I would not be shocked at all if Mexico lost this game, or if the blow the Hations out of the water. Probably Mexico wins, but I would never bet on this team. A little side note to this game is if Mexico does lose this game Team Manager Javier Aguirre will miss their next World Cup Qualifying match against the USA at Azteca.

As much as it pains me to say it, I think the USA B/C side has played the best thus far. They just continually come through in the crunch. I would really like to see Canada get a crack at them in the Semi’s again. I think we can give them a go. If Canada can’t beat them, a Mexico vs USA final should be fun to watch, (of course if Mexico and get to the final.) and would be a great way to finish the tournament. Alright, lets get this started.

As the Mexican Fall season (known here as the Apertura) gets ready to kick off, here are a couple of updates.  Santos received a transfer fee of 12.5 million usd for Christian Benitez from newly promoted English Premiership team Birmingham City.  I wonder what they will be doing with all that cash.  Be on the lookout for Santos to do something with the money this season.
Christian Benítez

Atlas paid a 1 million usd transfer fee to Estudiantes of Argentina for goalkeeper Mariano Barbosa.  Umm, is this not the same Atlas who had trouble paying their own players wages a couple of months ago.  Wow, Mexican football is never boring.

Ahh, this is often the question for a team. Do we attack and leave ourselves vulnerable, or bunker, and get them on the counter. This is the situation the US finds itself in on Wed when they play the best team in the world Spain.  I always find the debate over this topic very interesting. Here in Mexico, this is often a talking point when the US plays Mexico. The Mexicans hate this style to begin with, the notion seems to offend them. What makes it worse is that the US knowing the Mexicans will attack and put pressure seem to always play this way, and unfortunately it has worked very well for them.   I actually think to bunker and counter is a legitimate strategy to use. Let me explain below, and I will even try to tie in some thoughts as it relates to the common Mexican fan view as I understand it.

Back in February I wrote a post on how Mexico could beat the US in their world cup qualifier.  At that time I advocated strongly for the bunker and counter strategy.  There were a couple of reasons why.  At the time, Mexico was coming into the match very short handed, with injuries and suspensions.  The field conditions were also very bad, and based on the form of the two teams at the time, the US was better, especially defensively, and even offensively.  I won’t recap the nightmare of that day, but I’ll just say it did not turn out that well.  Many of my Amigos that cheer for El Tri, as do I when Canada is not involved found my notions unacceptable.  Mexico “has a responsibility to win” they would say.  This is a very common attitude here, it is not only good enough to win, but we must win by playing attacking football.  The problem I find with this logic is by playing attacking football, you may be more likely to lose than win.  I care about winning not style points.  The bunker and Attack style of play also make it more likely for a draw.  Well, if the situation warrants it, and it often does, a draw is fine by me.  A draw would have been great for Mexico vs the US back in February.  Tomorrow a draw, and then take your chances in extra time and penalties would probably be good for the USA as well.  Anyways, every football has an opinion about this, so please feel free to share yours below in the comments section.

Some recent news stories, and overall updates that I thought were worthy of a post or two. Firstly let me provide you with some recent developments that are actual facts. Despite the American media’s best efforts, tourism was up nearly 6% in Mexico for the year 2008. Almost 23 million people visited this country last year. Why is that significant you ask? Well, it indicates to me that Mexico is a pretty safe place unless your a drug dealer, drug user, a member of the police or military (who happens to be deployed in a city like Tijuana, or Juarez). Fox news ran a story the other day, I actually found it almost funny, the premise of which was Universities in Arizona are warning their students not to visit Mexico for spring break. They then go on to specify that the warnings are specific to Tijuana and Juarez. Isn’t that like telling someone not to touch the fire or they will get burnt. The other news worthy note is the following piece about the Mexican Drug Cartel moving to Guatemala. Although the AP writer neglects to make any real connection to why the Cartel is moving to Guatemala, and the Drug war here in Mexico. So, I will go ahead and explain the significance of this. As the article points out, it is unfortunate that Guatemala may now be facing life with the Cartel. There is are specific reasons why this has happened. It is in large part because of military offensive launched by the Mexican government. The Cartel is in retreat because the military has made life difficult here for them. Getting killed, imprisoned, or extradited to the United States are all real possibilities for the Cartel. Guatemala may serve as a safe haven for the time being. However, the retreat will also make it much easier for the Mexican Military to contain the cartel if they can isolate them to the southern border. From a tactical standpoint this could be the turning point. Time will only tell, and that opinion does not sell as many news papers.