Mexico Faces Must-Win Match Against Panama to Qualify for 2014 World Cup

Friday, October 11, 2013 is going to be a monumentally important day for Mexico’sNational Soccer Team. As World Cup Qualifiers are coming to an end, Mexico finds themselves in fifth place in the CONCACAF table. The United States and Costa Rica have both mathematically qualified, leaving only one guaranteed slot and one intercontinental playoff slot in which CONCACAF’s 4th place team will face New Zealand in a home and away playoff. 

Mexico’s most likely chance of qualification will come through the intercontinental playoff. However, for them to even have a chance to reach this playoff, Mexico must first beat Panama on Friday at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. In the past, Azteca has been a fortress for Mexico in which they were usually guaranteed a win or at least a tie. But the reason the find themselves in this current predicament is that their form at Azteca has been off, only securing 3 points in their last four matches at Azteca with three ties and a loss.

As they approach this crucial match, Mexico is looking at their European based players to have a major impact on the game. This list includes Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Giovanni Dos Santos and Javier Aquino but unfortunately does not include Héctor Moreno (injury) and Andrés Guardado (form). Another notable inclusion into Mexico’s roster is Rafael Marquez. The Mexican veteran and previous captain had retired from international duty but head coach Victor Manuel Vucetich has called him back in the hope that the team will benefit of his experience and veteran presence. 

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Is De la Torre the right coach to take Mexico forward?

Mexico coach Jose Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre talked on Monday about the importance of winning ugly, picking up points and getting El Tri over the line and qualified for Brazil 2014.

El Tri produced the ugly soccer against Costa Rica on Tuesday, but failed to win or even score in the Estadio Azteca. That makes it three consecutive 0-0 draws this year in World Cup qualifying inside the massive stadium. It makes Mexico’s qualification for Brazil 2014 anything but secure and De la Torre’s job seriously under-threat for the first time.

Chants of “Chepo out” bellowed down from the steep bleachers towards the end and it isn’t difficult to see why. Fans of other CONCACAF nations may mock the Mexican public’s vocal and possibly hasty criticism of Chepo, but it comes in a context of El Tri winning Olympic gold and enjoying unprecedented success at youth level. This was supposed to be the qualifying campaign to cement Mexico as the undisputed dominant force in the region.

Instead, it has turned into the traditional dogfight involving the United States and Central American nations, none of which are in the top 25 of the FIFA rankings.

“There are 12 points left, there are still a lot of games,” De la Torre told Mexican TV company Televisa after Tuesday’s game.

While it is almost unthinkable that Mexico won’t be at Brazil 2014, suddenly games against Honduras (h), USA (a), Panama (h) and Costa Rica (a) don’t look so tempting with the pressure right on. And those statements from Chepo about how many games are left are starting to wear thin.

Yes, it is difficult against decent CONCACAF teams that come to defend and hope for goals on the counterattack. It is also true Mexico is more naturally adept playing that way itself, when there is more space in the final third.

Continue reading more on Mexico's De la Torre here: http://bit.ly/194rvfx

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Mexico's National Soccer Team facing full schedule

2013 will be a big, busy year for the Mexican national soccer team.

El Tricolor ("The Three Colors;" green, white and red of the Mexican flag and the team's uniforms), as the team is affectionately nicknamed, will play at least 25 matches this year spread across four international competitions and events.

And Mexico's big, busy year will begin in the Valley.

The team will play Denmark in an international friendly on Jan. 30 at University of Phoenix Stadium, the first of five friendlies Mexico has scheduled on its 11th annual U.S. Tour.

The team will also play in the Confederations Cup in Brazil in June and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the U.S. in July. But most importantly, Mexico will attempt to qualify for the 2014 World Cup during the fourth and last round of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament between between February and October.

Mexican national team coach Juan Manuel de la Torre, who held a press conference at University of Phoenix Stadium Monday to hype the Jan. 30 match, said despite all the competitions his team will play in this year, qualifying for the World Cup is the main goal.

"And this game against Denmark is part of the preparation," de la Torre said in Spanish. "It is also preparation for our game against Jamaica (on Feb. 6, the first match of the last World Cup qualifying round).

“I think the conditions for this game are very good to prepare us. It will be a very good trial for us before the Jamaica game. I want to see how the players are doing and getting along together.”

Continue reading about Mexico's Soccer Full Schedule at AZCentral.com!

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Looking ahead at 2013 for Mexico

It’s going to be a very busy 2013 for El Tri at all levels. Here’s a quick look ahead to all that Mexico fans have to look forward to in the New Year.

World Cup qualifying
Given that many El Ti fans will regard qualifying for the 2014 World Cup as a foregone conclusion – as well they might, given that CONCACAF almost certainly will have four teams in Brazil – the importance of the year-long World Cup qualifying Hexagonal is diminished somewhat.

The fact remains, however, that Mexico hasn’t topped the qualifying consistently since the Hex began for the 1998 World Cup, also the last time that El Tri finished alone at the top of the CONCACAF table. That should be a goal for the Federation this year, as the best way to prove on the field that Mexico has truly become the undisputed king of the region.

In addition, El Tri can take aim at the record of 22 points from 10 games that Costa Rica achieved in the 2001 Hex. With a pretty weak regional field, that’s certainly a possibility for this Mexico team.

Confederations Cup
The most important event of the year for Mexico, the Confederations Cup is El Tri’s chance to show that it’s arrived on the international level. With a group that includes Italy, Japan and Brazil, just getting to a semifinal will be a challenge.

In rubbing elbows with the world’s best, El Tri can define its potential role in the 2014 World Cup. Mexico has done well in this competition in the past, and a title at the 2013 Confederations Cup would establish El Tri as a definite contender to win the World Cup next year in Brazil.

Gold Cup
The regional championship will be a secondary event for Chepo de la Torre’s side, but important nevertheless, as it will give some up and coming players a chance to show they belong in the discussion for the first team.

There’s no reason not to expect Mexico’s backups to challenge for a third straight title for El Tri at the Gold Cup, though Honduras and the U.S. are likely to provide firm challenges. Either way, there’s little to lose in this event for El Tri.

Continue reading about what's ahead for Mexico in 2013 and the upcoming Under-20 World Cup at Yahoo! Sports.com.

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Monterrey’s big day against Chelsea

It may not be on at prime time for anyone in North America or Europe, but Thursday could be another one of those milestone days for Mexican soccer that seem to be coming round with increasing frequency.


The feeling in Mexico, and certainly among its CONCACAF neighbors, is that soccer in the North American country is on the brink of a boom and Monterrey’s game against Chelsea in the early hours of Thursday morning (4:30 a.m. Mexico time) in the semifinal of the Club World Cup is another chance to prove it.

Chelsea can expect a well-oiled Rayados with experience at its heart and a few highly talented younger players sprinkled in. Monterrey is also a team that has benefitted from being involved from last year’s tournament and has focused its energy on doing well in Japan over the last couple of months.

A blow has been the loss of striker Humberto Suazo to injury, but the diminutive Chilean has not found form this season, mainly due to injury problems.


Players to watch out for

For those not acquainted with the Monterrey side, the player to keep an eye for future reference on is center back Hiram Mier.

The captain of Mexico’s Olympic team is 23 years old and is ready to cross the channel and play in one of Europe’s top leagues. His duel against Fernando Torres is one to watch and another test for the youngster who is mounting a legitimate challenge to Francisco ‘Maza’ Rodriguez’s starting spot in the Mexican national team.

Aside from Mier, left back Darvin Chavez was also a member of that Olympic team which defeated Brazil 2-1 in Wembley last August and is pushing for honors with El Tri.

Jonathan Orozco in goal is another that could quite easily play in Europe and is on the fringe of the national team. He isn’t the biggest or most physically imposing ‘keeper, but he is very quick, sure and distributes the ball perhaps better than any other Mexican goalkeeper at present.

But while those younger players viewing the game against Chelsea as somewhat of a shop window to parade themselves to top European clubs, ‘Chelito’ Delgado already has European experience and will be the key if the Rayados do want to win the game.

Delgado will have to use all his nous to craft a goal at some stage for Monterrey, whether he plays behind striker Aldo de Nigris or as a right winger. His experience with Olympique Lyon in the Champions League is vital for Monterrey.

Continue reading about Monterrey's big day against Chelsea at Soccer365.com!

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U.S. to face Mexico in World Cup qualifier in March

The United States will face arch-rivals Mexico away from home in the third game of the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying following a draw held on Wednesday.

After the six countries involved in the 'hexagonal round' were unable to agree on the schedule of games, CONCACAF held a draw for the fixtures and the highly anticipated clash between the region's two powerhouses, almost certainly to be held at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City, will be played on March 26.

The U.S. beat Mexico at the Azteca for the first time in a friendly match in August, having failed in the previous 24 attempts.

U.S. coach Juergen Klinsmann, however, said he knew it would be a very different occasion in front of a packed and passionate crowd, expected to be close to 100,000.

"A World Cup qualifier is always different to a friendly game, there is no doubt about that but it was a good feeling to win for the first ever time at Azteca," he told reporters.

"So we go there with all the respect for Mexico, a very good team, but we have a good team as well and we want to go there and get at least one point, if not all three."

The U.S. will host Mexico on September 10 at a venue to be decided in the eighth round of fixtures to determine the three teams that will qualify automatically for the World Cup finals in Brazil in 2014.

Jamaica, Panama, Honduras and Costa Rica are also battling for their ticket to Rio and the fourth placed team in the round-robin qualifying process will face the winner of the Oceania qualifiers in a two-legged playoff for a spot in Brazil.

Mexico, who are the favorites to top qualifying for the North and Central America and Caribbean region, start their campaign at home to Jamaica on February 6 while the U.S. play Honduras away.

"Usually you would like to have your first game at home but if you don't get that you make the best of it and we are looking forward to going to Honduras," said Klinsmann.

"It's an exciting group with very good teams and it will go down right to the last games to decide who is going to the World Cup."

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Mexican National Team to kick off 2013 U.S. Tour against Denmark in Glendale

The Mexican National Team will kick off its 2013 U.S. Tour against Denmark 8:00 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Global Spectrum-managed University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The announcement was made Nov. 7 by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM). The match is the first of five games in Mexico’s annual tour, now in its 11th year.

Mexico, in search of its sixth consecutive World Cup berth, started out strong in CONCACAF qualifying by becoming the first nation to secure a spot in the upcoming hexagonal round. Mexico’s busy 2013 summer schedule will also include the bi-annual CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, in which El Tri will look to defend its 2011 title, as well as the prestigious FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

The 2013 match will mark El Tri’s third visit to the University of Phoenix Stadium. Mexico first visited in 2007 in a sold-out international exhibition against the United States, with more than 60,000 fans in attendance. Mexico last played at the facility in 2009, defeating Guadeloupe in a Gold Cup doubleheader group match.

Mexico and Denmark have played five games all-time with a 2-2-1 winning record for Mexico. The two teams last met in January of 1997 at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium, previously known as Jack Murphy Stadium, with Mexico winning 3-1 in a USA Cup match.

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U.S. & Mexico won't have it easy in the final round of 2014 qualifying

Over the last eight years, CONCACAF has largely been a two-horse race between the U.S.and Mexico, with the only question being who the third automatic nation to join them in the World Cup would be. This time, however, every team in the region (except Mexico) had its backs against the wall until its last match to clinch a berth into the six-team final round of qualifying. In the end, the U.S., Jamaica, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras prevailed, and the top three from the Hexagonal will advance to the World Cup. The fourth-place finisher gets a playoff against the winner of Oceania qualifying, likely New Zealand, for another spot in Brazil.

Mexico, the clear favorite in the group, Mexico went 6-0 with a plus-13 goal differential in the semifinal phase. Building off of its Olympic gold medal, El Tri have been led by forwards Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and Oribe Peralta, who have combined for five goals in qualifying thus far. Veteran Andres Guardado complements a midfield of young guns Jesus Zavala, Angel Reyna, Hector Herrera and Jorge Enriquez. Goalkeeper Jose Corona has been a stalwart behind a similarly young defense (save Carlos Salcido). Mexico only allowed two goals in its last six games. In beating Brazil for Olympic gold, they proved to the world (and to themselves) that it is not unthinkable to consider Mexico a contender to win the 2014 World Cup.

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Mexico picks up impressive results in the World Cup Qualifiers

While some of the players on the field may have changed, but the results did not for Mexico.

José Manuel de la Torre's side extended its unbeaten run in competitive affairs to 12 games and finished off the semifinal round of World Cup qualifying in style with a pair of straightforward victories over Guyana (5-0 in Houston on Friday) and El Salvador (2-0 in Torreón on Tuesday).

It should come as little surprise that Mexico brushed aside these lesser opponents in simple fashion even, with the experimental squad de la Torre named for these two irrelevant matches. Mexico dominated in possession and tore apart the overwhelmed opponents as expected. The final results probably do not reflect the vast gulf between the teams on both nights.

International bosses rarely receive the opportunity to tinker with their lineups under such favorable conditions. It gave him a chance to evaluate several fringe options, and a cadre of upcoming talents with one eye on next year's Hexagonal. What did de la Torre learn about his player pool during this slate of games?

To find out what de la Torre learned about his player pool, check out FoxSports.com.

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Chicharito Hernandez focuses on win (Via ESPN FC)

Mexican team forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez said he is not worried about scoring goals, or the criticism he has received but rather is focused on always helping his team.

"I have never been obsessed with scoring goals, what I always do is try to help and respect others," he told Mexican news agency Notimex prior to Tuesday's game vs. El Salvador (9 p.m. ET). "I am thankful to everyone, I am happy and give thanks to God that I was called up for the team this time."

El Tri is already assured a spot in the final round of qualifying for the CONCACAF region and is perfect in group play with the game vs. El Salvador to go.

"All the matches we play, we face them with the same importance, we never think that we are qualified," Hernandez said, adding that he would not tire and would "keep trying. Without so many mistakes, without so many defeats, without so many negative things that have happened in my life I would not be where I am."

Hernandez scored a goal in Mexico's 5-0 Olympic qualifying rout over Guyana last Friday after Andres Guardado and Oribe Peralta finally got Mexico going with two late goals. The game amounted to an exhibition, with Mexico having already secured a berth into the final round of qualifying and Guyana eliminated.

With the match vs. El Salvador remaining, Mexico is assured a first-place finish in Group B with 15 points. Mexico, the reigning CONCACAF champion, is trying to qualify for a record sixth consecutive World Cup.

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Mexico vs El Salvador: 5 Things El Tri Must Do to Win the World Cup Qualifier

Mexico is ready to face El Salvador in the last match of the CONCACAF qualifiers. El Tri comes from a five-match undefeated streak, but that doesn't mean they had had great performances.

José Manuel de la Torre needs to make adjustments if he wants to win the last game of the semifinals—it won't be easy though.

Last Friday, El Tri faced Guyana and even when the score favored them 5-0, the team's performance was far from good.

Meanwhile, El Salvador lost on home soil to Costa Rica, which means they must beat Mexico in order to advance to the final stage and that "Los Ticos" lose or draw to Guyana—in the last scenario La Selecta needs to score at least three goals.

There is a lot at stake so this will be tough game for the local team. Let's find out what "El Chepo" needs to do to keep the perfect record in this phase.

Continue reading about the five things El Tri Must do to win the WC Qualifier at Bleacher Report.com

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Mexico historic giant of CONCACAF

There is no doubt that the area known as the Confederation of North and Central American and Caribbean Football (CONCACAF) has had one dominant superpower on the field,Mexico. While in recent times, a struggle has emerged between the United States and Mexico, El Tri holds a large historic advantage over its northern neighbor.

With the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualification game scheduled against Guyana this week it is a good gesture to review why Mexico has earned this title.

The first is that Mexico has appeared in more world cups than any other CONCACAF team, with 14 appearances after the 2010 South Africa event. While they have not won the world cup, they have won the FIFA Confederations Cup. In the region Mexico has won the CONCACAF championship on nine occasions.

Since their first world cup qualification game in 1930, Mexico has defeated their opponents with more than five goals scored on 25 occasions, by four on 13. Their most recent thrashing of a regional team took place on June 21, 2008 in Monterrey, Mexico. The victim was Belize, which fell 7-0.

The largest margin of victory was en route to USA 1994. On June 12, 1992 Mexico hosted Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the mythical Azteca stadium. After 90 minutes of play El Tri walked away with an 11-0 victory.

Most of Mexico’s large margin wins have taken place on Mexican soil. However, there are a few exceptions. For Germany 2006, Mexico destroyed the tiny island nation of Dominica 10-0 in San Antonio, Texas. For Germany 1974, the Dutch Antilles fell 8-0 at Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When the U.S. was far from the form they are in now, the Americans fell to Mexico 7-2 in Long Beach, Calif.

There has been an improvement in regional competition beginning in the France 1998 qualification cycle. Jamaica qualified for the tournament, the first Caribbean team to do so since 1974. Since then Trinidad & Tobago has also qualified for the Caribbean region joining Mexico, U.S.A. and Costa Rica in Germany 2006.

Continue reading at Examiner.com

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CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal Draw Set | Via Goal.com

CONCACAF announced the draw for the quarterfinals of the 2011-12 Champions League on Tuesday.

All three MLS sides were drawn on the same side of the eight-team bracket, with the LA Galaxy and Toronto FC set to face each other in an all-MLS quarterfinal matchup.

Mexican teams make up four of the eight quarterfinal spots, while Salvadoran club Isidro Metapan is the lone Central American representative.

Group winners Monterrey, LA Galaxy, Santos and Pumas will all play the first leg on the road, before returning home for the second leg.

CONCACAF Champions League
(Home teams listed first)

Quarterfinals

First Leg
March 6-8, 2012

Seattle Sounders (USA) vs. Santos (MEX)
Toronto FC (CAN) vs. LA Galaxy (USA)
Isidro Metapan (SLV) vs. Pumas (MEX)
Morelia (MEX) vs. Monterrey (MEX)

Second Leg
March 13-15, 2012

Santos (MEX) vs. Seattle Sounders (USA)
LA Galaxy (USA) vs. Toronto FC (CAN)
Pumas (MEX) vs. Isidro Metapan (SLV)
Monterrey (MEX) vs. Morelia (MEX)

Semifinals

First Leg
March 27-29, 2012

LA Galaxy-Toronto FC winner vs. Santos-Seattle Sounders winner
Monterrey-Morelia winner vs. Pumas-Isidro Metapan winner

Second Leg
April 3-5, 2012

Santos-Seattle Sounders winner vs. LA Galaxy-Toronto FC winner
Pumas-Isidro Metapan winner vs. Monterrey-Morelia winner

Finals

First Leg
April 17-19, 2012

Monterrey-Morelia/Pumas-Metapan winner vs. LA Galaxy-Toronto FC/Santos-Seattle Sounders winner

Second Leg
April 24-26, 2012

LA Galaxy-Toronto FC/Santos-Seattle Sounders winner vs. Monterrey-Morelia/Pumas-Metapan winner

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