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. 

Read More

Mexico to play Trinidad and Tobago in Gold Cup Quarterfinal Match

Mexico will play Trinidad and Tobago on July 20 at 6:35 pm Eastern Time at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in the second quarterfinal match of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The match will be televised live in the United States on Fox Soccer.

Mexico advanced to the quarterfinal after going 2-1 in group stage play. After losing to Panama 2-1, El Tri rebounded by defeating Canada 2-0 and Martinique 3-1. Trinidad and Tobago drew with El Salvador 2-2, lost to Haiti 2-0, and then beat Honduras 2-0 to advance out of Group B.

The winner of Mexico versus Trinidad and Tobago will face the winner of the Panama-Cuba match. Mexico is seeking its third straight Gold Cup title, having won the tournament in 2009 and 2011 by defeating the United States. Mexico has won more Gold Cup titles than any other CONCACAF nation (6 wins) and has had more tournament appearances (with 20).

Read More

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

Read More

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!

Read More

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.

Read More

Mexico: Projecting El Tri's World Cup Roster in 2014

The new generation of Mexican footballers is ready to take El Tri to the first spot of next year's Hexagonal as well as to the fifth match of the World Cup, something the squad has never achieved while playing outside the country.

Although we are almost two years away from Brazil 2014, José Manuel de la Torre has already given us a clear idea of what his team will look like.

He may try out some different footballers along the way, but the list should be close to this:

Goalkeeper

Starter: José de Jesús Corona

Subs: Guillermo Ochoa and Alfredo Talavera

Defenders

Starters: Jorge Torres Nilo (LB), Héctor Moreno (CB), Javier Rodríguez (CB) and SeveroMeza (RB)

Subs: Adrián Aldrete (LB), Diego Reyes (CB), Hirám Mier (CB) and Israel Jiménez (RB)

Midfielders

Starters: Andrés Guardado (LM), Jorge Enríquez (CM), Javier Aquino (RM) and Giovanidos Santos (CAM)

Subs: Héctor Herrera (LM) Carlos Salcido (CM) and Ángel Reyna/Elías Hernández (RM)

Strikers

Starters: Javier Hernández, Oribe Peralta

Subs: Aldo de Nigris, Carlos Vela

Read more about the Projecting El Tri World Cup 2014 Roster at BleacherReport.com!

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

Mexico maintains their Perfect Pace in Group Stage

The Mexican national team defeated El Salvador 2-0 Tuesday at the TSM Corona stadium, Torreon to finish the group stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. The victory gave Mexico the perfect pass with 18 points. However, the loss ended El Salvador’s World Cup dreams.

Club Santos Laguna player Oribe Peralta and Manchester United star Javier “chicharito” Hernandez put El Tri on the board.

The first half was a high energy game between the two squads. Mexico began attacking with their first opportunity to get on the board coming in the second minute of play. Similar to what happened in Houston, the ball did not want to enter the net.

A few minutes later, Dennis Alas of El Salvador had the closest shot with no success for the visitors. In the 20th minute the Central American team earned three corner kicks in a row but could not get past the Mexican defense.

While El Tri was very active on the attack, the game remained scoreless after 45 minutes of play.

The second half began with the same intensity. El Salvador was aware that they needed the victory to advance into the next round. Yet Mexico wanted to maintain their perfect pace.

In the 85th minute Chicharito appeared for Mexico. The talented striker received a pass from Elias Hernandez. On first touch CH14 pushed the ball into the net for the final 2-0.

Mexico qualified to the final hexagonal with a perfect pass, six victories in six attempts. Joining them is Costa Rica from group B. The U.S.A. and Jamaica advanced from group A. Honduras and Panama advanced from group C. The final hexagonal begins in March 2013.

Read More

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.

Read More

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

Read More

Mexico’s lineup against Guyana in WCQ

Mexico head coach Jose Manuel de la Torre has released his lineup for Friday’s world cup qualification match against Guyana. According to ESPN Deportes' John Sutcliffe, De la Torre will field an offensive team that is looking to bring maximum scoring to the Houston fans in attendance. Mexico will face Guyana at the BBVA Compass stadium, home of Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo.

CF Monterrey’s Jonathan Orozco gets to start defending El Tri’s net. Orozco stepped in for AC Ajaccio’s Guillermo Ochoa who could not attend the game. On the bench as back-up keeper is Toluca FC’s Alfredo Talavera.

In center defense De la Torre has gone with Vfb Stuttgart defender Francisco Rodriguez and RCD Espanyol’s Hector Moreno. On the flanks he stationed Jorge Torres-Nilo of Tigres UANL on the left, and Severo Meza of CF Monterrey on the right.

In charge of recovering and defending is El Tri and Cruz Azul veteran Gerardo Torrado. The next line has three players with CF Valencia winger Andres Guardado on the left and Olympic gold medalist Javier Aquino on the right. In the center-midfield position is Toluca’s Antonio Naelson Zinha who returns to the lineup to distribute plays to the strikers.

Up front De la Torre has Oribe Peralta of Club Santos Laguna, also an Olympic gold medalist. Partnering with Peralta is Manchester United’s Javier “chicharito” Hernandez. With the 4-1-3-2 lineup De la Torre is looking to score as many goals as possible.

More on Mexico's lineup in the World Cup Qualifiers at Examiner.com

Read More

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

Read More

MexicoToday Insider Olympics Special: Tremendous El Tri and Olympic Update

In today’s MexicoToday Insider Olympics Special, we see just how tremendous El Tri has been at London 2012! El Tri, the Mexican National Football Team, defeated Japan 3-1 on Tuesday night at Wembley and Mexico fans were out in full force! Additionally, we’ve got a wrap up of Mexico’s strong Olympic performances in canoeing, taekwondo, equestrian, rowing and diving. Click here to watch the video.

Read More

MMNT: Giovani Dos Santos Happy to be Healthy and Eyes Victory Over Brazil

Giovani Dos Santos says he is happy to be added to the Mexico Men's National team for their match against Brazil. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder explained that he is thrilled to be healthy and is excited about the opportunity to play for El Tri again.

"I'm happy to be here, it is always important to be in the national team and hopefully we do well," said the confident Dos Santos, "I'm glad to be physically well again, I am in shape [and] that's what matters."

Dos Santos said that Mexico's national team has the momentum and skill to challenge a stacked Brazilian squad. Although, MMNT remain unbeaten since Jose Manuel de la Torre took over the national representative, the Brazilians are arguably the best squad in Latin America, if not the world. Yet, despite Brazil's record, Gio remains ever confident in El Tri. 

"We have been playing well, the team is doing well, I think we are all in good shape, we coming to win."

Read More