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).

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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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Mexico Qualifies for Men’s Soccer in 2012 Summer Olympics Games: An Important Day for Mexican Sports

Mexico and Honduras are set to attend the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England in men’s soccer after Saturday’s Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football’s (CONCACAF) qualifying tournament in Kansas City. Marco Fabian de la Mora, originally from Guadalajara, confirmed Mexico’s “El Tri” or U-23 team’s win over Canada by making his fourth goal of the tournament. The score of the game ended up being 3-1.

This upcoming appearance at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games will be Mexico’s 10th in the realm of men’s soccer. Mexico and Honduras will face off on Monday for the championship game. However, both Mexico and Honduras already qualify for the Olympic Games in London regardless of the outcome of Monday’s championship game. This qualification in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games marks a great achievement in the sphere of Mexican sports and has already been the cause of much celebration in the country.

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Mexico line up friendlies against Venezuela, Colombia | Via MLSSOCCER.COM

Another year, another mid-winter tour of the United States for the Mexican national team.

The FMF and Soccer United Marketing announced on Tuesday that El Tri will head north of the border for a pair of friendlies early in 2012. The first is scheduled for Jan. 25 at Houston’s Reliant Stadium against current CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying co-leaders Venezuela.

La Vinotinto, who finished fourth in this past summer’s Copa América, held Mexico to a 1-1 draw in the teams’ last meeting, which came in March at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium.

Mexico and Venezuela have faced off 10 times, with El Tri holding a 8-2-0 advantage.

The second friendly will take place a month later, and it’s a leap year special. Mexico will face Colombia on Feb. 29 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami in a match presented by AT&T. Colombia, who are coached by former MLS star Leonel Álvarez, are currently sixth in CONMEBOL qualifying, but have a game in hand.

The match will mark the 28th meeting between the two sides, with Mexico holding a 12-9-6 edge in all-time results.

Both matches will be used by Mexican head coach José Manuel de la Torre as preparation for the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying campaign, which kicks off on June 8 against Guyana.

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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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Mexican club replace players’ names with Twitter handles on shirts | Yahoo Sports

This is great! Would love to see twitter handles on players in every sport. Check out the reblog below from Yahoo and leave your reaction.

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By: Brooks Peck

A month ago, Valencia took Twitter account promotion to a new level by using their official club account in place of a shirt sponsor, but now Mexican Primera Division side Jaguares take that idea even further.

In a bid to get their players (and beer sponsor) a few more followers, the club -- which was founded in 2002 -- replaced their actual names on the back of their shirts with each player's individul Twitter handle. The club also colored the lettering on the orange home shirts in a Twitter teal (or blue...whatever) along with the social networking site's bird logo.

Some clubs and leagues around the world already publish player Twitter accounts on official websites and programs, so this is kind of a genius way to spread the word on that method of fan interaction even further. Of course, it also proves that we are all nothing more than Twitter accounts. Mine's @DirtyTackle, by the way.

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(Video): Mexico vs. Brazil Friendly Highlights

Late goals three minutes apart by Ronaldinho and Marcelo lifted 10-man Brazil to a 2-1 victory at Mexico in a friendly Tuesday night:



Brazil: Jefferson; Dani Alves, Thiago da Silva, Marcelo, David Luz; Givanildo (Jonas 81st), Lucas Leiva, Fernandinho, Lucas Moura (Adriano 46th); Ronaldinho, Neymar (Elias 88th).

Mexico: Oswaldo Sanchez (Alfredo Talavera 88th); Carlos Salcido, Rafa Marquez, Francisco Rodriguez, Jorge Torres (Hector Moreno 68th); Andres Guardado, Pablo Barrera (Edgar Andrade 80th), Israel Castro, Efrain Juarez (Sergio Perez 52th); Giovani dos Santos (Oribe Peralta 80th), Javier Hernandez.

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National Team Rosters: Mexico vs. Brazil

MEXICO Goalkeepers: Oswaldo Sanchez (Santos Laguna), Aldredo Talavera (Toluca)

Defenders: Efrain Juarez (Real Zaragoza/Spain), Rafael Marquez (New York Red Bulls/MLS), Hector Moreno (Espanyol/Spain), Sergio Perez (Monterrey), Francisco Javier Rodriguez (VFB Stuttgart/Germany), Carlos Salcido (UANL Tigres), Jorge Torres Nilo (UANL Tigres)

Midfielders: Edgar Andrade (Jaguares), Pablo Barrera (Real Zaragoza/Spain), Israel Castro (Cruz Azul), Andres Guardado (Deportivo La Coruna/Spain), Jesus Molina (Club America), Zinha (Toluca)

Forwards: Giovani Dos Santos (Tottenham/England), Javier Hernandez (Manchester United/England), Oribe Peralta (Santos Laguna), Angel Reyna (Club America)

BRAZIL Goalkeepers: Jefferson (Botafogo), Neto (Fiorentina.Italy)

Defenders: Adriano (Barcelona/Spain), Daniel Alves (Barcelona/Spain), David Luiz (Chelsea/England), Dede (Vasco da Gama), Fabio (Manchester United/England) Marcelo (Real Madrid/Spain), Rever (Atletico Mineiro), Thiago Silva (AC Milan/Italy)

Midfielders: Elias (Sporting/Portugal), Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk/Ukraine), Hernanes (Lazio/Italy), Lucas (Sao Paulo), Lucas Leiva (Liverpool/England), Luiz Gustavo (Bayern Munich/Germany), Oscar (Internacional), Sandro (Tottenham/England),

Forwards: Fred (Fluminense), Hulk (Porto/Portugal), Jonas (Valencia/Spain), Kleber (Porto/Portugal), Neymar (Santos), Ronaldinho (Flamengo)

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Full Mexico National Team Roster Versus Brazil

The Directorate General of National Teams announced the call for national team players for the friendly match against Brazil, to be held on Tuesday 11 October at the Territorio Santos Modelo Torreon.

The concentration will start in stages:

The players in foreign leagues reporting to the concentration today, Thursday October 6, 2011, at 20:00. in the High Performance Centre of the Mexican Federation of Soccer. Same case of Jorge Torres Nilo will not participate with the Tigers in Week 12.

Jaguar Edgar Andrade and Gerardo Torrado and Israel Cruz Azul Castro will join the rally on Saturday October 9 and will travel with the team.

Sergio Perez de Monterrey and Club players Santos, Oswaldo Sanchez and wait for the Tricolor Oribe Peralta in Torreon.

Antonio Naelson Sinha report in the team hotel on Sunday afternoon.

Jesus Reyna and Angel Molina arrive to Torreon on Sunday at 23:00 hrs. because they have commitment to the American Club that day in the afternoon.

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Mexico's road to the 2014 World Cup | Via ESPN Insider

This is a time of unprecedented optimism in Mexican soccer, and that it comes at such a turbulent time in the country's history no doubt underscores the importance of El Tri's function as a welcome distraction. The economy may crumble, the streets may cease to be safe, but it's remarkably easy to get caught up in the jubilation of Chicharito's back-heeled goals, or Giovani Dos Santos' spectacular runs through the middle of the field, bypassing defenders at a dizzying pace.

While a World Cup win has always been the main objective, never in recent times has the goal seemed so attainable, though there is certainly plenty of work to be done. Many will be eagerly watching every step.

The legion of Mexican national team fans has never been greater. El Tri fans extend past borders and transcend traditional characterization. The influx of Mexicans into the United States has created not a melting pot, but a mixed racial cazuela of menudo and posole.

Not since Hugo Sanchez has Mexico had such a dynamic scorer playing in Europe. But while several of Sanchez's prime years were sabotaged by Mexican national teams that did not qualify for the World Cup in 1982 and 1990, Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's prime years have him matched with talented young attacking players (Dos Santos, Pablo Barrera and Andres Guardado) who are also playing in the old continent. In one stunning season at Manchester United, in which he scored 20 goals, Hernandez became a sensation on and off the field, and was the starter in United's Champions League final squad against Barcelona. Chicharito is Mexico's most popular player since at least Sanchez, whose popularity he will likely eclipse with several more successful seasons.

To read more about why Mexico is a true World Cup contender please visit the Mexico National Team blog

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Full Brazil National Team Roster announced by Mano Menezes

On Thursday Coach Mano Menezes announced the players who will participate in the upcoming friendlies for the Brazilian team.

Brazil faces Mexico in the city of Torreon, on October 11.

Check the list of squad:

Adriano - Barcelona

Daniel Alves - Barcelona

David Luiz - Chelsea

Dede - Vasco

Elias - Sporting

Fabio - Manchester United

Fernandinho - Shakti Donetsk

Fred - Fluminense

Hernanes - Lazio

Hulk - Porto

Jefferson - Botafogo

Jonas - Valencia

Julio Cesar - Internazionale

Kleber - Porto

Lucas - Sao Paulo

Lucas Leiva - Liverpool

Luiz Gustavo - Bayern Munich

Marcelo - Real Madrid

Neto - Fiorentina

Neymar - Santos

Oscar - International

Review - Atletico Mineiro

Ronaldinho - Flamengo

Sandro - Tottenham

Thiago Silva - Milan

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Brazil to play friendly against Mexico October 11th

CBF, the Brazilian national FA, has scheduled a Brazil friendly against Mexico for October 11th, the match will take place in Torreón. El Tricolor are expected to feature Manchester United star Chicharito Hernández.

The last time Brazil met Mexico was in 2007, when the Seleção won 3-1. Brazil have won 19 out of the previous 31 games, the Mexicans won 6 matches and the remaining games were draws.

Brazil have also scheduled friendlies against Germany in August and Spain in October.

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Guardado grabs winning goal

Andres Guardado scored the only goal as Mexico edged out Chile in an international friendly played in Barcelona tonight.

The Deportivo La Coruna winger curled home a free-kick with 11 minutes to go to settle a low-key encounter played at the Estadi Cornella-El Prat, the home of Espanyol.

A raft of second-half substitutions improved the fare on show after a poor opening half and Guardado - himself a replacement - scored what proved to be the winner from 20 yards after Pablo Barrera was fouled on the edge of the Chile box.

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The Return of Chicharito: Mexico Announces Roster for European Friendlies

The return of "Chicharito" to Mexico's national team roster was the highlight of manager Jose Manuel de la Torre's selections for the upcoming pair of friendlies in Europe. The 23 players announced on Wednesday will face Poland in Warsaw on Friday September 2nd, followed two days later by a match against Chile in Barcelona.

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Argentina edges Mexico in U-20 World Cup Opener

Argentina got off to a winning start Friday on the opening day of the Under-20 World Cup as Erik Lamela's second-half goal lifted Argentina to a 1-0 victory over Mexico in Group F.

Lamela broke from midfield in the 71st minute and blasted a 20 yard shot inside the far post, beyond Mexico goalkeeper Carlos Lopez.

Argentina has won five of the past eight U20 World Cups, and six overall - the most by any nation.

''Mexico at times controlled the ball,'' Perazzo said. ''But whenever we had it we generated the most dangerous chances.''

''This gives the group confidence,'' he said. ''Winning the first game is very important.''

Mexico seemed to have scored in the 48th minute when Alan Pulido chipped the ball past keeper Esteban Andrada, but the play was correctly ruled offside.

''We planned to attack in the match,'' Mexico coach Juan Carlos Chavez said. ''We are a team that can score, but today it didn't happen.''

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Chivas Guadalajara Vs. Real Madrid: Goats Fall To Los Merengues 3-0

By: Tony Bruce at soccernation.com.

While Chivas De Guadalajara’s fans let off fireworks in the bleachers, it was Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo in particular, that let off the fireworks on the field, as the Spanish giants demolished Chivas 3-0, Wednesday night at Qualcomm stadium.

Coming into the locker room 0-0 at the half, Real Madrid must have gotten an earful from head coach Jose Mourinho. Although the Spaniards had controlled the tempo of the game in the first half they could not put the ball in the back of the net.

The second half saw Real Madrid completely dominate the Mexican outfit but it was not until the 73rd minute that they would finally break down the Goats defense. Karim Benzema was causing havoc on the right wing but there was no end product as time after time the attacks broke down in the final third of the field.

Benzema sent in a hard low cross across the goal that Cristiano Ronaldo slotted into the back of the net between two defenders. The 38,000 plus San Diego soccer crowd was thrilled. A minute later Ronaldo almost had two as another Benzema cross found the big Portuguese forward open at the back post, but his effort went off the wood work and was cleared.

Two minutes later the Madrid talisman got his second goal of the game and it was Pepe who was in the thick of the action. The Spanish international blew past Omar Arellano, who was trying to stop the bleeding on the right flank, but instead he hauled him down in the box and referee, Ricardo Salazar, had no hesitation pointing to the spot. Ronaldo stepped up and coolly slotted the ball home.

Real Madrid continued to press and with six minutes to play they got their third of the night and Ronaldo’s hat-trick. This time it was Mesut Ozil who provided the pass, beating his defender, cutting back a precise pass that Ronaldo put away with style.

Real Madrid now travels to Lincoln Financial Field, this Saturday night to face the Philadelphia Union.

Read more at soccernation.com or check out additional articles from Tony Bruce

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San Luis F.C. Midfielder, Macnelly Torres, breaks foot

San Luis F.C. Midfielder, Macnelly Torres, suffered a broken foot during practice yesterday and his season might be in doubt. According to mediotiempo.com, San Luis will conduct a second test to decide whether the Colombian star will be released or allowed to remain with the team.

This would be a serious blow for the club as Torres was considered to be a major asset for Apertura 2011. Kevin McCauley at FMF State of Mind wrote,

 "One bad injury could send San Luis down towards relegation, while one major signing could put them securely into Liguilla. The loss of Torres would be absolutely massive for San Luis, and it's unrealistic that they'd be able to find a replacement at this point."

It is expected that the new test results will be ready tonight or early tomorrow.

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The Best Goals Ever | Los Mejores Goles de la Historia by: ljesuso25

This is a great compilation of the best goals that have been scored in the last decade. The music is unfortunate, but this blogger did a great job of compiling some amazing scores. Take a few minutes and watch this well made compilation.

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Primera Divison opener: Cruz Azul vs. UANL Tigres July 23

Cruz Azul will begin their season on July 23, 2011 against UANL to open the Primera Division's Apertura tournament. The Blue Machine will be a tough task for UANL as the Tigres are a middle of the road team at best. However, look for UNAL's Lucas Lobos to make an impact.

Lobos started all but two matches for Tigres over the past two seasons and is the key player for Tigres front four. As the team's captain, he’s a great distributor of the ball, as well as a solid scorer. Lobos will turn 30 in August, but that shouldn't slow down his high level play.

For Cruz Azul I am looking forward to seeing the goalkeeping of José de Jesús Corona. Corona signed with Cruz Azul for 3 years. That same year he helped Cruz Azul reach the league final against CF Monterrey, finishing runners-up.

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Player Spotlight: Jackson Martinez - Chiapas

Jackson Arley Martínez Valencia is a Colombian footballer who plays striker for Jaguares de Chiapas in the Primera División de México. Martínez is a young, fast, agile striker who is good in the air and demonstrates solid defense. In 2009, he became the all-time leading scorer in one season, with 18 goals in the Colombian league. He also lead Independiente Medellín to its 5th title.

Jackson made his debut with the Chiapas against Cruz Azul coming in as a substitute in the 66th minute, but was not able to prevent a 1-0 loss against them. Jackson quickly became a starter for the Chiapas. He ended with a great first season with a total of 9 goals, placing him fourth in the top scorer's table. Many think of Jackson as the Chiapas' lucky charm because every game he scored it led to either a victory or a draw. He has been noticed by teams like Club America, and Atlas but both teams have not moved for him and apparently prefer to monitor how Jackson does in the next season(s).

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