Today's a matchday for Mexico at the Coliseum.
Many are expecting a romp over Guatemala, at least Mexican supporters probably are. Guatemala - or Guatepeor as Pumas coach Tuca Ferreti so bluntly put it - isn't a great opponent but could complicate things.
Mexico's brought a talented squad but this team features a lot of young players. No Rafa Marquez, no Gerardo Torrado, no Fausto Pinto, no Juan Carlos Cacho, guys who have logged lots of minutes under Hugo Sanchez. Instead, we'll see the likes of Giovani Dos Santos, Omar Arellano, Patricio Arajuo and Cesar Villaluz mixed in with vets Carlos Salcido, Memo Ochoa, Andres Guardado and Gonzalo Pineda.
This game is just another in the process of building up both the 2010 World Cup pool as well as the 2008 Olympics so a result isn't the most important thing.
However, I think Mexico will pull it out. With a mix of veterans and youngsters, I expect Mexico to put a few in the back of the net. I'm thinking it'll be 2-0, which given my recent run of picks Guatemala will probably win 3-1. I apologize ahead of time for slapping my kiss of death on El Tri.
Here's a look at the match, in English from the LA Times and in espanol cortesia de mediotiempo.com.
3 comments:
Good article by Jaime Cardenas.. except I don't agree with his intro. And this..
"Mexico's national soccer team, ranked 13th in the world, is no longer a pushover.. ."
Uh.. Mexico has not been a pushover for the past 15 years, lol.
"Ricardo LaVolpe may have started El Tri's current upswing as Mexico's coach in the last World Cup, but Hugo Sanchez is out to finish it."
What Upswing? El Tri under Latorpe did Not do any better than the team had been doing.
If anyone is to be credited for any sort of Upswing it should be Jesus Ramirez for coaching the 2005 U-17 squad.
Today is also a matchday for the US. Did you catch the game? A win on Euroterra is always good.
LB:
Tell your boy to get his facts straight. Jaime Cardenas may be too young to remember but Mexico has made the final 16 time of World Cup time and time again under a multitude of coaches. So crediting Lavolpe so much is stretching it. If anything Mexico has been consistantly stagnant for a long time but never a pushover.
He also gets his facts wrong, Mexico lost to Paraguay at home 1-0 in the Azteca, and did not lose to Panama.
I could have written as good an article for the L.A. Times.
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