Sven update

I'm writing my PE column on Mexico and Sven Goran Eriksson, the now under-fire Mexico head coach.

Just had some thoughts I'm writing on here that may or may not make it into the piece.

First, last week I wrote about how Mexico might not qualify but odds are against it happening. Mexico has a plus four and Jamaica a minus three and barring two lopsided routs Mexico could lose and still get through.

Of course, the fact that Mexico has not qualified yet is enough for concern and FMF people have the right to be upset, which is one of the points of my column.

Anyway, here's a possible scenario that could see Jamaica through and Mexico out. If Honduras beats Mexico 3-0 and Jamaica routs Canada 5-0, Jamaica and Honduras go through.

How likely is that? Not very likely, according to history. Mexico has lost a World Cup qualifier by three or more goals at least once, but that was way back in 1973. They've lost by a pair of goals a few times since but not by three or more.

However, Mexico has not fared well in Honduras in their last two trips there. In 2001, Mexico lost 3-1 and in 1996 they lost 2-1. In 1993, though, Mexico won by 4-0 down in Tegucigalpa.

A Honduras victory is possible especially since Honduras was 20 minutes away from achieving as much in Azteca. But I guess it depends mostly on which Mexico team shows up, and that will depend on how Eriksson prepares for the match.

Is it possible Eriksson doesn't survive the year? Yeah, sure but I think Mexico would have crash out of qualifying for that to happen. To me, Mexico will probably get a draw down in Honduras and qualify for the Hexagonal. If that happens, the pressure will remain on high - could we call that an orange threat level? - for the winter and until the Hex begins.

Sven's task

My write up on Sven Goran Eriksson for SI.com.

So far, Sven's done a great job, an excellent job actually. And not all of those high marks have to do with coaching.

I still find it odd how Eriksson was hired on to the job having A) never stepped foot in Mexico and B) not speaking Spanish. Maybe that happens in other countries but Mexico always seems to want to hire coaches that know the league and are preferably Mexican - that they speak Spanish would seem a given.

I know they had Bora Milutinovic and, well, there's a rumor he speaks Spanish and English. I've heard him attempt both languages and it's very difficult to understand the man.

But I heard Sven Goran speak Spanish and it's not bad. For having had about three months to learn, it's not bad at all. Some people spend years studying it and only know the very basics, if that.

Of course, this is all well and good right now. If Mexico loses to Jamaica and Canada, nobody is going to care if Sven speaks Spanish like Enrique Bermudez. Sven's job will be in trouble.

But I don't think that will happen. Mexico will get through to the Hexagonal on Saturday.

Oh yeah, the result

So Mexico did lose on Wednesday after all as I mentioned briefly in my previous post.

Now, before people start to call for Sven Goran Eriksson's head, let me remind them of one minor detail: it's a meaningless friendly he lost.

Meaningless in terms of result and impact of the loss. Mexico is 3-0-0 in World Cup qualifying so far. The game probably shouldn't have been played since no European players were available and neither were players from six Mexican teams, yes SIX including a couple of important teams in Chivas and Santos (in terms of players they provide the national team).

Eriksson will continue to prepare the squad for World Cup qualifying and I think before people start to get upset with or lose confidence in Eriksson, let's wait until he plays some qualifying games on the road. That's not exactly a great deal of adversity but it will be the first potential bit of adversity he faces when Mexico plays at Canada and at Jamaica. He'll have his full team then and will be playing in games that matter, not a meaningless friendly.

A loss or two and then it might be open season. But to lose to Chile with what some people called a C team - on an own goal at that - ... who cares? I just don't see how that would reflect bad on Eriksson.

Learning Spanish: a three-month course

Grahame Jones of the LA Times was another English-speaking reporter out at Tuesday's presser. Jones talked about Eriksson's Spanish-speaking ability and started his story about a bit of a misunderstanding between Eriksson and a reporter, who asked Eriksson if he now eats chiles. As an aside, it's sort of a badge of honor for a foreigner to eat a heaping pile of jalapenos or drizzle of some spicy salsa over a plate of food.

It was a bit unfair, of course, since the opponent is Chile and he was asked several times about Chile earlier. I'm sure he picked up on the word "chile" and thought of the opponent so he began talking about the country.

Everyone laughed it off, of course. But that just shows that he's been accepted by the media and possibly the public at large.

After all, the man speaks Spanish. He knew no Spanish, had never even been to Mexico, before he was hired. But now he does all of his pressers in Spanish and has taken an interest in learning about the Mexican culture and history. He said he's visited the Museo Nacional de Antropología often and learned about the Mayans, for instance.

He's shown not only a desire to acclimate himself with the country beyond the sport and his job but a true interest in learning about his new country.

And while people may criticize his player choices, they can't say he has not done well to pick up on the Spanish language and Mexican culture.

In the honeymoon phase

Mark Zeigler of the San Diego Union-Tribune was one of four non-Spanish speaking reporters at the press conference on Tuesday. Zeigler wrote a feature for the UT on Eriksson and the current honeymoon phase the 60-year-old is enjoying with El Tri right now.

It's one that might be damaged tonight with a loss.

Of course, as Eriksson mentioned, the job is... well, if it's not easy, it's certainly less stressful. Things will change, for sure. He'll lose a game or tie an opponent many felt shouldn't have happened. Heck, he may come under fire for not winning with flair or by enough goals.

Whatever the case may be, Eriksson will encounter adversity - it's just a matter of time.

Still, as Zeigler mentions, all is well for Eriksson who said on Tuesday that he doesn't like Mexico, he loves it.

Amistosos

Sven fields a question about playing friendlies in Europe.




His response? It's hard to gather a team in Europe for a midweek friendly. He said he wants to play more friendlies in Mexico. Not in Azteca but in Monterrey or Guadalajara and the like. He wants to play all qualifiers in Azteca.

Sven on the roster

I went to a hotel in downtown Los Angeles today for a press conference featuring Mexican national team coach Sven Goran Eriksson. He answered questions in English first but I didn't record those with my camera.

But I got a snippet of him, actually several snippets, answering questions in Spanish. Here's one he fielded about the strength of the roster and about some discussions that took place regarding players from clubs who were in action this week.




Basically, he said he could have brought in players from Santos or Cruz Azul or some of the six clubs that were playing Champions League/Copa Sudamericana but it sounds like there would have been some strings attached. So instead he opted for a group of players he could have ultimate freedom in selecting, in terms of both for the game itself and to start/use off the bench as he saw fit.

Mexico struggles

Good news for Mexico: they got the three points. Bad news: they were trailing in the 70th minute.




The match could have different early on, though. Mexico had several chances to score early on but couldn't find the back of the net. Had one of those chances gone in, perhaps the game could have been different. As it stood, though, Mexico trailed Honduras for some 40 minutes in a qualifier at home.

Perhaps it was the newness of it all: Sven-Goran Eriksson's first game in charge, the first game for the players in a new system, the first game for at Leandro Augusto.

Mexico won and ultimately that's what matters most. But is this struggle indicative of anything greater than an inability to finish first-half chances? Or does Mexico need not worry too much about qualifying?

Sven in LA

Sven Goran Eriksson will make his first of possibly many trips to the United States as Mexico coach when Mexico plays Chile in a friendly in September.

Not sure if he'll think that's a good thing or not.

Mexico, of course, plays more friendlies on American soil than they do in Mexican turf. World Cup qualifiers and the like are played on their home soil but when it comes to cashing in on friendlies, the money is greener in the United States.

Coaches and players have complained about such a schedule before - Tuca Ferreti's Guate-peor rant comes to mind - and now we'll have the chance to find out what a relative outsider thinks about it.

The game is on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at the LA Coliseum.

Which brings up another point. The game will come 11 days after USC-Ohio State duke it out on the same turf. The money is greener but I believe the field will be, uh, shittier here as well. The Coliseum's nightmarish field conditions have been well documented.

If nothing else, maybe Sven and Becks can do lunch. That might be one of the few positives from the trip to SoCal.

Sven to Mexico?

Some stories about Sven Goran Eriksson possibly taking over as Mexico national team coach.

Here's one from the Mirror, who said Eriksson is likely to be sacked despite guiding Manchester City to a top-10 EPL finish and a possible UEFA Cup spot.

Meanwhile, the Guardian talks a bit more about Eriksson's link to Benfica and the possibility of taking over the Portuguese side once again.

Where is Sven right now? In Thailand, with Manchester City. Up next is Hong Kong.