Maybe it’s because of the ethnic makeup of Maryland in general, and Baltimore in particular, but I don’t see that many fans of Mexican soccer around here. I surely don’t see scores of people at Slainte Pub cheering on Puebla FC, Chivas, or Club America, unless they’re playing an MLS team or an international match. It’s mostly the European, MLS, and South American clubs that get all the attention. That’s why I wasn’t surprised that no local sports outfits covered what happened in Belgium yesterday.
Yesterday, in Brussels, Belgium, Mexico and Italy faced-off in a friendly to prepare for next week’s World Cup in South Africa. The game had a good pace, and Mexico scored early, in the 16th minute, with a goal by Carlos Vela (Arsenal) after a chip-in by Gio Dos Santos (Tottenham Hotspur). It was reminiscent of their pairing during Mexico’s conquering of the u-17 World Cup a few years back. Mexico then played possession soccer, something they did great in 2002 and 2006.
We won’t talk about 2002, by the way. That was a very hard pill to swallow.
Mexico continued to dominate a game that, at times, turned a little rough. There were some hard fouls. Overall, the Italians seemed uninterested in what would happen. It was Korea-Japan 2002 all over again when Mexico and Italy played to tie in the final group stage game once they realized they were both through. In the 86th minute, Juan Carlos “El Venado” Medina (CF Monterrey) scored on a pass from veteran Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Veracruz) that beat an Italian defense that was playing the off-sides.
Italy would score on a set piece (Mexico’s Achilles’ heel) from a corner strike with five minutes left to play.
It was too late for Italy to come back, and they were not playing to do so. Mexico was in form, ready for South Africa next Friday. And I wish I could write that I’ll be optimistic of their chances as I watch in the comfort of Slainte Pub (breakfast at 7am then the game at 9am). But beating Italy is no reason to get over-confident.
Soccer around the world has come a long way, and any team could beat any other team on any given day. While some teams have masters of the game, athletes that can do magic with their feet, most professional footballers (soccer players) are just fast, fit, athletes who know the rules of the game. (Us amateurs know the rules, and that’s about it.) So a Mexico team that has been training for close to six weeks now was bound to beat Italy or any of the other teams they played to prepare.
Likewise, there are times when a team is not in the best form, and they find themselves losing. It happened with Italy yesterday. They seemed sluggish, not concentrated. Mexico held possession, yes, but they were aided by Italy’s lackluster interest in taking the ball. The errors at the set pieces just show what Italy can do if they get lucky, while Mexico needed more than luck.
So, yes, celebrate, Mexico beat the champ. But be mindful of letting it get to your head.
My prediction for Mexico in South Africa 2010: Mexico beats South Africa, loses or ties against France, and somehow manages to beat Uruguay. Mexico finishes second in the group and faces Argentina in the next round… All bets are off then since Mexico can be Argentina’s headache and Maxi Rodriguez can’t score a magical goal twice.
See you at the pub. I’ll be the only one with the Mexican jersey.
- Vela tells his critics what to do after he scores on the World Champs
***”Paquinho” was born and raised in Mexico until age 10, when he came to the States and has been living the dream. When not writing about soccer, you can find him rambling on about infectious diseases.***
