FIFA World Cup 2010
Mexico
 mexicoMexican Football Federation (Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación) Confederation: CONCACAF Head coach: Javier Aguirre Captain: Rafael Márquez Top scorer: Jared Borgetti FIFA ranking: 17 World Cup Appearances: 13 Team Colors: Best Results
World Cup Quarter-finals, 1970, 1986 Gold Cup Winners, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2009 CONCACAF Championship Winners 1965, 1971, 1977 Olympic medal record: 4th place 1968 |
Under the guidance of Javier Aguirre, El Tri is preparing to return once against to the World Cup, now with a new perspective on the game. After years of uncertainty about the national team, Mexican fans didn’t have the illusion the their team would qualify. After going through 60 possibilities, Mexico finally settled with Aguirre, the former coach of Atletico de Madrid, leading to a renewed, experienced squad able to enter the qualifying stages.
With 10 games played in the fourth round of the qualifiers, Mexico obtained its ticket after 3 losses, 1 draw, and 6 victories.
Now Mexico aspires to go beyond the second round in the World Cup, a route that has been truncated in the latest FIFA World Cups.
Qualifying Stage
In the qualification, Mexico competed with teams who had their minds on the classification. In the third round, the team face Honduras, a squad that had finished in the lead of the previous round, with 2 points more than the Mexican team. Mexico also squared off with Jamaica, which it beat 1-0.
The final round began with a 2-0 victory over Costa Rica. But the defeats would come for El Tri against the US, Honduras, and El Salvador: 2-0, 3-1, and 2-1, respectively. The losses triggered the substitution of then-coach Sven-Goran Eriksson for Aguirre. The “Vasco,” as Aguirre is nicknamed, was a miracle for the team. He had a nose for picking players; the strategist had a sense of how football was developed in his homeland.
The victories were immediate: first a 2-1 win over Trinidan & Tobago; then the US fell 1-0; finally the elimination of Costa Rica 3-0 in San Jose. This series of victories classified the team in Group A for the FIFA World Cup.
Players
The Mexican squad has several outstanding and creative players that must not be overlooked: Giovani dos Santos, Andres Guardado, Guillermo Ochoa, Efrain Juárez and Cuauhtémoc Blanco, a veteran who not only scores goals, but also knows when to deliver the ball so that his teammates have the chance to score. Now the captain of the "Green," Rafael Marquez (FC Barcelona), has great responsibility not only for being in perhaps his last World Cup with the team but also to convey his coach’s intentions in the pitch.
Head Coach
From the beginning of his career, Javier Aguirre has shown that as a player he wears the colors of his country in his heart. Now, sitting on the sidelines of El Tri, he further proves his serious commitment to his country. He has not yet secured a World Cup squad but, after having trained teams like Osasuna, Atletico Madrid and Pachuca, Aguirre has won several titles and some renown has a coach. Now it's up to him and his players to give everything in the World Cup.