Perspective after Mexico's first game versus New Zealand

Photo credit: Yahoo Deportes

 

5-1 shouldn't be an unusual score for Mexico playing at home. Estadio Azteca on a Wednesday afternoon the November before a World Cup would ordinarily suggest a prep game for the tournament. But that wasn't the case yesterday. The Mexican national team was playing for its World Cup qualification life versus Oceania's entrant, New Zealand. How did it come to this?

Blame the poor form in the Concacaf Hex under de la Torre and less-than-optimal performances with Vucetich (Panama win and Costa Rica loss) as well as the non-issue that was Luis Fernando Tena's game versus the United States. All chose the same defensive, cautious style and relied on overpriced, over-hyped Europe-based players like Chicharito Hernandez and Giovanni Dos Santos.

In comes Club America coach Herrera and all bets are off. Herrera is a pupil of "Lavolpismo," a style of play first introduced by Ricardo Antonio Lavolpe and which preached attacking football with limited defense. It had mixed results for Lavolpe with the Mexico national team but made for entertaining soccer.

Another thing Herrera did which upset many people, even though it may not have surprised many, was the selection of purely national-based players for the play-in games versus New Zealand. Gone were the Chicharitos, Dos Santos and Guardados and in came ten players from Herreras's own Club America. He needed consistency, he said, in order to be successful and he claimed that the foreign-based players had too far to travel and that this diluted their abilities.

The win gave both hope and relief to the Mexican nation and confidence that their recent trophies in the u17 and u23 tournaments were in fact based on the reality that Mexican soccer that is on the rise. But what are the major takeaways after the win and the certain qualification?

First thing is addressing the foreign I players. Will they continue to be a part of the system? Certainly come World Cup prep time they will have time off to get acquainted with Herrera's style and manners. Will they acquiesce to the three man back line? Can they survive in that formation versus a team like Belgium? Perhaps another point here is the absence of  Carlos Vela. Will he turn down being at the World Cup? Does Herrera even need him there?

Mexican soccer needs to answer some serious questions ahead of the tournament. Is their structure a viable one where very few people control the direction of the national team? A serious failure at this point is going three and out at the World Cup, and the way teams are stacking up in terms of death groups, this isn't out of the question.

In Memorian: Chucho Benitez Immortal

Photo credit: SanDiegoRed

 

Today all of Ecuador and the footballing world lost Christian "Chucho" Benitez. One of the most accomplished players for the Ecuador national team, the El Nacional club in Quito, Santos Laguna, and a top scorer for three seasons with Club America de Mexico.

Chucho graced our stadiums and TV screens with amazing headers, incredible strength and unparalleled finesse.

When I watched him via television, or more often on my computer screen, I saw only magic. Magic immortalized by his artistry and reminiscent of his father, the great Ermen Benitez. Just today I learned that he had twins born in 2009. I can't imagine how difficult it will be for them, his wife, the team, and the country.

We now turn the page and close a chapter in the Ecuador national soccer team. We put this book in our library of memories to check on later dates those moments of fantasy that brought joy to Ecuador and the teams he played for. We owe you those smiles and chants and the pride you instilled in us as citizens of Ecuador and the footballing world. This is how you became immortal, Chucho, through the love and passion of the people that followed you.

Commentary: Tuzos USA??

Since my buds over at MLSrumors are taking their time with this one, I thought I would break the news to the english-speaking world. The show Futbol de Primera on XM Satellite Radio's XM Deportivo had a report with an interview with Pachuca president Jesus Martinez in which he asserted that Pachuca is working closely with both MLS and USL with the possibility of bringing the franchise to the United States and putting a team in one of the above mentioned leagues. You can listen to it on the fdpradio.com website under "Jesus Ramirez y los proyectos de Pachuca" (in Spanish: Jesus Martinez and the Pachuca Projects). This is reminiscent of our report about CD America looking to do the same thing with MLS. I hope more information about Pachuca and MLS/USL will surface in the next few days. I thought that CD America coming to the MLS would be interesting, but with Pachuca I'm beginning to think we're pushing it a little. This is an American league, as some readers of this website have made clear in the past, one or even two teams loosely bound to teams abroad is one thing. We don't want to turn the MLS into another mexican league plus some original MLS teams. Personally, I'd like to see a Barca USA or Boca Jrs USA before another Club America or Tuzos USA. As far as them going to the USL , be my guest(they already have teams like Crystal Palace USA). That's something worth tapping into and can create a formative league for an ever expanding MLS, especially noting that the league is on the verge of adding two additional Canadian teams. But that's a story worth an entire blog entry.

Commentary: Club America de Mexico interested in expanding into MLS

As I posted on the MLS Rumors website, XM Satellite Radio's XM Deportivo Deportes De Primera radio show reported that Club America de Mexico is looking to "reach out" to its considerable following in the United States and also look for partnerships with MLS. Michael Bauer, recently elected president of said institution, discusses among other things, participation of America in MLS.
As to whether this is an exploratory partnership a-la-Bundesliga or a rebranding of one of the MLS teams or acquiring a new team remains to be seen.
From some of the comments posted following the story there are two clear sides to the coin: Chivas USA didn't work and this is an American league, and the other, potential rivalries could spark up with Chivas or other teams and an additional border state team could take shape. I might even venture to say FC Dallas could change names (their attendance is meager at best right now). Further, maybe Chicago--as suggested by soccer365.com some time back--could also rebrand and have an excuse to cling on to Blanco for another season (his contract expires at the end of 2008). [Also note that Chivas USA is among a few teams that have seen increases in attendance this year... just look at the 07-08 difference plot.]
Although I tend to side with some of the fans and bloggers out there that this should be an American league, there is nothing wrong with having teams be named after teams abroad. It actually happens to be common practice in Latin America and, and nobody seemed too concerned about this, teams such as FC Barcelona and Boca Juniors have expressed interest in starting up an MLS franchise with their name on it.
We must also be objective and realize that there is a large Hispanic (mainly Mexican) population in the States and that these are soccer-addicted individuals. I also see nothing wrong with repatriating players such as Orozco to play for the red, white and blue. Maybe more transfers will take place between the MLS and the Mexican Leauge. This would be a great deal for the MLS, accruing increasingly more experience against foreign teams that may get the league play in tournaments outside the SuperLiga and Concachampions. . . but that is another thread.