Off to St. Etienne

The Mexican National team has concluded the domestic phase of their preparation for the world cup. They are now off to France, St. Etienne, to be exact, for another week of practice before their stiffest friendly in years: an evening in St. Denis with les bleus.

It will be Zinedine Zidane’s final game in France before he retires from the world cup, and it will also serve as a barometer for Mexico to see if they have the strength to endure such a tough ordeal, or if they are just j***ing off. The last time they played France, it was a 4-1 to the French.

As you may remember, St. Etienne has a special place in the hearts of Mexicans everywhere. It was in St. Etienne where Ricardo Pelaez and El Matador Hernandez scored second half goals to tie the dutch, and qualify for the knockouts for the first time ever in a european world cup. As it turned out, they didn’t need the tie after all thanks to the Koreans, but why ruin good memories because of the facts.

I have mixed feelings about playing France, especially when it comes to team morale and confidence. And something tells me Thierry Henry might have a few words to say with his scoring boots in response to the last game he played in St. Denis.

So with 3 weeks to go, the electricity is palpable. The wait is almost over. Hang in there.