Mexico World Cup Team Blog

Antonio De Nigris Passes Away at 31

Al — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:48:58 +0000

After suffering a heart attack late Sunday night, Antonio De Nigris, striker for Greek club AE Larissa and former Mexican international, passed away at the young age of 31. De Nigris had a nomadic career all over South America and Europe, and made 16 appearances for El Tri, scoring 4 goals. His most memorable moment in the green shirt was a screamer scored against Brazil in his first international match. He was working hard to earn another call up for the national team.

“The Larissa family mourns from today the tragic loss of 31-year-old international Mexican footballer, Antonio De Nigris,” a club statement said. “It is with deep sorrow that the administration, technical leadership, players and executives of the club would like to express their condolences to his family, particularly his spouse Sonia and five-year-old daughter Miranda.”

“An autopsy will be held at the General Academic Hospital in Larissa to determine the precise reasons of his death.”

R.I.P. Tano

Adidas Releases Mexico’s 2010 Kit

Al — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:33:05 +0000

And umm… they look cool?

This, my friends, is what the team will be wearing as they strike fear into the world’s best teams. A Power Rangers-esque Adidas jersey that is confused to whether it’s “retro” or “futuristic”.

To be fair, it’s not that bad, and at least the traditional Mexico shade of green has returned. But just look at it. Compare it to the 2007 jersey (which I thought was great). At least some will agree that it’s better than the semi-long sleeve and light green jersey that was disliked by many (including the players themselves as they struggled to roll the sleeves up).

So hurry everyone and be the first to sport your Green Ranger jersey.

Mexicans in Europe 11/7-8/09

Andrea — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:22:01 +0000

Salcido and Rodriguez formed a duo on the field.

Spain

Marquez

Rafael Marquez(Barcelona)- Rafa had no activity with Barcelona this week, either in the Champions League, or in La Liga.

Jonathan Dos Santos(Barca Athletic)- Dos Santos saved a ball on the line during the game against RCD Espanyol.

Guardado

Andres Guardado(Deportivo La Coruna)-Guardado played 85 minutes in the 2-0 win over Getafe.

Hugo Sanchez(Almeria)- Almeria won 2-0 against Osasuna.

England

Carlos Vela(Arsenal)-Vela was left out of the squad with a knee injury.

Giovani Dos Santos(Tottenham)- Gio remains out, but is recovering.

Guillermo Franco

Guillermo Franco(West Ham)- Played 89 minutes midweek in the 2-1 win against Aston Villa. Played all 90 minutes in the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa.

Germany

Ricardo Osorio(Stuttgart)- Out injured.

Netherlands

Carlos Salcido(PSV)- Salcido played all 90 minutes in the 1-1 game against Kobenhavn and again in the 5-1 game against ADO Den Haag.

Maza Rodriguez(PSV)-Maza played all the minutes of both games against Kobenhavn and ADO Den Haag.

Hector Moreno(AZ Alkamaar)- Played in the 4-1 loss to Arsenal in the Champions League. Moreno again played all 90 minutes against Feyenoord where his team drew 1-1.

Italy

Miguel Layun(Atalanta)- Layun was not on the team sheet for the 5-2 loss against Juventus.

Greece

Antonio de Nigris(Larisa)-De Nigris did not play in the 3-1 loss against AEK Athens.

Ukraine

Nery Castillo(Dnipro)- Not entirely sure, but probably didn’t play.

Mexicans In Europe 10/31-11/01/09

Andrea — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:32:22 +0000

Guess what Nery Castillo is doing? And guess who scored.

Spain

Marquez

Rafael Marquez(Barcelona)-Rafa captained the side against Cultural Leonesa to a 2-0 win in the Copa del Rey. He played 29 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Osasuna…being at fault for the play that led up to the own goal.

Jonathan Dos Santos(Barca Athletic)- Dos Santos played all 10 minutes midweek in the Copa del Rey match with the first team. He played all 90 in the game against UDA Gramenet.

Guardado

Andres Guardado(Deportivo La Coruna)-Guardado played all 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Real Sporting de Gijon.

Hugo Sanchez(Almeria)- Almeria couldn’t catch a break, losing 2-1 against Hercules in the Copa del Rey, and again against Zaragoza.

England

Carlos Vela(Arsenal)-Vela was left out of the squad with a knee injury for the Liverpool clash in the Carling Cup and then against Tottenham.

Giovani Dos Santos(Tottenham)- Gio remains out, but is recovering.

Guillermo Franco

Guillermo Franco(West Ham)- Franco scored his first game in the Premier League. He scored the first goal in the 2-2 draw against Sunderland.

Germany

Ricardo Osorio(Stuttgart)- Osorio played 71 minutes midweek against Gruether Fuerth in the German Cup. He then played 14 minutes against Bayern Munich coming off with an injury.

Netherlands

Carlos Salcido(PSV)- Salcido played all 90 minutes of the 2-0 win over Roda JC. He watched from the bench as PSV won 1-0 against Vitesse.

Maza Rodriguez(PSV)-Maza played all the minutes of both games against Roda JC and Vitesse.

Hector Moreno(AZ Alkamaar)- Moreno wasn’t called up for the Dutch clash cup against Spakenburg. He played all 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Groningen.

Italy

Miguel Layun(Atalanta)- Layun played 23 minutes in the 3-0 loss to Cagliari.

Greece

Antonio de Nigris(Larisa)-De Nigris was sent off in the 2-2 draw against Aris Salonika.

Ukraine

Nery Castillo(Dnipro)- Wasn’t called on to play for his loan team.

Mini Tri Beats Brazil

Andrea — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:08:16 +0000

As only a few years before, Mexico’s U-17 team beat Brazil in the U-17 World Cup. This time it happened in the group stages.

Nevertheless it was still a great feat. The final score? 1-0.

Miguel Basulto scored in the 70th minute from a corner. The Brazilian keeper had trouble controlling the ball, and all Basulto had left was to try and push it in.

Mexico lost the first game against Switzerland. The win puts them in third place of Group b. First is Switzerland, and Mexico is tied with Brazil, but third because of goal difference. The next game is against bottom-of-the-group Japan.

Mexicans In Europe 10/24-25/09

Andrea — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:49:25 +0000

Two of the U-17 World Cup champions from 2005 faced off in the Champions League. Nery Castillo remains without seeing any action.

Spain

Marquez

Rafael Marquez(Barcelona)-Rafa started midweek against Rubin in the Champions League, but was taken off after a not so spectacular performance in the 80th minute. Barca ended up losing the game 2-1. Over the weekend Marquez played the last 18 minutes in the 6-1 thrashing over Real Zaragoza.

Jonathan Dos Santos(Barca Athletic)- Dos Santos played all 90 minutes in the game against Sporting Mahones. He gave the assist for the first goal.

Guardado

Andres Guardado(Deportivo La Coruna)-Guardado played all 90 minutes in the game where Depor lost 4-0 against Valladolid.

Hugo Sanchez(Almeria)- Almeria lost 3-0 against Valencia.

England

Carlos Vela(Arsenal)-Vela played 16 minutes midweek against AZ Alkaamar where the Gunners drew 1-1. He was not called on for the weekend game against West Ham.

Giovani Dos Santos(Tottenham)- Gio remains out, but is recovering.

Guillermo Franco

Guillermo Franco(West Ham)- Franco started the game against Arsenal, but was taken out in the 64th minute in the 2-2 draw.

Germany

Ricardo Osorio(Stuttgart)- The defender seems to have patched up things with his manager. He played all 90 mins in the loss to Sevilla in the Champions League. Again, he played all 90 in the 1-0 loss to Hannover.

Netherlands

Carlos Salcido(PSV)- Salcido remained on the bench until the 61st minute in the Europa League match against FC Kobenhavn. He then was left on the bench for the game against NEC Nijmegen.

Maza Rodriguez(PSV)-Maza has been gaining many minutes. In the midweek game against Kobenhavn where his team won 1-0; he played all 90 mins. He completed the entire game in the 4-0 win over NEC Nijemegen.

Hector Moreno(AZ Alkamaar)- Moreno played 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal. He then played 90 minutes in the 4-2 loss to Ajax.

Italy

Miguel Layun(Atalanta)- Wasn’t called up for the 3-1 win over Parma.

Greece

Antonio de Nigris(Larisa)-The players participated in the 3-1 win over Panthrakikos for 61 minutes.

Ukraine

Nery Castillo(Dnipro)- Wasn’t called on to play for his loan team.

Mexicans In Europe 10/17-18/09

Andrea — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:47:01 +0000

Some players sat on the bench this weekend because of international duty midweek. Other players are just Nery Castillo.

Spain

- Remained on the bench as Barca drew 0-0 against Valencia.

Jonathan Dos Santos(Barcelona)- Dos Santos played all 90 mins in the 1-1 draw against Alcoia.

Andres Guardado(Deportivo La Coruna)- Guardado played very well in the 1-0 win over Sevilla.

Hugo Sanchez(Almeria)- Almeria won 2-1 over Malaga on the road.

England

Carlos Vela(Arsenal)-Vela watched from the bench as the Gunners won 3-1 against Birmingham.

Giovani Dos Santos(Tottenham)- Dos Santos is out with an injury to his left ankle.

Guillermo Franco(West Ham)- Franco debuted with two minutes on his Premier League tab. His efforts for the last two minutes weren’t enough to help save the Hammers from 2-1 loss to Stoke City.

Germany

Ricardo Osorio(Vfb Suttgart)- Due to ongoing problems with the club, Osorio did not play in the loss to Schalke 04.

Italy

Miguel Layun(Atalanta)- Layun was left on the bench for the 3-1 win over Udinese.

Netherlands

Carlos Salcido(PSV)- Salcido was left on the bench against Heerenveen.

Maza Rodriguez(PSV)-Maza played all 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Heerenveen.

Hector Moreno(AZ Alkaamar)- Moreno played all 90 in against Twente Enschede but lost with a last minute goal that gave them the 3-2 loss.

Greece

Antonio De Nigris(AE Larisa)- De Nigiris played 64 minutes in Larisa’s 2-0 win.

Ukraine

Nery Castillo(Dnipro)-As usual, Nery did not make it on to the team sheet for his club. Dnipro won 3-1 without his services.

T&T 2 – Mexico 2: Not Great But Whatever

Al — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:07:22 +0000

We’re already into the World Cup and this game was pretty much irrelevant, but why does this draw seem so bitter? It’s because the team didn’t have the drive to win the game and it was the opposite of what it should have been. It should have been a match where the non-regulars had a chance to prove themselves, not a mirror image of the B-teams that play useless friendlies in the United States.

Frankly, we didn’t lose the match, so there’s not much of a right to be critical. Plus the objective had already been achieved last weekend, and this was a glorified friendly. That doesn’t take away from the fact that it was a bit disappointing to let a good chance to win slip away. The real victory was giving some players some playing time and having nobody injured.

Lineup (4-4-2): Ochoa; Gringo Castro, Magallon, H. Moreno, Salcido; Palencia (Blanco 54′), I. Castro, Torrado, Guardado (Barrera 46′); Vela, Sabah (Esqueda 54′)

Trinidad and Tobago didn’t have anything to play for really. Their stadium was as deserted as the moon, and the only way that you knew there were any Mexicans was when you heard those few shouts of “PUTO” when the Trinidadian keeper took his goal kicks, and when the camera would zoom into that small section of drunk fans celebrating after each goal.

The game didn’t start too exciting and when our attack couldn’t break through the defense, you could tell that the team wasn’t going balls out this time around. The first T&T goal was a penalty another silly handball ala the El Salvador match, this time by Gerardo Torrado. Baptiste smashed the ball in and the match was 1-0 at halftime.

It took ten minutes into the second half for Mexico to equalize, with the newly subbed Enrique Esqueda (subbing the slow and ineffective Miguel Sabah) blasted the ball into the top left corner. It was quite the golazo. A few minutes later, T&T scored from a header with our mediocre aerial defense playing a bit of a part. Salcido equalized with a header a few minutes later from a set piece. The game looked like it was going to be an exciting comeback and a goalfest at this point, but the goals stopped there, unfortunately.

We finish in second in the hexagonal with 19 points. This is our third World Cup qualifying campaign finishing in second place. Honestly, bragging rights are good and all but that one point between us and the USA isn’t quite the determinant of who is the “giant of the CONCACAF” if that’s any important. Some more important criteria should be considered, such as who the team that won every match at home is and which team got scored on 7 times in a three week period by the eternal rivals. Argue it if you want.

The World Cup is many months away, so don’t even consider this match to be all that important in the squad selection being made for April. Those who did well and those who sucked it up (Sabah, Moreno) will all still have some time to prove themselves and to get into the roster. A glorified friendly and nothing more.

At least this whole qualification fiasco is over. Look forward to South Africa and possible friendlies against England and the Netherlands up until then.

Mexico 4 – El Salvador 1: Off To World Cup We Go

Al — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:53:21 +0000

That’s it. We’re in. It took two years, three different coaches (four if you count Ramirez), a pool of about 50 different players, and lots of ups and downs to finally for Mexico to ultimately achieve the goal of landing their ticket to South Africa. And what better way than with a very convincing win over El Salvador and the safest score line yet at the Azteca.

El Salvador had very little life left in their qualification hopes, and a win would have still made it possible. You could see that they weren’t holding back and they actually made an effort to attack which caused a bit of trouble for our defense. If they had been in the position Honduras had been in when they visited (with good hopes of qualifying) you would have probably seen different tactics. Regardless, we still destroyed them and they’ll be watching us from their TV’s.

Lineup: Ochoa; E. Juarez, Marquez, Osorio, Salcido; Torrado, I. Castro, Guardado (Barrera 89′), Vela; Blanco (Palencia 77′), G. Franco (Sabah 86′)

What I liked most about this victory is that all the goals scored (minus the own goal) were from a mix of experience and youth. Blanco and Palencia, the true veterans and two men that helped Mexico qualify back in 2001, made the score sheet. Carlos Vela, despite having a shabby first touch and a killer bicycle kick in the first half, scored the last one. There was no amateur on the team last night, and also including Guille Franco into the mix, there is plenty of maturity from each and every one of our attackers. Just wait for when Giovani is back. I’m already excited.

Marquez finally made his return to the team as captain once again, but he was really rusty with his traditional long passes and his shots. The entire defense had some difficulties but they were still able to hold their own against the Salvadorian attack. Especially Osorio, despite not even making the bench at Stuttgart, partnered Rafa well. It was nice to see Salcido do great once again with el Tri, and his form looked pretty good on the left of the defense. Our team’s defensive situation, thankfully, is pretty good.

Cuauh, once again, played a match to remember and regardless of age, he has the balls to push our team into the next level. It was his brilliance that gave us our first two goals. The first one was thanks to him pushing through the defense after the awesome one-two’s from the team, and the second was him finishing from Guille Franco’s cross. It would be a travesty not to see him travel to South Africa next summer. He has done way too much to be left out of the team.

From this point on, we can only hope that our players gain good form from now up until next June. Carlos Vela and Giovani (who is currently injured) will be devastating if they have good seasons with their clubs. Say what you want about them having a few years left in order to reach their potential, but you have seen how they are still capable of strengthening our team. The entire team, especially those in Europe, simply needs to work hard and get playing time so they can rightfully earn their place into the World Cup squad. Aguirre is going to have a headache trying to pick his squad.

I will write much more about all of this in the months leading to the World Cup. But just enjoy the moment. Remember all the joy and excitement that we all had back in 2006. It’s coming back, and if you followed the entire qualification campaign you will enjoy all of this much more than the casual fans who just show up when it’s World Cup time.

Al mundial si vamos, y a El Salvador tambien le ganamos!

Mexicans In Europe 10/3-4/09

Andrea — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:05:14 +0000

What should Nery Castillo do to get some playing time? Anywhere.

Spain

- Marquez did not play midweek in the Champions League, but participated 60 minutes against Almeria.

Jonathan Dos Santos(Barcelona)- Dos Santos did not play against Sabadell.

Andres Guardado(Deportivo La Coruna)- Guardado played all 90 minutes in the 1-0 win over Tenerife.

Hugo Sanchez(Almeria)- Almeria gave Barcelona a tough time, and eventually lost 1-0.

England

Carlos Vela(Arsenal)-Vela played from the 77th minute on during the Champions League game against Olympiakos. He did not play in the weekend thrashing of Blackburn Rovers.

Giovani Dos Santos(Tottenham)- Dos Santos is out with an injury to his left ankle.

Guillermo Franco(West Ham)- Franco has yet to debut.

Germany

Ricardo Osorio(Vfb Suttgart)- Due to ongoing problems with the club, Osorio did not play in the loss to Werder Bremen.

Italy

Miguel Layun(Atalanta)- Layun was left on the bench for the 1-1 draw against AC Milan.

Netherlands

Carlos Salcido(PSV)- Salcido went in during the 57th minute of the Europa League match against Cluj, and stayed on the bench for the nil-nil draw against FC Utrecht.

Maza Rodriguez(PSV)-Maza played 180 minutes total from the Europa League match against Cluj, and the league match against Utrecht.

Hector Moreno(AZ Alkaamar)- Moreno played all 90 in the Champions League game against Standard Liege, and all game in the win against NAC Breda.

Greece

Antonio De Nigris(AE Larisa)-Match on Monday

Ukraine

Nery Castillo(Dnipro)-As usual, Nery did not make it on to the team sheet for his club.