England National Football Team Match No. 779

England 4 México 0 [3-0]

Friday, 25 May 2001

México Pre-Match

México Background

Enrique Meza, born on 3 March 1948 in México City, was appointed national team coach on 14 September 2000 on the strength of his coaching credentials in México's Primera División.  After head coaching stints with Cruz Azul, Atletico Morelia and Toros Neza, he led Toluca to three straight titles in the Verano or summer segment of México's dual league contests.  

Meza succeeded Manuel Lapuente, who had considerable success with the national team, leading them to their first major tournament victory in the Confederations Cup of 1999, which was held on their home soil.  But pressure for a coaching change mounted as Canada's elimination of México in the quarterfinals of the 1999 Gold Cup tournament,  the CONCACAF national team championship, was followed by an away loss to Trinidad & Tobago in CONCACAF's second round of World Cup 2002 qualification.  Lapuente resigned on 4 September 2000.  

Meza took charge 10 days later, and México turned in acceptable performances in friendly victories over Ecuador and Bolivia and a 7-0 trouncing of Trinidad & Tobago in the return match at Estadio Azteca.   The honeymoon quickly ended as México failed to score in the next four matches, drawing with Canada in a World Cup qualifier and losing friendly matches against the U.S.A., Argentina and Bulgaria, the latter their first home loss in more than five years.  México managed to lose to Colombia in a January friendly after holding a two-goal lead and then lost to the U.S.A. 2-0 in February in the first match of CONCACAF's final round of World Cup qualification.  Since then they have staged a modest recovery in drawing 3-3 with Brazil in a scintillating friendly, beating Jamaica 4-0 in a World Cup qualifier and Chile 1-0 in a friendly, and drawing 1-1 away to Trinidad & Tobago in another qualifier.  

While the results have improved somewhat, México's performances, with the exception of the Brazil friendly, have not, and Meza now finds himself subject to the intense pressures that forced his predecessor to resign.  México's  loss of form has coincided with the long-term absence of two key midfield players, Cuauhtémoc Blanco of Real Valladolid (Spain), who sustained serious knee ligament injuries in the October qualifier against Trinidad & Tobago, and Ramón Ramírez ofTigres, who suffered a broken right ankle and a left Achilles tendon injury in a car accident in December.  Still, the grumbling continues--the Mexican press and public are short on sympathy and patience when Mexico fail to beat their CONCACAF rivals--and if Meza does not turn things around soon, it is likely he will be gone.  

As México approach their match with England, Meza's record stands at 5 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses, much worse than Lapuente's.  For the first time, there is fear not only that México have lost their supremacy in the CONCACAF region, but also that they may even lose their customary place in the World Cup final tournament.  México have a tenuous hold on the third and last qualifying place in the CONCACAF group.

México remain accomplished at maintaining possession--their passing game is often mesmerising--but without the playmaking skills of Blanco and the drive of Ramirez, they have been unable to convert dominance in possession into goals.  Meza has experimented with a large number of new players, but is still seeking a solution for the team's inability to find openings against even modest opposition and their lack of thrust in front of the opposition's goal.  

At the same time, Meza must guide México through a singularly grueling summer programme.  Immediately after meeting England, they fly to the Far East for the Confederations Cup tournament, where they are in the same group as World Cup and European champions France as well as South Korea and Australia and are likely to meet Brazil in the semi-finals should they advance from the group.  Immediately after their return in mid-June, they play three World Cup qualification matches over a two-week period against Costa Rica, Honduras and the U.S.A., which may well determine whether they return to the Far East next year for the final tournament.  Following friendlies against Chile and Uruguay in early July, they go to Colombia in mid-July for the Copa América tournament, the Americas' equivalent of the European Championship, where they are in the "group of death" with  Brazil, Paraguay and Peru.  That takes them through the end of July.  By then, Meza should know his fate.

PY

Notes

Wednesday, 10 January 2001 - The Football Association announced England will play a friendly match against México at Pride Park, home of Derby County, on May 25, 2001.  The teams last met March 29, 1997 at Wembley Stadium, when England won, 2-0.  The match comes five days ahead of the start of the Confederations Cup 2001 tournament in South Korea and Japan, where México will defend the intercontinental championship they won on home soil in 1999.

Wednesday, 2 May 2001 - Coach Enrique Meza announced an initial squad of 11 players for México's friendly matches against Ecuador in Chicago on 19 May and England in Derby on 25 May and for the Confederations Cup 2001 tournament, which begins on 30 May in Japan and South Korea.  Meza will add to the squad as domestic clubs are eliminated from the ongoing Verano 2001 Tournament until the Confederations Cup squad limit of 23 players is reached.  

The 11 selected players are:  goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez, Guadalajara; defenders Joaquin Beltrán, UNAM, and Salvador Carmona, Atlante; midfielders Marco Antonio Ruiz, Guadalajara, Alberto Coyote, Guadalajara, Victor Ruiz, Toluca, Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Atlas, Hugo Chávez, Morelia, and David Rangel, Toluca; forwards Daniel Osorno, Atlas, and José Manuel Abundis, Atlante.

Thursday, 10 May 2001 - Coach Enrique Meza named six more players to the México squad that will play Ecuador in Chicago and England in Derby before journeying to the Far East for the Confederations Cup 2001 Tournament.  

Veteran Atlante goalkeeper Jorge Campos, who had fallen into disfavour during México's continuing string of mediocre performances, was recalled after an absence of two months.  Also recalled after a much longer absence was Tigres midfielder Joaquin del Olmo, who earned caps during the coaching tenures of Miguel Mejia Baron, Bora Milutinovic and Manuel Lapuente.  

Tigres defender David Oteo was given a first call to the national side.  Also summoned were the veteran defender Claudio Suárez, Tigres, midfielders Jesús Arellano, Monterrey, and Joaquin del Olmo, Tigres, and forward Antonio De Nigris, Monterrey.

The 17 players thus far named will play against Ecuador at Soldiers Field in Chicago on 19 May.  Meza is expected to name six more player before the squad departs for England, bringing it to the 23-man Confederations Cup limit.

Friday, 11 May 2001 - México's match against Ecuador on 19 May at Soldiers Field in Chicago was cancelled as a result of the shooting last week of Ecuador's coach, the Colombian Hernán Dario Gómez.

Thursday, 17 May 2001 - Coach Enrique Meza announced the 23-man squad for the Confederations Cup 2001 tournament that begins on 30 May in South Korea and Japan.  The squad includes the 19 players who will be available for selection for the friendly match against England at Pride Park in Derby on 25 May.

Four players--the prolific Santos striker Jared Borgetti, the Santos defender Joaquin Reyes, the Pachuca defender Octavio Valdez and the Pachuca midfielder Cesáreo Victorino--will join the squad for the Confederations Cup after the England match.  Their clubs, Santos and Pachuca, are still involved in domestic competition; they play the second leg of the final of the Verano 2001 tournament Sunday.

Meza made some adjustments to the 17-man provisional squad he named earlier, dropping three players and adding nine.  Veteran national team goalkeeper Jorge Campos and defender Salvador Carmona withdrew because they will play in a promotional series for their club side, Atlante, in June. Midfielder Joaquin del Olmo of Tigres withdrew because he required nasal surgery.  Meza had given Campos and del Olmo recalls to the national squad, but the recalls were short-lived.

Three national team veterans, the 28-year-old forward Francisco Palencia, the 28-year-old goalkeeper Oscar Pérez and the 31 year-old defender Alberto Macías, were left out because their club side, Cruz Azul, has advanced to the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores tournament, the Latin American equivalent of the European Champions tournament.

The most notable omission from the squad was the superb young Monaco (France) defender Rafael Marquez, reportedly headed for Real Madrid this summer.  Meza gave no reason for his omission, but Marquez was sent off in April's World Cup qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago and will be suspended for México's next qualifier against Costa Rica on 16 June.  He is eligible to play in the World Cup qualifiers against Honduras on 20 June and the U.S.A. on 1 July, but there has been speculation he may not be recalled to the national side until the Copa América tournament in Colombia later in July. 

Luis Hernández, the 32-year-old América forward who starred for El Tricolor in France in the 1998 World Cup, again was omitted from the national squad.  Following the conclusion of Mexican league play, he has returned to his "off-season" club side, the Los Angeles Galaxy in the U.S.A.'s Major League Soccer, where he will attempt to regain his form and his national team place.

México are still missing two of their most influential players through long-term injuries.  Cuauhtémoc Blanco, the Real Valladolid (Spain) playmaking midfielder/forward, sustained serious knee ligament injuries from a vicious two-footed tackle by Trinidad & Tobago's Ansil Elcock in a World Cup qualifier in early October, and Ramón Ramírez, the 31-year-old Tigres midfield dynamo, suffered a broken right ankle and a left Achilles tendon injury in a car accident December 11.  Their absence has been chiefly responsible for México's long string of mediocre performances.

Thursday, 24 May 2001 - The Mexican media report that Monterrey midfielder Jesús Arellano failed to show up as the national team departed for England on Monday.  Coach Enrique Meza reportedly said Arellano will be dropped from squad.  Arellano was quoted as saying he has had severe dental problems and that he notified national team officials he could not join the squad until they were resolved.

Friday, 25 May 2001 - The Mexican media report that midfielder Germán Villa will be unavailable for tonight's match because of an injury suffered in practice on Tuesday.

PY