Missing one magician, Mexico turns to another

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

The man who for so long has pulled the strings for Mexico, the puppet master supreme, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, is likely to miss Saturday’s crucial World Cup qualifying match against El Salvador at Azteca Stadium.

Blanco suffered a pulled hamstring while playing for the Chicago Fire against the Columbus Crew on Sept. 20 and, while he has been working hard to recover in Mexico City, he is not believed to be 100% fit and likely will not play.

Mexico Coach Javier Aguirre has turned to a former Major League Soccer favorite, Francisco ‘Paco’ Palencia, to fill the void. The ponytailed Palencia, who sported blue fingernails and a rock star persona during his time with Chivas USA, now plays for the UNAM Pumas in the Mexican league. His inventiveness and unpredictability make him the perfect replacement.

Soccer was Palencia’s thing. Heavy metal was his other thing. He’s 37 now and still rocking.

Meanwhile, Blanco recently drew exceptional praise from a rare quarter. Galaxy and former U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena said he would have absolutely no hesitation in taking Blanco to South Africa if he were Mexico’s coach and El Tri qualifies for the World Cup, as expected.

‘Definitely,’ Arena said. ‘He’s special. He’s the real deal. He brings a little calmness to their team. He brings confidence on the field.

‘He’s not orthodox in the way he goes about doing his business, but he’s brilliant. He’s a quality player. He makes a difference on the field. We all know and respect that. There’s a genius there. You marvel at it when you see him play. We all know what he’s going to try to do and he still does it.’

Blanco will be 36 when South Africa 2010 rolls around, but talent trumps age every day. Just ask Palencia.

-- Grahame L. Jones