Mexico, Guatemala Battle to a Tie
Smart fellows, Manuel LaPuente and Gustavo Vargas.
Figuring it wouldn’t take Mexico’s strongest soccer squad to beat Iran, LaPuente, the national team coach, and Vargas, the Olympic coach, sent a mixture of veterans and younger players to northern California on Sunday.
The result? A 2-1 victory for Mexico in front of 34,289 at Oakland.
Then, since Mexico has to play Guatemala in the CONCACAF Gold Cup next month, LaPuente figured it would be best not to tip his hand in a meaningless friendly. So he sent Vargas’ Olympic team to play the Central Americans at the L.A. Coliseum Wednesday night.
The result? A 1-1 tie in which the young Mexican team more than held its own against the older, more-experienced Guatemalans in front of an entertained crowd of 28,000.
Iran beat Ecuador, 2-1, in the nightcap of the doubleheader. The Iranians play the United States at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Rose Bowl in the final game of their first-ever U.S. tour.
Although a large contingent of Iranian fans made the second match a louder spectacle, it was the earlier encounter that provided the drama.
There are three reasons why Mexico has dominated soccer in the North and Central American and Caribbean region.
The first is the passion of its fans. They can be loud in their praise and louder in their criticism, but they are never indifferent.
The second is the strength of its professional league. Mexican club teams pay their players more than any league in the Americas, Argentina, Brazil and the United States.
The third is the depth of talent. Mexico seems to have a constant stream of young players who seamlessly make the transition from youth national teams to the senior squad.
Many fall by the wayside, but those who survive keep Mexico at the forefront year after year.
The next generation of talent put on an impressive show at the Coliseum, coming from behind to earn a tie and only narrowly failing to win.
Had players such as Luis Hernandez, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Ramon Ramirez and Claudio Suarez been on the field, Mexico probably would have won easily. As it was, LaPuente and Vargas were more than satisfied with their players’ performance.
These are the same players who in April will be going up against the United States in qualifying for the Sydney Olympics.
Guatemala took the lead in the 16th minute when captain Juan Carlos Plata dribbled into the penalty area and fired a shot that goalkeeper Adrian Zermeno blocked. The ball rebounded to Plata, who made no mistake with his second effort.
Mexican tied the score in the 53rd minute of the second half when Cesareo Victorino provided a pass from the left that gave Daniel Osorno the easiest of scoring chances.
Meanwhile, U.S. Coach Bruce Arena trimmed his roster for Sunday’s game, cutting Galaxy players Kevin Hartman and Clint Mathis, along with Steve Ralston and Henry Gutierrez.
