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Yanks' main rivals are red hot Posted: Sunday June 16, 2002 3:56 PMUpdated: Sunday June 16, 2002 7:08 PM
By Ridge Mahoney, Soccer America SEOUL -- Did the rivalry really start during the Gold Cup in 1991, when the United States beat Mexico in the semifinals on its way to the title? Did Mexican fans burning a U.S. flag at an Olympic qualifier in 1992 in Mexico City get it off the ground? Did the 1-0 U.S. win at the Rose Bowl that silenced 90,000 Mexican fans just before the 1994 World Cup do the business? Thrashing Mexico 4-0 at RFK Stadium in 1995 made up for the Gold Cup final two years earlier, a Mexican win by the same score at Azteca Stadium. And let's not forget La Guerra Fria (The Cold War) in Columbus last year, a 2-0 U.S. win. At some point, after decades of being slapped around soccer fields by its southern neighbor, the United States cast off its doormat persona to earn grudging respect from Mexico's players, if not necessarily its fans. "They used to be very arrogant," says U.S. keeper Brad Friedel, a veteran of many such showdowns at various levels. "They figured they were going to beat us anyway."
None of the memorable games mentioned above nor any of a dozen more can come close to what awaits in Daejon Monday afternoon (2:30 a.m. ET in the U.S.) when they square off on the world stage in the world's game: U.S. vs. Mexico in the World Cup round of 16 with a place in the quarterfinals at stake. "Everyone gives a little extra on every tackle, every shot, every foul. It can't be any bigger because there'll be a lot of bragging rights after this game," says midfielder Cobi Jones, who as a Southern California native knows all too well the harsh treatment U.S. players often receive in their own country when facing the Tricolores. Mexico is rolling into this game with wins over Croatia (1-0) and Ecuador (2-1) and a tie with Italy (1-1) in group play. The Mexicans rallied to beat Ecuador and held a lead Italy until the final minutes. Along with Spain, Senegal and Brazil, they played some of the most stylish soccer in the first round. Yet their defending, led by center back Rafael Marquez and midfielder Gerardo Torrado, has also been impressive. This melding of flair and efficiency reflects the influence of Coach Javier Aguirre, hired one year ago to replace Enrique Meza as Mexico's qualifying campaign was floundering. Mexico did qualify, but the alarm bells rang anew last winter when a subpar squad fell in the Gold Cup quarterfinals on penalties to South Korea. After the Gold Cup, Aquirre used a series of friendlies and an extensive pre-Cup training camp to hone his system. He called his players in late April and most of them missed the entire Mexican League playoffs. "They're playing much better than they were four or five months ago," says assistant coach Dave Sarachan. "He's had time to work with the players and his system. "I think they have a very clear idea now of what their roles are. And they also have some very good players." Aguirre has installed wide play in Jesus Arellano and Morales to an extent seldom seen in Mexican teams. He's given a free role to Cuauhtemoc Blanco, as hard to track and tackle as his first name is to spell. He's given to Torrado the role of midfield destroyer, but Mexico's potent flank play opens up large gaps he eagerly pushes forward to exploit. He stuck one in the top corner against Ecuador. And Aquirre has anointed Jared Borgetti as his striker. The strong, lanky attacker once wore the stigma of a league goleador who turned timid in the green and white. Against Italy he cut across the goalmouth to score with a splendid twisting header. Beaten on the play was a defender of some repute named Paolo Maldini. Borgetti's header off a free kick beat the U.S. 1-0 in Azteca last July to revive the Mexican qualifying campaign in Aquirre's debut. If Torrado and Braulio Luna and Johan Rodriguez are allowed to control midfield the United States has little chance to win. "Blanco just floats all over the place and is a handful, an unorthodox type of player but he always seems to pop up and make great plays," said Reyna. "He's good on the ball. "Borgetti's really a box-type forward. They've never really had one like that. On the flanks they have speedy quick players, so we have to defend them really well and not let them get crosses in. " DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan need the ball and space to run past defenders. John O'Brien and Reyna must hold down the center and keep possession until an opening is found. The United States also must defend better on set plays: four of the six goals allowed at the World Cup have come off free kicks or corners. Friedel has a decent record against Mexico. He was in the nets for a 0-0 qualifier in Azteca in 1997 and played brilliantly in a 2-2 tie at the Rose Bowl the year before. He also played when the United States beat Mexico on penalties in the quarterfinals of the 1995 Copa America. He's already stopped two penalties in this World Cup and rescued the team with dramatic saves against South Korea and Poland. The U.S. is shorthanded and is coming off a short turnaround period. It fell, 3-1 to Poland Friday, one day after Mexico tied Italy. Injuries have sidelined Jeff Agoos, Steve Cherundolo and Joe-Max Moore. Frankie Hejduk is suspended, so the options in the back line are few. Coach Bruce Arena has mentioned fatigue might also prompt him to make changes. Carlos Llamosa is a likely candidate to replace Agoos, although Gregg Berhalter or Pablo Mastroeni could get the call. Hejduk's absence at left back might prompt the return of David Regis, whose recurrent horrid play the past 12 months gave Hejduk an opportunity in the first place. Josh Wolff has a nice strike rate against Mexico -- two goals in three games -- and his speed can cause problems. He has yet to play in the World Cup but might get a run with Moore suffering from a sore hamstring. The United States failed to win in 24 consecutive games against Mexico between 1937 and 1980. Another eight-game skein ended just two years ago. But in the last five games the United States has won four. When told the teams had played 46 times, midfielder Claudio Reyna joked, "In the past two years?" But never have they met in a World Cup, although their first meeting was a qualifying game just prior to the 1934 tournament. The U.S. won, 4-2, in Rome. Since then, they've met in Cuba and Uruguay as well as more than dozen cities in the United States and Mexico. Yet in this craziest of World Cups -- from which Portugal, Argentina and France were bounced in the first round -- the bizarre events of last Friday, when the United States advanced despite losing to Poland, it somehow seems appropriate these protagonists should meet. "It's crazy that two neighboring soccer rivals are going to be playing in Korea in the World Cup," said Reyna, "and we're looking forward to it."
Ridge Mahoney is senior editor at Soccer America magazine.
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