Mexico, Argentina Square Off at Coliseum
It remains doubtful whether many Major League Soccer fans will be seeing Jorge Campos in the season ahead, but Southern California fans will have that opportunity tonight.
Campos, who lost his starting place with the Chicago Fire and returned to Mexico before the MLS club won the league championship last season, is part of a strong Mexican national team that will play Argentina at 7:30 at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Manuel Lapuente, Mexico’s coach, has a veteran squad to take on the South Americans in a city that traditionally has been the Mexican team’s home away from home.
Besides the former Galaxy goalkeeper, other well-known Mexican players are winger Ramon Ramirez, striker Luis Hernandez, defender Claudio Suarez and forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
Argentina Coach Marcelo Bielsa is bringing a relatively young and internationally untested team to Los Angeles. Neither Gabriel Batistuta nor any other of Argentina’s Europe-based stars are on the roster but there are five Boca Juniors playing and Boca Juniors upset Mexico, 3-1, in Buenos Aires last April during Mexico’s preparations for World Cup ’98.
FIFA international rankings have Argentina ranked sixth and Mexico 12th, but the comparative strengths of the two rosters would tend to favor Mexico.
Meanwhile, the MLS future of Campos remains unsettled. He might be able to clarify the situation tonight with his performance.
