Changes in Mexico Don't Figure to Affect Hernandez

By PAUL GUTIERREZ

Sept. 18, 2000 12 AM PT

While Luis Hernandez was surprised at the recent developments surrounding the Mexican national team’s coaching position, the Galaxy striker is looking forward to the challenge of playing for a new national coach. After all, he has a relationship with both men.

Hernandez is longtime friends with the outgoing coach, Manuel Lapuente, and played in the Mexican league’s second division 10 years ago with Universidad de Queretaro for the new coach, Enrique Meza, who was named to the national position Thursday.

“It’s a change,” said Hernandez, one of Mexico’s all-time leaders in international goals scored, “but I hope it’s a change that doesn’t affect things too much.”

Lapuente, who compiled a 31-16-19 record with the national team, took Mexico into the second round of the 1998 World Cup in France with Hernandez as the star. And his teams won the 1998 Gold Cup, the 1999 U.S. Cup and the 1999 Confederations Cup.

But Lapuente had been under fire in Mexico after his team suffered the dual indignity of failing to qualify for the Sydney Olympics, by losing to CONCACAF rival Honduras, and not winning last winter’s Gold Cup, losing to eventual champion Canada in the quarterfinals.

A weary Lapuente tendered his resignation to Alberto de la Torre, president of the Mexico Soccer Federation, after Mexico thumped Panama, 7-1, in World Cup qualifying play on Sept. 3. The federation unanimously accepted the resignation on Wednesday, de la Torre saying that Lapuente and the federation “were not on the same page.”

Meza, meanwhile, was hired a day later. He has won three Mexican league first-division titles with Toluca and will coach Mexico in exhibitions against Ecuador on Wednesday and Peru next week before World Cup qualifying play resumes Oct. 8 against Trinidad and Tobago.

Mexico and the U.S. will meet Oct. 25 in a friendly in Los Angeles and the Mexicans will meet Argentina here on Dec. 20.

Before Lapuente resigned, though, Hernandez had an agreement with the coach that he would not be called up for national team duty during the Galaxy’s Major League Soccer playoff run, which continues with Game 2 Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Mutiny at the Rose Bowl. Meza has honored the agreement.

“There’s not much difference between them as coaches,” Hernandez said of Lapuente and Meza. “They are both outstanding.”

ARENA SUSPENDED

Bruce Arena, U.S. national team coach, wasn’t in the greatest of moods Thursday as he took in the Galaxy-Mutiny playoff match at Raymond James Stadium. Earlier in the day Arena had been served with a three-game suspension by FIFA, which covers World Cup qualifying play for arguing a call in Costa Rica’s 2-1 victory. over the U.S. on July 23.

U.S. captain and midfielder Claudio Reyna was slapped with a two-game suspension for his actions in the game.

While Arena wasn’t about to discuss specifically how he felt about the suspensions, he did say there was an appeals process and that he would explore that option.

The U.S., second to Costa Rica in its four-team group, has two regional semifinal matches remaining, against Costa Rica on Oct. 11 and at Barbados on Nov. 15.

SHORTER SEASON

MLS announced this week that starting next season it will shorten its schedule by four games to a 28-game regular season.

MLS, which made the decision based on a belief that it could better promote league games, enhance on-field performance and reduce the number of player injuries, has employed a 32-game schedule since its inception in 1996.

SOMETHING TO PLAY FOR

The Miami Fusion, which finished two points out of a playoff spot with a record of 12-15-5 for 41 points, still will be playing a week after MLS crowns its 2000 champion on Oct. 15.

Miami will face the Chicago Fire in the final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final Oct. 21 at Soldier Field.

The Fire, meanwhile, has a chance to duplicate its feat of 1998, when Chicago won both the MLS Cup and the Open Cup.

UNITED THEY FELL

Few tears were shed this season with the downfall of three-time and defending champion Washington D.C. United. United, which had defeated the Galaxy twice in title matches, in 1996 and 1999, stumbled badly this season, finishing 8-18-6 with 30 points, for last place in the Eastern Division.

Second-year United Coach Thomas Rongen took a philosophical approach to explain the collapse of a dynasty, after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in the league’s five-year history.

“The good teams inevitably go through this--from the AC Milans to the Manchester Uniteds to the Ajaxes,” Rongen told the Washington Post, referring to European club powers. “The good teams come back, though, the next year--immediately--and use the past as a means to prepare for the future.

“Certainly I, as a coach, am still growing in this learning curve within MLS with all the obstacles. Ultimately, we just didn’t do the job.”

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MLS Playoffs

Quarterfinal playoff round in best of three format:

GALAXY VS. TAMPA BAY

* Galaxy 1, Tampa Bay 0

* Wednesday--At Galaxy, 7:30 p.m.

* Saturday--xAt Tampa Bay, TBA

COLORADO VS. KANSAS CITY

* Kansas City 1, Colorado 0

* Wednesday--At Colorado

* Sunday--xAt Kansas City