Mexico Is Moving Forward
They play these games for educational reasons, usually to learn who can and can’t cut it at the World Cup level. But the main achievement for Mexico in Thursday night’s 1-0 victory over Bolivia at San Francisco Stadium at Candlestick Point was to confirm one thing Coach Javier Aguirre already knew:
Mexico is a much better team when forwards Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Francisco Palencia are not on the bench.
Blanco and Palencia sat and watched a lot of unimaginative soccer as a veteran-shy Bolivia squad held Mexico scoreless for the first 45 minutes. Mexico had a couple chances early, with Luis Hernandez squandering a prime opportunity in the fifth minute, getting to a rebound off the crossbar but heading over the bar. Then, for the next 40 minutes, Mexico generated little.
Actually, Blanco was sick. Not because of the soccer display in front of him--he was battling a case of the flu.
At halftime, however, Aguirre sent on Blanco and Palencia, hoping they might create some sort of spark over the last 45 minutes.
Blanco and Palencia needed only two.
In the 47th minute, Blanco split the Bolivian defense with a superb through ball, freeing Palencia just outside the penalty area. As the ball bounded just inside the box, Palencia struck with his right foot and blasted the ball past goalkeeper Carlos Eguez just inside the left post.
It was a quick burst, like one of the cold wind gusts that swirled through the stadium all night. A flash of what Mexico is capable of when Blanco and Palencia are on the field together, briefly warming the crowd of 37,217.
Palencia provided a jolt of energy for a Mexican team that had been booed at its last home game, an unimpressive 2-1 victory over Colombia last Sunday in Mexico City.
And then, given the goal it needed, Mexico attended to the basics--defense, avoiding injury, playing out the match.
It was a step in the right direction, but afterward, Aguirre was asked if he were running out of time to prepare his team for its World Cup opener in Japan, June 3 against Croatia.
“Two weeks is sufficient time to prepare my team,” Aguirre said. “We’ve had 40 days [in training camp already]. Two weeks is plenty of time to have the team ready for the World Cup.”
Aguirre acknowledged he is “not happy with everything. You can’t always be happy with everything. Especially considering the harsh conditions tonight--the wind and the pressure [Bolivia applied].”
Aguirre described Bolivia as “an uncomfortable rival. They ran a lot and they pressured us. We played pretty good. We just didn’t score many goals.”
Mexico plays its final tuneup game Sunday against AC Milan at 2 p.m. at the Coliseum.
