Mexico Is Just Fine After Win
All that hand-wringing by Mexico’s fans about their team pulling a first-round flame-out with two consecutive losses to open defense of its CONCACAF Gold Cup championship?
Um, never mind.
Jared Borgetti’s two early goals not only got Mexico going on its way to a 4-0 rout of Guatemala in a Group C match at the Coliseum on Sunday afternoon, they also put the forward in a three-way tie for the all-time lead in goals scored for the Mexican national team and eliminated Guatemala from the 12-nation tournament.
Borgetti, 31, has 35 goals in 68 games for El Tri. Carlos Hermosillo and Luis Hernandez needed 90 and 85 matches to reach 35.
“When the goal went in, I was just concentrating on the score,” Borgetti said. “But after, that’s when I realized the significance. When you’re on the field, you’re not thinking about records.
“I know it’s big because my name is at the top of the list. That’s great, but I have to be ready to play the next game.”
Tournament favorite Mexico, which was shocked by South Africa, 2-1, on Friday, next meets Jamaica on Wednesday at Houston’s Reliant Stadium to close out group play and its prospects of advancing to the quarterfinals brightened considerably.
Less clear, though, was where Borgetti would continue his professional career.
Borgetti, whose contract is held by Pachuca of the Mexican league through the end of the year, opened many eyes in Europe with five goals during El Tri’s run to a fourth-place finish in last month’s FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany.
He said he is expecting contract offers from Bolton Wanderers of the English Premier League and Stuttgart of the German Bundesliga within the next two days. Germany’s Hertha Berlin has also shown interest.
“Those are possibilities,” Borgetti said. “It depends on Pachuca.”
Mexico’s fortunes rode with Borgetti against Guatemala.
Both teams were coming off upset losses -- the Chapines fell to Jamaica, 4-3, despite a hat trick by forward Carlos Ruiz -- though it was Mexico that controlled the game in its defeat.
The off-target shooting Mexico exhibited against South Africa two nights earlier was properly aligned before a pro-Mexico crowd announced at 30,710.
Borgetti made sure of it in the fifth minute.
Situated in the middle of the box and facing the goal, Borgetti gathered a high ball that was the result of a poor Guatemala clearance with his right foot. He then quickly, but calmly, fired with his left, past Guatemala’s flailing defender, Gustavo Cabrera, and its stunned goalkeeper, Miguel Angel Klee.
Nine minutes later, Borgetti struck again after a pass from Alberto Medina, Borgetti beating three defenders in the middle of the box and Klee with a right-footed shot.
And Hermosillo and Hernandez, who each played in the twilight of their respective careers for the Galaxy in Major League Soccer, had to make room on the pantheon of Mexico goal scorers.
Mexico continued the offensive barrage in the second half, when a handful of skirmishes broke out between rival fans.
Gerardo Galindo, taking a feed from Luis Ernesto Perez, scored on a breakaway in the 55th minute and Omar Bravo, who replaced Borgetti at halftime, applied the finishing touches in the 65th minute with his goal on a perfectly timed through ball by Antonio Naelson.
“Not only to score four goals but to win 4-0 is very impressive,” Mexico Coach Ricardo Lavolpe said.
“It’s a game that we attacked from the outset and were able to take it to Guatemala early and enforce our style of play.”
Indeed, Mexico dominated the midfield with give-and-goes that would have made John Stockton and Karl Malone proud as Mexico outshot Guatemala, 19-16, and in shots on goal, 9-4.
Forward Juan Pablo Garcia, who will report to Chivas USA after El Tri’s Gold Cup run concludes, made his Mexican national team debut in the 67th minute.
On the other end of the spectrum were the Chapines and the crest-fallen Ruiz, who was double-teamed and harassed all day.
Guatemala is still holding out hope of grabbing one of CONCACAF’s spots for the World Cup. But after such a poor showing in the first two matches of the Gold Cup, getting outscored, 8-3, Ruiz is not holding his breath.
“If there needs to be changes made for this team to be competitive,” Ruiz said, “so be it.”
While Guatemala closes out group play against South Africa, it will be without Guillermo Ramirez, who was shown his second yellow card in the 88th minute and the Galaxy midfielder may also face a fine and discipline for making contact with referee Oscar Ruiz.
