U.S. Has Careful Eye on Borgetti

When Jared Borgetti was dreaming the sporting dreams of many Mexican boys -- leading Los Tricolores to glory on the soccer fields of the world -- he scarcely could have imagined what 2005 would have in store for him.

By any measure, it has been a remarkable year for the lanky striker from the small Sinaloa town of Culiacancito, even if it was 32 years in the making.

Tonight, when the United States plays Mexico in a decisive qualifying match for the 2006 World Cup, it could become more remarkable still.

If Mexico wins, it will qualify for Germany ’06 and, at the same time, keep the Americans from clinching their own place -- at least for the moment -- in next summer’s world championship.

Win or lose, though, 2005 has been memorable for Borgetti. In the last six months he has:

* Scored one goal and set up another in March as Mexico defeated the U.S., 2-1, at Azteca Stadium, where the U.S. players were left gasping for breath in the thin air of Mexico City.

* Scored the game-winning goal at Frankfurt, Germany, in June as Mexico upset world champion Brazil, 1-0, at the FIFA Confederations Cup.

* Scored two goals against World Cup host Germany as Mexico finished fourth in the same tournament.

* Become the first Mexican player to join the English Premier League when he was acquired from Pachuca for almost $2 million by Bolton Wanderers in August on the strength of his Confederations Cup performance.

* Scored his 36th goal in 71 games for his country, in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Costa Rica in Mexico City last month, surpassing former standouts Carlos Hermosillo and Luis Hernandez in becoming the Mexican national team’s all-time leading scorer.

After the latter feat, three days after he had turned 32, Borgetti said he’d had no idea he was even close.

“I didn’t even know I was approaching the record,” he told sportswriters in Mexico. “If it weren’t for you guys chasing me around and telling me, I wouldn’t even have known.”

That seems unlikely, and the American defenders tonight are not going to be lulled into thinking that Borgetti is just another forward. They know better.

Bruce Arena, the U.S. coach, has warned of the threat he poses.

“I don’t think you can argue his effectiveness,” Arena said earlier in the week. “He scores goals in big games, and that’s what a real goal scorer is all about.... At the end of the day, Borgetti is the guy we have to watch.”

Asked Friday how Borgetti could be contained, Arena was concise.

“You have to mark him properly in front of the goal,” he said. “I think he gets a lot of goals due to his individual brilliance as well as the service he gets, and also some of his chances are created by poor defending.

“So we need to defend better over 90 minutes.”

The task of keeping Borgetti and fellow striker Francisco Fonseca -- 10 goals in 17 games for Mexico -- in check could fall to defenders Oguchi Onyewu and Gregg Berhalter, who started in the loss at Mexico City.

“I think the key to Borgetti is to play him for 90 minutes, don’t give him space,” Onyewu said. “Much like you wouldn’t give any other good forward that much space because they’re going to capitalize on their chances.

“I think that was my mistake in the first game. I kind of underestimated him. I won’t let that happen again.”

Berhalter said Borgetti had the ability to hide in a game, to ghost in and out of defenses and to lose defenders when the ball is played into the 18-yard box.

“He’s one of those players, you don’t see him a lot and then he scores his goals,” he said. “I think the key is anywhere in front of the 18, you have to be aware of him. You have to know where he is. That’s the key. Knowing where he is at all times and getting a body on him at all times.”

Borgetti is regarded as one of the world’s best headers of the ball, as Italy would affirm after being scored on by the 6-foot-1, 191-pound striker at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.

American forward Brian McBride is the same type of opportunistic striker.

“As a player, if you feel like your timing’s right and your legs are underneath you, there’s a lot that you can do to open yourself up [and get free of defenders in the air],” McBride said. “He’s done a great job of that in the past six months and before that.

“We’ve got to keep an eye on him.”