Franco Has Right Form for Mexico

Erratic goalkeeping, a suspect defense and a sometimes dangerous offense, that was the book on Mexico’s national soccer team coming into Wednesday night’s match against fellow World Cup finalist Ghana at Frisco, Texas.

Add to that, now, Coach Ricardo Lavolpe’s ability to pull rabbits out of hats.

Guillermo Franco, an Argentine-born striker playing for Villarreal in the Spanish league, became a Mexican citizen only last fall, hoping to make the World Cup roster under fellow Argentine Lavolpe.

The move was met with criticism in some quarters.

But against Ghana at Pizza Hut Park Wednesday, Franco produced the game-winning goal, scoring in the 75th minute as Mexico edged the West Africans, 1-0, for its second victory in three games in 2006.

Lavolpe, who said this week that he had decided upon 90% of his World Cup team, now must factor Franco into the equation.

For Ghana, which was eliminated in the first round of the African Nations Cup in Egypt in January, the loss means a threatened change of coaches is possible.

“I don’t care about that,” incumbent Coach Ratomir Dujkovic said Tuesday in Frisco. “This is always part of our job.”

-- Grahame L. Jones