Mexico is a big survivor on a day full of intrigue
Pity poor Carlos Pavon.
On a night when the Honduran striker lit up Reliant Stadium with four goals, his memorable performance became little more than a Gold Cup footnote, an asterisk alongside two Cuban defections and a morale-boosting but nail-biting soccer victory for Mexico.
First, the latter.
Mexico, struggling mightily in the 12-nation tournament and facing possible first-round elimination if it lost, clawed its way into the quarterfinals by the narrowest of margins. Its 1-0 win over Panama came on a goal by Dutch-based defender Carlos Salcido, who poked the ball into the net from close range off a corner kick by Jose Andres Guardado at the hour mark.
The goal brought a huge roar from the crowd of 68,417 -- the third-largest soccer crowd in Texas. After scoring, Salcido ran over to hug embattled Coach Hugo Sanchez, who is learning fast that international soccer is as difficult to coach as to play.
Panama, which had held the U.S. scoreless for two hours in the 2005 Gold Cup final before losing on penalty kicks, had some glorious chances. One shot hit the crossbar, two others rebounded off the left post, one flew inches wide, two more were punched away by goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez.
But Mexico, riding its luck, hung on and will play Costa Rica in Sunday’s quarterfinal doubleheader at the same stadium. Honduras, which routed Cuba, 5-0, behind Pavon’s tour de force, will play Guadeloupe in the other match.
The remaining quarterfinals, at Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday will see the U.S. play Panama, and Canada play Guatemala.
Meanwhile, Wednesday evening’s opener between Cuba and Honduras was surrounded by all the intrigue that Cuban participation in the Gold Cup traditionally brings.
In 2005, it was Cuban players Maykel Galindo and Yaikel Perez who defected in Seattle during the tournament. Galindo now plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.
This time it was forward Lester More, 28, and midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, 21, who jumped ship. Both players’ names were on Cuba’s lineup sheet for the game, but instead of being listed as starting, available as a substitutes or out injured, they were simply marked absent.
A spokesman for CONCACAF, soccer’s regional governing body, said, “This is not a matter that involves CONCACAF, and therefore we have no comment.”
The Cubans remained more or less mum.
“I am here to talk football, not politics,” Cuba’s coach, Raul Gonzalez, said in Spanish, declining to explain the players’ absence. When pressed, he relented slightly.
“Cuba relies on teamwork, not individual players,” he said. “The ones who are not here are not here because they decided not to be here. We did not lose because of that. We lost because we played badly.”
A Spanish-language television station in Houston later reported that the pair had slipped away while on a shopping trip in the city.
Their absence did affect the team, which trailed, 3-0, by halftime. Former Chivas USA midfielder Amado Guevara scored the final goal on a penalty kick.
Honduras took the lead 2:35 into the match when Pavon scored off pass from Carlos Costly, who had grabbed two goals of his own in the 2-1 Honduran win over Mexico.
Pavon, 33, who plays for Real DC Espana in Honduras, and Costly, 24, who plays for GKS Belchatow in Poland, have both been scrutinized by MLS, with Pavon of particular interest to the goal-hungry Galaxy.
Pavon’s second and third goals both came off headers, the first in the 12th minute when he leaped to beat Cuban goalkeeper Odelin Molina and two defenders.
Pavon got his hat trick just before halftime when he headed in a corner kick by Julio Cesar Leon and he added a fourth, also off a Leon pass, in the 53rd minute against a demoralized Cuban side.
