Blanco walks on mild side
The first time Cuauhtemoc Blanco spoke to Los Angeles media as an MLS player, Rock en Español band legends Heroes del Silencio (Heroes of the Silence) played a concert at the Home Depot Center.
What a coincidence.
Blanco, now a member of the Chicago Fire, has been a lightning rod for controversy throughout his 17-year career -- from his public fights with the coach of Mexico’s national team to his on-field tantrums. Yet on Friday the former Club America forward turned into a kind of hero of silence at a news conference to promote his first, and probably only, MLS game here this season, tonight against Western Conference leader Chivas USA at Home Depot Center.
He gave no great sound bites and didn’t offer reporters any juicy quotes. He didn’t talk negatively about Chivas, or anything else for that matter. For a player who is known for screaming at referees, he was downright quiet.
Reporter (in Spanish): Regardless of what jersey you’re wearing, does playing Chivas, or a team that represents Chivas . . . does it give you any extra fire?
Blanco (in Spanish): “Nothing in particular. This is just another game. I don’t know if people from Chivas or if the press wants to make it out to be a Clasico,” as when Chivas Guadalajara and America play in Mexico, “but a Clasico takes many years. America-Chivas has more than two decades, that’s why there is more passion.”
He kept his answers short and without controversy. The exception perhaps came in response to a question on immigration, when Blanco said, “Even if they put up a wall between us, we are intelligent enough to find a way to jump it.”
Chivas USA defender Claudio Suarez said Blanco has changed.
“Cuauhtemoc has gotten a lot better in terms of that he’s a calmer player,” he said. “In Mexico they would try to get him riled up, but now he’s more tranquil. He’s a very mature player.”
Maturity is not usually associated with a player known as much for his soccer skills as for being tabloid fodder by dating TV personalities, which has only made him more popular.
Chicago Fire midfielder Chris Armas, a former U.S. national team member who has often played against Blanco at the international level, said media in Chicago had questioned whether Blanco’s temperament would fit in with the team.
But “now that we’ve had him for a few months, you can’t say one bad thing about him,” Armas said. “He’s the life of our locker room, and in his own language. It’s unbelievable the presence he has in our locker room.”
There were recent reports that Blanco, the second-highest paid player in the league with a base salary of $2.49 million, has begun taking English classes.
The language barrier has not affected the team. Since Blanco’s arrival in July, Chicago has gone 4-2-4 in its last 10 games. Blanco’s production, three goals and six assists, has helped the Fire not only get back into the playoff race but gain a one-point lead over Columbus for the eighth and final spot.
“We were desperate for a player like Cuauhtemoc,” Armas said. “He brings lot of creativity. He never plays backward, always forward. He’s always looking for penetrating passes [and] he lives to set up goals. Sometimes the media gets caught up . . . but he really brings a lot of passion and he cares about winning so much that he came at the perfect time to the team.”
Blanco’s presence has attracted more media attention than usual for tonight’s game.
Mexican TV networks Televisa and TV Azteca have dispatched crews to cover the game. And ESTO, an all-sports newspaper, previewed the game and ran an Old West-style “wanted” poster of 34-year-old Blanco.
Even the Fire’s arrival at LAX on Thursday was all about Blanco. About 50 Club America fans were waiting for him. One witness described the scene as chaotic as fans climbed up on the baggage claim turnstile, stepping on pieces of luggage in the process, just to be closer to Blanco. Some even followed him to the men’s room.
Asked Friday about that fan reaction, Blanco said, “It’s good that people welcome you in such a way, no?”
--
CHIVAS USA TONIGHT
vs. Chicago, 7:30
Site -- Home Depot Center.
TV -- FSN West (delay, 8).
Radio -- 1020.
Records -- Chivas 14-6-5; Chicago 8-10-8.
Record vs. Chicago -- 1-0.
Update -- The last time they played, Chivas midfielder Paulo Nagamura scored the game winner in the 79th minute. Chivas is trying to create some distance from Houston in the race for first place in the Western Conference. Chicago is trying to hang on to the eighth and final playoff spot.
--
