Mexico national football team
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| Nickname(s) | "El Tri" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Association | FEMEXFUT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Confederation | CONCACAF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach |  Sven-Göran Eriksson |
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| Captain | Rafael Márquez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | Claudio Suárez (178) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Jared Borgetti (46) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Estadio Azteca | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | MEX | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA ranking | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 4 (May 1998, May 2006) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 32 (August 2008) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elo ranking | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest Elo ranking | 6 (June 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 47 (February 1979) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| First international | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Guatemala 2-3 Mexico .png){kind=small} (Guatemala, Guatemala; 1 January 1923) |
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| Biggest win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Mexico 13-0 Bahamas  (Toluca, Mexico; Apr 28, 1987) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 England 8-0 Mexico .png){kind=small} (London, England; May 10, 1961) |
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| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 13 (First in 1930) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Quarterfinals, 1970, 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup |
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| Appearances | 16 (First in 1965) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Winners, 1965, 1971, 1977, 1993, 1996,1998, 2003 |
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| Confederations Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 5 (First in 1995) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Winners, 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Mexican national football team is controlled by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol and represents Mexico in international football competition. The Mexican national football team is currently ranked 32nd in the FIFA World Rankings making the lowest rank ever for the team.[1] Mexico is known to be the "King of Concacaf" for being the biggest and power full national team in the zone because of its numerous titles internationally but lately in the years has feuded with USA and now with Honduras and Costa Rica to see who can be the "King".
Mexico has qualified for thirteen World Cups and has qualified consecutively since 1994. Mexico's best progression was reaching the Quarterfinals in both the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cups, both of which were staged on Mexican soil. Mexico holds one FIFA U-17 World Cup, one FIFA Confederations Cup, four CONCACAF Gold Cups, three CONCACAF Championships, three Pan Am Games Gold Medals, and three NAFC Championships. Although Mexico is under the jurisdiction of CONCACAF, the national football team has been regularly invited to compete in the CONMEBOL Copa América since Ecuador 1993.
[edit] History
[edit] Early Years
Competitive association football in Mexico was organized in the early 20th century by various European immigrant groups, notably English miners from Cornwall, England, and in later years, Spanish exiles fleeing the Spanish Civil War. Though organized football was disrupted from 1910 to 1919 as a result of the Mexican Revolution, a new football association had been established in Mexico City by 1922, and by the end of the year a national team had been organized from players in this league to represent Mexico in international friendlies. On January 1, 1923, Mexico played their first international friendly against Guatemala, which the Mexican team won 3–2.[2]
[edit] First International Friendlies at Home
A series of international friendlies were played against the national representation of Guatemala on December 9, 12, and 16 of 1923. The match on December 9 was played Parque España and was won by Mexico with a final score of 2-1. On December 12, the match ended in a 2-0 win for Mexico, and the final game of the series ended in a 3-3 draw.[3] The manager for this team was Rafael Garza Gutiérrez "Récord", and the assistant coach was Adolfo Frías.[4] The fourteen players selected for this friendly series include: Nacho de la Garza, Pedro "Perico" Legorreta, Manuel "Güero" Yáñez, Enrique "La Matona" Esquivel, Agustín Ojeda, Roberto Jardón, Carlos Garcés, Horacio Ortiz, Adeodato López, Mauro Guadarrama "La Venada" Alatorre, Cornelio Cuevas, and Alfredo "Fofo" García Besné.[5]
[edit] 1924-1927
It would be another four years before the national team would be represented in international friendlies. In preparation for a friendly against Spain, the team played a friendly against their "B" squad on June 12, 1927, winning 4-2. On June 19, 1927, the Mexican squad faced a selection from Spain, drawing 3-3. During this series, the squad also played against the Uruguayan club Nacional de Montevideo, losing 1-3.[6]
[edit] Formation of the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol
On August 23, 1927, the official governing body of the sport of football in Mexico was founded. From its inception, the federation has been the main body in charge of the promotion, administration, organization, management, and funding of the Mexican national football team as well as all football competition within Mexico. Club representatives from the federation's first division all vote on the direction, management, and coaching staff of the national football team.
[edit] 1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics were hosts to Mexico's first international tournament. Prior to the tournament, the Mexican squad held friendlies against a representative Asturias side as well as two friendlies against Spain. These matches resulted in two draws and one loss. At the Olympic tournament, Mexico faced Spain in the Round of 16 on May 30, 1928, resulting in Mexico's defeat of 1-7.[7]
[edit] World Cup Competition
[edit] 1930 World Cup
Mexico participated in the 1930 FIFA World Cup, having been grouped together with Argentina, Chile, and France. Mexico's first match was played against France at Estadio Pocitos in Montevideo, Uruguay on July 13, 1930. The match ended in a 4–1 loss for Mexico, but witnessed Mexico's first World Cup goal by Juan Carreño.[8] This match occurred simultaneously with the USA–Belgium match. In their second match of the tournament, Mexico fell to Chile 3–0 at Montevideo's Estadio Gran Parque Central. Mexico's third match, against Argentina, featured the first penalty of the tournament, awarded in the 42' and scored by Mexico's Manuel Rosas. A total of five penalties were awarded during the match which was refereed by the Bolivian coach Ulises Saucedo, three of them controversial.[9]
[edit] 1950 World Cup
Mexico did not appear again in a World Cup tournament until the 1950 FIFA World Cup. Before 1970, Mexico struggled to make much of an impact in the World Cup when competing against European and South American teams. However, goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal has the distinction of being the first player ever to appear in five consecutive FIFA World Cups.
[edit] 1970 World Cup
In 1970, Mexico hosted the World Cup and kicked off their campaign with a scoreless draw against the Soviet Union. This was followed by a win over El Salvador (4–0). Mexico advanced to the next round with a victory against Belgium thanks to a penalty scored by Gustavo Peña in the 14th minute. At the quarter-finals stage, Mexico was eliminated by Italy in a 4–1 match despite Mexico taking an early lead.
[edit] 1978 World Cup
Mexico failed to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup and did not appear at the world stage until the Argentina '78. Mexico suffered an early exit after three defeats: 0-6 against West Germany, 1-3 against Tunisia, and 1-3 to Poland. Mexico failed to qualify for Spain 1982.
[edit] 1986 World Cup
In 1986, Mexico again hosted the World Cup. Coached by Bora Milutinovic, Mexico was placed in Group B where they defeated Belgium 2-1, draw 1-1 with Paraguay, and defeated Iraq 1-0. With this performance, Mexico won the top spot in its group and advanced to the next round where Mexico faced Bulgaria in a 2-0 win. In the quarter-finals stage, Mexico lost to West Germany 0-0 (1-4 pens).
[edit] 1990 World Cup
Mexico was disqualified from the 1990 FIFA World Cup (and any other international competition) after using players over the age limit allowed by FIFA in the qualifying round for the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988. The punishment originally was only going to be applied to the Olympic team and not the World Cup team, but the penalty was applied to all Mexican national representatives of all sports for two years.
[edit] 1994 World Cup
In the 1990s, after hiring coach César Luis Menotti Mexican football began experiencing greater international success. An important turning point was its participation in the 1993 Copa America, where they finished second in the tournament, losing to Argentina 2-1 in the final. Mexico went on to win its group on tiebreakers in the 1994 World Cup, emerging from the tournament's "Group of death", composed of Mexico, Italy, Ireland, and Norway. However, Mexico eventually lost in the second round to Bulgaria on penalty kicks. Miguel Mejía Barón led this team into one of its most distinguished performances in a World Cup.
[edit] 1998 World Cup
After its participation at King Fahd's Cup (which would eventually become the FIFA Confederation's Cup) and being coached again by Bora Milutinovic, the Mexican team was managed by coach Manuel Lapuente in a very good qualifying round for France 1998, in which they came in first place in the CONCACAF side. At the World Cup, Mexico was placed in Group E, with Holland, Korea Republic and Belgium. Mexico started against Korea Republic losing 0-1 but came back to win 3-1. Belgium had started beating Mexico 2-0 but came back to tie 2-2. The third game against Netherlands ended in another 2-2 result which resulted in qualification to the Round of 16. In the next round, Mexico faced Germany. Although having the lead Mexico did not manage to hold onto it and lost the game 2-1.
[edit] 2002 World Cup
After a tough qualifying campaign for the 2002 World Cup, Mexico reached the finals and was placed in Group G alongside Italy, Croatia, Ecuador. Mexico opened its participation with a 1-0 win over Croatia. In the second match, Mexico earned a 2-1 win over Ecuador with goals from Jared Borgetti and Gerardo Torrado. Mexico then achieved a 1-1 draw against Italy thanks to a goal from Borgetti that was regarded as one of the best of the tournament. In the second round Mexico played continental rivals United States. Mexico was defeated by the U.S. 2-0.
[edit] 2006 World Cup
- Additional information: 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group D
Mexico played a series of friendlies in the United States of America in preparation for the World Cup, seeking to maximize revenue by appealing to Mexican Americans living in the USA.
Mexico was one of eight seeded teams in the first round at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The eight seeded teams consisted of Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Mexico. This was the second time a non-hosting CONCACAF nation was seeded. Mexico was put in Group D with Iran, Angola and Portugal.
Mexico won their opening match 3–1 against Iran, with two goals from Omar Bravo and one by Zinha. In their second match, Mexico played to a 0–0 draw against Angola. Mexico joined Portugal as a qualifier in the Round of 16, despite losing to the Portuguese 2–1. During the match, Bravo missed a penalty shot.
In the second round, Mexico played against Argentina. The Mexicans scored in the 5th minute with a goal by captain Rafael Márquez assisted by Pavel Pardo. Four minutes later, a goal by Hernán Crespo allowed Argentina to equalize (the goal was credited to Crespo, but was actually an own goal, which Jared Borgetti, the head scorer, ironically scored with his head). The score remained 1–1 after ninety minutes, and in extra time, an exceptional volley by Maxi Rodríguez in the second period of extra time brought about a 2–1 win for Argentina.
Argentine coach Ricardo Lavolpe stepped down as coach after the tournament, and was succeeded by Hugo Sánchez.
[edit] International Competitions
Since their second place finish in the 1993 Copa America, Mexico has been a regular participant in the South American tournament and has competed well. It earned third place in 1997, 1999 and 2007 and another second-place finish in 2001. Mexico has never failed to reach the quarter finals of the Copa America and twice has had the leading scorer in the tournament (Luis Garcia in 1995 (sharing the title with Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta) and Luis Hernández in 1997).
Mexico hosted and won the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup. Mexico won its first official FIFA tournament trophy by beating Brazil with a final score of 4-3. Mexico's star, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, shared the tournament's Golden Shoe award as top scorer with Ronaldinho, he was also awarded the Silver Ball.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the United States proved a credible challenger to Mexico's dominance on the continental football scene, winning the 2002 Gold Cup and eliminating Mexico in the second round of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Mexico co-hosted (with the United States of America) the Gold Cup in 2003, winning it after a 1-0 victory in Mexico City over a mostly U-23 Brazilian squad which had eliminated the United States in Miami, Florida.
The parallel emergence of Mexico and the United States on the international stage has helped elevate the status of the CONCACAF region, and has provided a natural rivalry that has benefited the development of both national teams.
The growth experienced by the Mexican national team since the early 1990s was matched by the increased competitiveness of its domestic league, the Primera División de México. Due in large part to lucrative television contracts, Mexican football clubs are amongst the richest outside of Europe. The influx of high level foreign players, together with increased participation in international tournaments has helped compensate for the fact that, traditionally, relatively few Mexican players have sought opportunities in other countries. Hugo Sánchez (Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid), Luis Garcia (Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad), Rafael Márquez (AS Monaco and FC Barcelona), and Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Real Valladolid). Other European-based players that have managed to succeed thus far include Carlos Salcido (PSV Eindhoven), Pavel Pardo (VfB Stuttgart),Ricardo Osorio (VfB Stuttgart), Aaron Galindo (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Nery Castillo (Manchester City) all of whom won championships with their clubs in this past 2006-2007 season.
After losing the final match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2007 1-2 against the United States, Mexico successfully rebounded with a remarkable first-round participation at CONMEBOL Copa America 2007. Beginning by beating the recent champions Brazil 2-0 (goals from: Nery Castillo 23' and Ramon Morales 28') in their first match, they then went on to defeat Ecuador 2-1 (goals from: Nery Castillo 21' and Omar Bravo 79'). For their final match they tied 0-0 with Chile. With those results Mexico came first in Group B with seven points.
In the quarterfinals, they beat Paraguay 6-0. In the semifinals, Argentina beat Mexico 0-3. With this defeat Mexico was left to fight for third place against Uruguay, winning 3-1.
[edit] Schedule and results
| Date | Location | Opponent | Score1 | Competition | Mexico scorers | Opponent scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 6, 2008 | Houston, Texas |  USA |
2-2 D | F | Johny Magallón 34', 47' | Oguchi Onyewu 29', Josmer Altidore 39' |
| March 26, 2008 | London, England |  Ghana |
2-1 W | F | Carlos Salcido 77', Pável Pardo 86' | Michael Essien 55' |
| April 16, 2008 | Seattle, Washington |  China PR |
1-0 W | F | César Villaluz 14' | None |
| June 4, 2008 | San Diego, California |  Argentina |
1-4 L | F | Antônio "Zinha" Naelson Matias 62' | Nicolás Burdisso 11', Lionel Messi 18', Maximiliano Rodríguez 29'. Sergio Agüero 71' |
| June 8, 2008 | Chicago, Illinois |  Peru |
4-0 W | F | Fernando Arce 5', Andrés Guardado 8', Carlos Vela 20', Fernando Arce 28' | None |
| June 15, 2008 | Houston, Texas |  Belize |
2-0 W | WCQ Round 2 | Carlos Vela 66', Jared Borgetti 90+2'(Pen) | None |
| June 21, 2008 | Monterrey, Nuevo León | Belize |
7-0 W | WCQ Round 2 | Carlos Vela 7', Andrés Guardado 33', Fernando Arce 45+', 48', Jared Borgetti 62', 90+4', Trevor Lennen 90+3' (Own Goal) | None |
| August 20, 2008 | Mexico , D.F. |  Honduras |
2-1 W | WCQ Round 3 | Pável Pardo 73', 75' | Julio Cesar de Leon 35' |
| September 6, 2008 | Kingston, Jamaica |  Jamaica |
WCQ Round 3 | |||
| September 10, 2008 | Tuxtla , Chiapas |  Canada |
WCQ Round 3 | |||
| September 24, 2008 | Los Angeles, California |  Chile |
F | |||
| October 11, 2008 | Mexico , D.F. | Jamaica |
WCQ Round 3 | |||
| October 15, 2008 | Edmonton, Alberta | Canada |
WCQ Round 3 | |||
| November 19, 2008 | San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Honduras |
WCQ Round 3 |
1 - Mexico score always listed first
| Competition | Games played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | Difference | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL | 31 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 58 | 34 | 24+ | 69.% |
- Key
- F = Friendly
- GCF = Gold Cup Finals
- CAF = Copa America Finals
- WCQ = 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
- * Game was suspended after first half due to rain.
[edit] 2010 World Cup Qualifying
[edit] Round 2: Group 2
| Team #1 | Agg. | Team #2 | Home leg | Away leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 2 | ||||
| Belize |
0–9 | Mexico |
0–21 | 0–7 |
| Jamaica |
13–0 | Bahamas |
7–0 | 6–02 |
| Honduras |
6–2 |  Puerto Rico |
4–0 | 2–2 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  |
1–7 | Canada |
0–33 | 1–4 |
1 Belize moved their home leg to the United States.[10]
2 The Bahamas elected to play their home leg in Jamaica.[11]
3 Order of legs reversed subsequent to original draw.[12]
[edit] Round 3: Group 2
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[edit] Current Squad
The following squad was selected to play against Jamaica and Canada on September 6, 2008 and September 10, 2008.[13][14]Caps and goals current as of the completion of the match against Honduras.
[edit] Coaching Staff
| Manager | Sven-Göran Eriksson |
| Assistant Manager | Hans Backe |
| Assistant Manager | Francisco Ramírez |
| Youth Coach | Jesús Ramírez |
| Coach | Tord Grip |
| Fitness Coach | Ariel González |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Alberto Aguilar |
| Physiotherapist | Eduardo Lovaglio |
| Team Doctor | Dr. José Luis Serrano |
[edit] Competitive record
[edit] World Cup record
[edit] Confederations Cup record
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