Page by: Andrew Cho. Apr 2016
“El Tri”
Current FIFA Ranking: 16
Copa America Record: 2nd Place (1993, 2001)
Manager: Juan Carlos Osorio (Colombia)
Mexico FIFA ranking since 1993. Graph by FIFA
History
The Mexican national team is currently 16th in FIFA World Rankings, a position that is in line with their average rank since FIFA started the ranking system in 1993. This is, however, a considerable jump from the past three years, when they were in the low 20’s.
This puts Mexico as the second highest ranking team in their group after Uruguay (9th) and seventh of the sixteen teams represented in the entire Copa America Centenario tournament. Despite this fact, the Mexican mens national team remains confident. Already having secured qualification for the 2018 World Cup by March of 2016, El Tri can focus all its energy to the upcoming Copa America. For this year’s tournament, Mexico’s goal is to finish in the top three- a perfectly feasible feat despite the competition (Arnold, 2016). With numerous in-form players like Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Miguel Layun, Arnold believes Mexico has one of the strongest talent in the tournament. And El Tri has accomplished top three finishes in the past. The team, the coaching staff, and the nation are very familiar with it, having done it five times since 1993.
As a population that were neither Spaniards nor indigenous, Mexicans represent a culture that is a conglomeration of many races. Naturally the nation needed unity and commonality (Nadel, Chapter 6). At the same time that Mexico the nation was forming, foreign travelers and European populations in Mexico delivered a then novel sport called “futbol.” Soccer spread via elite high schools and the military, both of which looked to build character and sense of unity. Soon the sport was brought back to villages and has exploded in popularity since (Nadel 182). While Mexico holds the best record for a CONCACAF invitee in the Copa America tournament, there is no doubt that the nation’s passion and love for soccer demands an eye for the championship title.
Players to Watch
Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez (27)
Chicharito playing for Mexico as number 9. Photo labeled for reuse by Wikipedia
- Club: Bayer Leverkusen
- National Caps: 80
- Goals: 43
Chicharito is having a phenomenal season playing in the Bundesliga after years of struggle at the English and Spanish leagues (Salazar, 2016). In just 31 Bundesliga matches, he has 23 goals. He was awarded the “Bundesliga Player of Month” in three consecutive occassions from November 2015 to January 2016 (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2613213-javier-hernandez-wins-third-successive-bundesliga-player-of-the-month-award). He is already the second all-time leading goal scorer for his country, only four goals behind Jared Borgetti. We can expect Chicharito to continue his marvelous year and perform spectacularly in Copa America.
Andres Guardado (29)
Guardado, the Mexico captain, playing for PSV. Photo labeled for reuse by Wikipedia
- Club: PSV Eindhoven
- National Caps: 124
- Goals: 23
Like Hernandez, Guardado is having an excellent season and making a name for himself at PSV this year (Hansen, 2016). He had the second leading assist record in the Dutch league and critically contributed to PSV’s status as the top position in the league for much of the season. Unfortunately, on the first week of April, the Mexican captain suffered a right thigh injury during training (ESPNFC, 2016). PSV announced that he will be “out for several weeks.”
Fortunately for the Mexican team, this means that Guardado will most likely be ready for the Copa America tournament in June and well rested. This is great news for El Tri because since September 2014, every time that Guardado started as Mexico’s captain the team either won or drew. The last time Mexico lost with Guardado in the starting lineup was in the 2014 World Cup against Netherlands in the Round of 16 (Moran, 2015). There is a lot of confidence and excitement around Mexico’s newest captain, and we should hope that he returns from his injury well recovered for the tournament.
Chants
- “Ole, ole, ole”
The classic international soccer chant you can hear anywhere in the world. This chant comes from the chorus of a song by “Bouncing Souls” called “Ole.” Since then, it has been spread through many parts of the world and in many different sports like soccer, hockey, American football, and baseball. More information can be found here in this Wikipedia article.
- “Si, se puede”
Perhaps a chant more unique to Mexico is “Si, se puede.” (Yes, it can be done, it can be done). The chant was first heard in a rally by Cesar Chavez during a protest for fair wages for United Farm Workers in Phoenix, Arizona. Since then, the mantra has become popular for civil rights groups, political campaigns, and Mexican soccer fans (NumbersUSA, 2013).
National Narrative
This Copa America will be proof for Mexico fans that their team is a world class team. According to Arnold from goal.com, Mexico fans in Estadio Azteca “still jeered their national team after a 2-0 victory against Canada” and criticized the new coach Osorio of playing lesser quality teams. This Copa America will be the one to erase memories and reclaim national pride as a soccer nation, after last year’s poor result in the group stages (2 draws, 1 loss).
Politically, it is also a much needed time for unity and pride in the nation. In a recent op-ed New York Times article, Ginger Thompson articulates an internal turmoil that is self-inflicting damage to the image of the country. There is distrust between the Mexican people and government, only to be further fueled by unfounded comments by presidential candidate Donald Trump (Thompson, 2016). Perhaps a successful Copa America tournament this summer could reunite the country behind El Tri and take back the pride and passion in its country.
Even in the immigrant Mexican population in the United States, we see that soccer represents much more than a sport. It is the heart and remnant of Mexican culture that immigrants could remember their home. In “A Home on the Field”, author Paul Cuadros depicts a remarkable Hispanic community that rose out of a common immigrant town in North Carolina. The immigrant children were often ostracized in schools for their race and lack of ability to speak English but wonderfully found joy and home in a foreign country in playing soccer. Copa America will have a tremendous cultural meaning for the Mexican population in the United States. Children and families now have the opportunity to actually attend and see the revered El Tri players, instead of simply watching a game on television. This is their chance- perhaps one that comes once every decade or two- to physically meet their role models and heroes and take pride in their nation behind El Tri.
Works Cited
Arnold, John. ”Mexico puts all eyes on Copa America” goal.com. 31 Mar 2016. Web. 18 Apr 2016. http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/114/mexico/2016/03/31/21862642/mexico-puts-all-eyes-on-copa-america.
Cuadros, Paul. A Home on the Field. New York:itbooks, 2006. Print
Hansen, James. “Andres Guardado Out for Several Weeks After Sustaining Thigh Injury” the 18. 7 Apr 2016. Web. 18 Apr 2016. http://the18.com/news/andres-guardado-out-several-weeks-after-sustaining-thigh-injury
Moran, Nayib. “Mexico’s midfielders the unsung heroes for El Tri in 2015.” ESPNFC. 23 Dec 2015. Web. 18 Apr 2016. http://www.espnfc.us/team/mexico/203/blog/post/2768663/mexico-midfielders-unsung-el-tri-heroes-in-2015
Nadel, Joshua. Futubol. Gainesville:University Press of Florida, 2014. Print
NumbersUSA. “Crowd Chants ‘Si, Se Puede!’ As Immigration Bill Passes Committee.” YouTube. YouTube, Online video. 23 May 2013. Web 18 Apr 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1ips57oLX0
“PSV Eindhoven Andres Guardado injures thigh, out several weeks” ESPNFC. 5 Apr 2016. Web. 18 Apr 2016. http://www.espnfc.com/psv-eindhoven/story/2844210/psv-eindhoven-andres-guardado-injures-thigh-and-out-2-3-weeks
Salazar, Francisco. “Mexico vs Canada World Cup Qualifier: Chicharito is X-Factor in CONCACAF Game this Week” Latin Post. 25 Mar 2016. Web 18 Apr 2016. http://www.latinpost.com/articles/119032/20160325/chicharito-x-factor-mexico-vs-canada-world-cup-qualifier-preview.htm
Thompson, Ginger. “Mexico’s Self-Image Problem.” New York Times. 25 Apr. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/26/opinion/mexicos-self-image-problem.html
How to Cite this page:
“Mexico” Written by Andrew Cho (12 April 2016), Copa America Centenario 2016, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/copa-america-centenario-2016-guide/copa-america-centenario-2016-team-guide/mexico-group-c/ (accessed on (date))