Mexico motivated for Olympic run
By Ivan Orozco (CONCACAF.com)
CARSON, California -- You could hear them coming. The sound of cleats hitting the cement echoed through the halls of The Home Depot Center.
Mexico's under-23 squad trod into its locker room virtually speechless. It had beaten Haiti 5-1, but fell one goal short - despite open looks at the net - to reach the semifinals of CONCACAF Olympic qualifying, and thus was eliminated from Beijing contention.
Guatemala and Canada advanced instead out of the group, leaving usually flamboyant Mexico coach Hugo Sanchez virtually speechless.
"This is a failure," Sanchez said at the time. "I don't like to use that word, but you (reporters) are going to keep asking me until I say it. It was our plan to go to the Olympics, so not being there is disappointing. It also stops us from making history. We've never won an Olympic medal."
Honduras and the United States went on to win in the semifinals and moved on to represent the region in the Olympics. No Mexico.
No Golden Generation looking for a gold medal. Players with star power such as Cesar Villaluz, Luis Landin and Edgar Andrade didn't make it happen.
The 2008 failure ultimately led to Sanchez' firing, and makes the 2012 attempt more crucial for El Tri.
It begins its qualifying journey Friday against Trinidad & Tobago in the nightcap of a Group B doubleheader at The Home Depot Center. Honduras faces Panama in the first match.
Redemption is at stake for Mexico.
And so is the Mexican soccer federation's decision to split coaching duties between Luis Fernando Tena, in charge of the Olympic squad, and Jose Manuel de la Torre, who handles the senior squad.
"It is a responsibility," said Cruz Azul and Mexico defender Nestor Araujo last month after a Mexican league match against Tijuana. "That's our objective. We're not thinking about anything else but to win the qualifying and earn that ticket. It will be very important."
It is important enough that Mexico's preparations for Olympic qualifying began last summer when it used an enhanced U-23 squad at the Copa America.
Unlike, Sanchez's squad in 2008, Tena has put together a roster with fewer high-profile names. At least that's how it appears on paper.
Forwards Nestor Calderon of Toluca and Alan Pulido of Tigres, and midfielders Javier Aquino of Cruz Azul and Miguel Ponce of Chivas are a few. There is also Chivas forward Marco Fabian, who brings some star and celebrity feel to the roster.
They combine to make Mexico the pick of many to clinch one of the two regional slots in London.
First, El Tri will have to make it through the group stage.
Mexico is a favorite to win Group A and advance to the semis in Kansas City, and ultimately the final.
El Tri is also favored by some to win the tournament. The United States might have a different view.
Coach Caleb Porter's team defeated Mexico 2-0 in a friendly last month in Frisco, Texas.
Porter also has worked with a pool of players since last year leading into qualifying. The team's chemistry appeared to be working against Mexico as the United States often dominated possession and pressured El Tri, closing off spaces. Mexico could not generate enough offense to be a threat.
"We have great chemistry, have enough pieces in the attack to be dangerous and they play for each other," Porter told The Associated Press after the game.
The Americans reached the Olympics in 2008, but not after losing to Honduras in the CONCACAF final.
The United States will also look to redeem itself. Porter has mustered a roster filled with young talent and some members that have been part of the senior national team. Freddy Adu, back for a second go-round with qualifying and Juan Agudelo. However, like some others, he does not have everybody at his full disposal, notably European-based players such as Jozy Altidore, Timothy Chandler and Danny Williams, all of which have had significant time with the senior side but who weren't released by their clubs.
"We've had a good number of guys in the last two or three camps, so there's a good comfort level both ways - them with us, us with them - of knowing how we do things, how we train, the rhythm of how we prepare for games, the system and the style of play," Porter said.
The U.S. Opens qualifying play against Cuba in Nashville. In other men's tournaments, Cuba is often a team that reaches the CONCACAF finals but struggles in the group stage. This will be a second straight trip to the CONCACAF U-23 finals after not qualifying since 1984.
Canada and El Salvador make up the rest of Group B.
Canada coach Tony Fonseca will try to lead his group to a semifinal repeat, while El Salvador will be making its first appearance in the CONCACAF finals since 1996.
Among Mexico's rivals, Honduras and Panama arrive with more pedigree than Trinidad & Tobago. Honduras has won the tournament twice, in 2000 and 2008 - both times when it was played in the United States, and Panama gave Honduras and the United States a solid challenge in 2008, losing both matches 1-0 before beating Haiti.
Much like Cuba, Trinidad is a squad that has often qualifies out of the Caribbean for men's tournaments, but has only won two of eight games in its two previous U-23 appearances (2004 and 1996).
Since 1992 when the Olympics adopted a U-23 roster limitation, only four different teams from CONCACAF have qualified for the Summer Games: the United States (four), Mexico (three), Honduras (two) and Costa Rica (one).
Mexico has missed two of the last three, and probably feels it can't afford to miss another.
