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Saturday Ticker: Mexico to bid for 2026 World Cup, USWNT U-17 draws opener, and more

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

By JOEY SAMUEL

Many soccer fans and pundits expect the United States to bid to host the 2026 World Cup, but that won't be the only CONCACAF nation looking to earn the honor.

The Mexican football federation announced on Friday that it will also enter the field of countries looking to host the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup. Federation president Justino Compean revealed his country's intentions in an interview with Mexican media outlets.

Mexico previously bid to host either the 2018 or the 2022 World Cup, but the federation removed themselves before the voting process began, allowing CONCACAF to consolidate behind the United States. Now Mexico plans on bidding again, even though it will likely face American opposition once more.

Both the 1970 and 1986 versions of the World Cup were held in Mexico, and no country has ever hosted the World Cup three times. Brazil will host the tournament for the second time in 2014 after first hosting in 1950. The United States has hosted once, in 1994.

Mexico has established itself as a force in global soccer in recent years. After reaching the round of 16 in the 2010 World Cup, Mexico began to shine at various youth levels, winning the 2011 U-17 World Cup and capturing the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Mexico took third place at the 2011 U-20 World Cup. Mexico also won the 2011 Gold Cup, beating the United States in the final.

Here are some other stories from around the world of soccer today:

UNITED STATES U-17 WNT TIES IN WORLD CUP OPENER

The United States U-17 women's national team began its quest to capture the 2012 U-17 Women's World Cup on Saturday, playing to a scoreless draw with France.

After North Korea began Group B play with an 11-0 thrashing of Gambia, the U.S. took the field against a strong France side that took second at this year's U-17 UEFA women's championship. France were the more dangerous side throughout, creating 23 shots and 12 shots on goal, while the U.S. could only muster one shot on goal. But the Americans kept France off the scoreboard and the teams each earned a single point.

This year's edition of the U-17 Women's World Cup is taking place in Azerbaijan. The U.S., which failed to qualify for this tournament in 2010, returns to action on Tuesday when they face Gambia in Baku.

SANTOS LOOK TO SIGN KAKA FROM MADRID

Few expected Brazilian midfielder Kaka to remain with Real Madrid into the 2012-13 La Liga season. After all, the club had openly tried to sell him back to his former club of AC Milan. But that deal fell through, and Kaka is still with Los Blancos, although he still has his share of suitors.

Brazilian club Santos are interested in bringing Kaka back to his home country, manager Muricy Ramalho revealed in a press conference. Santos, the team that boasts the likes of young phenom Neymar, is in need of a playmaker after selling Ganso to Sao Paulo in the summer.

Kaka has never truly established himself as a starter with Real Madrid. While his move back to Milan collapsed this summer, his wife revealed that he would be highly interested in a return to Brazil, and he may now have his opportunity.

PORTLAND'S BOYD LIKELY OUT FOR SEASON

Portland Timbers striker Kris Boyd has experienced a tumultous first season in Major League Soccer, and now it appears as though that season has come to an abrupt end.

Boyd suffered a groin strain in Portland's 2-2 draw with San Jose on Wednesday, and is now likely done for the rest of the 2012 season. The Timbers told MLSsoccer.com that Boyd will miss four to six weeks, which makes it unlikely that Boyd would return to the field this year.

Since signing before the start of the season, Boyd has experienced his share of ups and downs. He got off to a slow start, notching only three goals in his first 11 starts, but he now leads the team with seven goals. Since the firing of manager John Spencer, though, Boyd has only started in six of 12 matches.

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What do you think of these developments? Could you see Mexico earning the right to host the 2026 World Cup? How far will the U.S. U-17 women go in Azerbaijan? Would a move to Santos be good for Kaka? Do you see Boyd returning for Portland next season?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Hey, I’m as big a fan of bashing American immigration policy as anyone, but that’s a little. . . crazy. No one is worried about tourists with World Cup tickets.

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  2. Either canada or mexico would be a great choise, but not the US with all of its law it will kill the parting that WC brings… Plus it will reject half of the people that purchase ticket and return them home bc of immigration issues

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  3. Mexico has roughly 3x the reported murder rate of the US per capita. We are roughly 3x their size, so it’s possible we have more reported murders per year. I’m willing to guess who has more unreported.

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  4. I told dunord but I don’t think he believe me- ,mexico soccer is a wanna be mls and they plan to make new stadiums, attract european players, make a 20 team league, in order to get world cup 2026- good luck usa

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  5. They need to cut down the time frame of these things. The selection should come 5-6 years before the games. If you cant be ready in 6 years, you shouldnt get to host. The selection so far in advance only feeds the FIFA corruption. The fat cats can just give the games to whoever pays the most because by the time the games get here, no one will even remember who voted on them.

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  6. Mexico has time to shape things up before the 2026 host nation will be selected but I don’t think they’ll get it. I’m still holding out for Qatar’s tournament to fall apart and be staged here in the States. If that does not happen, however, I would like to think we would be the favorites along with England or maybe Spain to host.

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  7. Mexico needs to get its drug war in check before it can be deemed a decent location to host the WC. I’m still hopeful the US can get it come 2026.

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  8. FYI on the 86′ selection it was after Colombia withdrew and some would argue the 80’s in Colombia was a lot like Mexico is today with the drug violence.

    “The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially resigned in 1982. Mexico was selected as the new host in May 1983.”

    http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2010/05/mexico-today-similar-to-1980s-colombia.html

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  9. Both Mexico and US are capable of hosting the WC individually and a joint bid would be weaker than an individual bid, as FIFA prefers not to split the tournament among multiple countries. If the US were to consider a joint bid, it would be with Canada, not Mexico. Canada never hosted the WC so it can be used to cater to the FIFA’s idea of bringing the WC to new markets.

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  10. They should bid together. We might be rivals, but it would be a strong bid. I think the only issue is crazy libertarians afraid of our sovereignty or something ridiculous.

    Reply

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