If Mexico is going to defeat the U.S. national team in their World Cup qualifier in Columbus on Feb. 11, 'El Tri' will have to do so without their most dangerous player.
Mexican winger and Deportivo La Coruna standout Andres Guardado is set to miss six weeks after suffering a ruptured tendon in his left leg during Depor's 5-0 smashing by Barcelona on Saturday.
Guardado won't be alone on the Mexico sidelines. Arsenal striker Carlos Vela is already set to miss the match due to a red card suspension while Nery Castillo may or may not have to miss the match due to cobwebs forming around his body now that he has gone what seems like a calendar year without playing (though he has returned to Shakhtar Donetsk and could finally see some playing time soon).
With Pavel Pardo having returned to Mexico, Rafael Marquez battling injuries and Giovani Dos Santos on the sale rack at Tottenham, you have to wonder just what kind of shape Mexico will be in when it takes the field at Crew Stadium on Feb. 11. Losing Guardado suddenly puts a major dent into an already hobbled attack.
What do you think of this development? Are you more worried about Mexico coming into the USA match as a short-handed underdog than as its usual overconfident self? Are you starting to think that we might be in for a USA romp at Crew Stadium? How many more injuries have to happen before Sven recalls Cuauhtemoc Blanco? Think Sven is wishing he had locked up Jose Francisco Torres when he had the chance?
Share your thoughts below.
Sorry, truly sorry, to hear that Andres will be unable to play. I think Drew feels good about the news.
Hopefully Torres gets the start, just to stick it to Mexico!!
Listen… we shouldn’t be confident that we going to beat Mexico every day…. If we start thinking that we don’t have to show up……. and we still going to win… that’s when we going to fall into the Mexican mentality…
This Game needs to be taken Seriously… Mexico will put a strong team no matter who is there….
Although all US fans want to beat Mexico when the Tri are full strength, we’ll take beating them when we’re hurting, too. Oh yes. We’ll take it.
Of course Donovan (aka the Mexico killer) will be there, along with Gooch, Boca, Altidore, Howard and the rest of the European based players. It is the first game of the 2010 WC qualifiers, not to mention against Mexico (albeit a bum squad, but still Mexico no less). No way Bradley is going to chance losing the first game. He will bring in the big guns whether El Tri fields an A squad or B squad.
Mexico plays better when they feel that they are expected to lose… when they play Brazil or other powerhouses, they settle down and play their game and do not fall into their self-defeating attitudes. This could be a very very dangerous Mexican squad.
please tell me Landon did not write that email and also that he does not actually talk like that.
Maybe USA should call in Subotic
Once again you heard it hear first.
Mexico wins 2-1
this is a qualifier-they have to release players…
1. Can someone remind me of the FIFA release rules. I know they are slighty more strict (earlier release) for “sanctioned” matches (WCQ/Gold Cup) then for friendlies.
2. While as a US fan, I never feel completely comfortable as a favorite over Mexico. However, looking at this from a different perspective, if Mexico is going to drop points on the road it will most likely be against the USA or Honduras, so it is probably not all bad from their stand point that they are missing these players for this match.
Anytime the USA and Mexico are on the same pitch you can be sure of three things. It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be emotional, and it IS NOT GOING TO BE EASY!
That has no bearing on which stars may or may not be playing. Expect a very difficult match, even without Mexico’s top players.
Experience
Sven seems to be calling up ‘naturalized’ players recently to fill gaps, Argentine born Lucas Ayala being the most recent. (Though Ayala has played his entire career in Mexico). It seems this approach may be causing more controversy than filling gaps.
Hoepfully it permanently affects his speed or leads to more frequent chronic injuries ala Beasley
Mexico is NEVER to be taken lightly. Mexico is NEVER to be taken lightly. Mexico is NEVER to be taken lightly. Mexico is NEVER to be taken lightly.
Injuries aside, the USA should not take them lightly. USA should score as much as possible…
Shut up Sven!
why wouldn’t Donovan be called in? It’s the most important game in qualifying.
I’ll mostly miss seeing Guardado’s hair. It’s so awesome. I wish all the US players had greasy combed back hair, banded into a thick bushy mess in the back.
Guardad:Mexico::Torres:Spain
If I were Mexico, I would definitely want Blanco as an option off the bench if he’d be willing to take it. The guy can barely play 90 in an MLS match let alone at the international level, but has plenty left to offer.
palest Mexican ever
i have zero sympathy. FIFA will make them the #1 team in the region when it comes to World Cup seeding, regardless.
anyway, it would be nice if both teams were at full strength, but i can’t say they worry more, being shorthanded.
I hate to give those arrogant Mexico supporters excuses in hand, but they would have legitimate ones for this game.
Marquez, Vela, and Guardado are their 3 best players (I’d also put Salcido up there). That is quite a blow to a team that already had an uphill fight ahead of them.
Looks like an easy result for the US, but I hope they don’t hold back.
I don’t pitty those fools!!!!!!!!!!1
nah i don’t think landy will be there. but he has been dominating in bayern, all be it in friendlies. funny link to larry, i never knew landon was such a bro. haha
no, no donovan I don’t think. But he has been beasting on it. Anybody think of a transfer fee possibly? BTW, thanks for the link dude. good stuff.
does anybody know the roster for this game, is it the same as the sweden one.
i hope landy can make it, he has been awesome in the germany! haha I just read this funny thing about him here.
http://www.dirtytackle.net/2009/01/landon-donovans-european-adventure-of-epic-broportions-2/
lets just not get over-confident like El Tri and we’ll be fine. though a nice spanking would be awesome.
Stoked!
Im gonna be debating this in my head for the next 3 weeks, and won’t come up with an answer.
Look, we haven’t been underdogs against them for years. We’ll beat them 2:0 like usual.
But Mexico will show up ready to play as usual — no matter who is injured or not. This is a grudge match, and that’s why US v Mex is always so entertaining.
bummer. i feel bad for mexico. i’d like to spank them with their full squad rather than a hobbled one.
with thier form last round, and their current injury situation, could they possible end up in third in the hexagonal?
Awesome, I don’t mind it one bit that Mexico is in a funk right now. I want the boys to start off the Hex in glorious fashion. However, I would rather Mexico be at its best when they do down to Azteca, and test the US as best as possible.
btw, Ives, I love days like this where there are 5, 6, 7 updates to read up on. Keeps me from playing NCAA or FIFA too much.
The danger here is that anything but a convincing win by us gives them a huge psychological advantage on the rematch. We have to spank them.
I think Sven is more worried about his career on “I’m On Setanta Sports”.
In my opinion, this makes them even more dangerous. They will now enter the match with a “nothing to lose” mindset. The players that will play for Mexico will surely be even more fired up…
hopefully for their sakes they get healthy soon, its not beyond the realm of possibilities that mexico misses out on south africa. ay carumba
If I’m not mistaken, Mastro is not available for this one b/c of his cards, so it’ll be interesting to see who partners Michael. Maybe with these injuries, Bob will be more inclined to go with an attacking midfielder, like Kljestan or Torres rather than Clark or Edu
Come to think about it Gio could play Arce’s spot. So you could see a Gio, Pardo, Agusto, Edgar Castillo midfield with Nery and Vuoso up front. Not bad really.
This is interesting in that this is the first time Mexico will come in as the underdog in this matchup. The new players might just play their heart out and pull out a good result. I remember when Mexico beat Brazil in the last Copa America they fielded only about 3 of their Gold Cup starters and they played better.
Looks like the target on It’s back just got a little bigger, Mexican press won’t care for injury excuses…
I actually don’t like being favorites for this one. So many years as us as the underdog, and we only drew with them last year at home. We should be much more cautious
Romp? No chance. This is a mid-week game with 9 to 10? of the 11 starters coming from Europe after a weekend game. They will be gassed. The MLS players will not be in form. It would have been better to have had the game to be later in the season.
But I’m with you Ives of all the players Mexico has, I most respect Guardado’s skills.
I for one am breathing a bit easier because I think our usual ‘athleticism’ advantage will be tempared somewhat by the midweek game.
Marquez got injured today and will likely miss the game also. So Mexico will be without their two best offensive players in Vela and Guardado and without Arce (yellow card accumulation), Torrado (red card), Marquez (injury), Magallon (injury), Gio (non action), Nery (non action). Wow! I will predict a 3-0 USA win. One thing Mexico does have over the US is depth so Edgar Castillo can play Guardado’s spot and Leandro Agusto could play Torrado’s. If Nery and Gio do get called up and they are in shape then it could be closer.
Torrado is out for this match also.
WOW WOW WOW. At least we wont have to watch Guardado shred our fullbacks all night. Guardado and Vela out. Wow.
Just another excuse Mexico will use when they get spanked!
I’m not liking this role-reversal…usually it’s the US as the underdog, hopefully the hype won’t get to our heads. Predicting we barely escape with a tie.
Too bad. When you go up against your biggest rival, you want both teams at full strength. It’s how you determine where you stand, and you don’t want Mexico to have excuses (like they need an excuse to make excuses!). On the other hand, if you lose to a less-than-full-strength tri side, it’s gotta have an effect on your confidence.
But it is what it is. I hope Guardado has a speedy recovery, and we’ll see him at Azteca down the road.