Mexico will face Venezuela tonight, June 24th, in an international friendly but despite the outcome, Mexico will be surpassed by Costa Rica as 2nd from CONCACAF and could very well  see it’s worst FIFA ranking in history.

According to the writers at Football-Rankings.info, if Mexico loses against Venezuela, they would end the month with 768 points and with a ranking of 35th. Mexico previously bottomed out at 32nd in August of 2008. If Mexico wins against Venezuela, it is likely to end the month with 793 points, giving it a ranking of 31st.

So how will the top five CONCACAF teams fare in a “worst case scenario”* according to the July 2009 data at Football-Rankings?

* (If USA wins against Spain today, and Mexico against Venezuela, their rankings could still improve)

Rank | Team | Points | +/- Ranking | +/- Points

16 | USA | 885 | -2 | -62
30 | Costa Rica | 801 | +11 | +107
35 | Mexico | 768 | -9 | -54
37 | Honduras | 758 | -2 | -3
65 | Jamaica | 520 | 11 | 64

Best case scenario could having USA replacing Croatia as 10th in the world and Mexico replacing Gabon as 31st.

For an in-depth preview of July 2009’s FIFA rankings, I encourage everyone to visit Football-Rankings.info.

South Africa will host the World Cup in ten venues located in nine cities.
Capacity ranges from 42,000 to an expected 95,000.

If Mexico were to host it in 2018, the following would be in place:

• Estadio Azteca – 105,000 – Mexico City
• Estadio Jalisco – 68,000 – Guadalajara, Jalisco
• Estadio Olimpico Universitario – 63,000 – Mexico City
• Estadio Universitario “El Volcan” – 51,000 – Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
• Estadio Leon – 50,000 – Leon, Guanajuato
• Estadio Zapote – 50,000 – Tampico, Tamaulipas
• Estadio Cuauhtemoc – 47,000 – Puebla, Puebla
• Estadio Chivas – 45,500 – Guadalajara, Jalisco
• Estadio Morelos – 42,000 – Morelia, Michoacan
• Estadio La Corregidora – 41,000 – Queretaro, Mexico
• Estadio Azul – 40,000 – Mexico City

The following are proposed but are disputed:

• Estadio Internacional Monterrey – 75,000 – Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
• Estadio Monterrey – 50,000 – Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

* Estadio Internacional Monterrey proposes that it be a stadium shared by Monterrey’s two professional teams. However, Monterrey have stated they would rather have their own venue and thus Estadio Monterrey is likely to prevail over the Internacional.

By 2018 or 2022, I am sure that we would see a number of new or expanded venues.

For a geographical idea:

Average high temperatures in July for the “host” cities I mentioned above:
Monterrey – 94
Tampico – 88
Guadalajara – 79
Leon – 79
Morelia – 78
Queretaro – 78
Mexico City – 74
Puebla – 74

Mexico’s football federation announced today that Sven-Goran Eriksson has been released from his duty as the senior national team manager.

The announcement follows a disappointing 3-1 loss to Honduras in World Cup qualifying action. Despite not having won in Honduras since 1993, there was much pressure for a victory as a result of Mexico’s inability to win on the road while under the command of Eriksson. In his ten month tenure, Sven managed six defeats in eleven matches and only one victory in it’s last seven encounters.

Prior to the match against Costa Rica on March 28, 2009, Eriksson cited his knowledge of the mood and sentiment amongst the football federation. He was quoted as saying, “I know perfectly well that it is not possible for me to lose…we must win or life will be very difficult for me. I will probably be out of work.”

Mexico’s football federation president, Justino Compean, states that “we had to take action because we could not take further risks regarding out World Cup qualification; we can not simply depend upon the results of playing at home.”

Eriksson’s overall record with the Mexican side included six victories, six defeats, and one draw. Of the thirteen matches played, nine were World Cup qualifiers and four friendlies.

Sven's record with Mexico

Sven is still being touted as potential Portsmouth manager and despite his lack of success with the Mexican squad, he is sure to have plenty of opportunities to prove himself – albeit elsewhere.

Best of luck to him, but most of all, best of luck to the Mexican side .

Mexico defeated Costa Rica 2-0 at Estadio Azteca on March 28, 2009.

The  goal scorers include Omar Bravo and Pavel Pardo (penalty).

First half summary (be sure to watch in “High Quality”):

Second half:

Mexico will next face Honduras on Wednesday, April 1, 2009. The match will be played in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

The Mexican national team has already flown to Honduras in preparation of their match in San Pedro Sula, but Giovani dos Santos, Edgar Castillo, and veteran Ricardo Osorio will be watching the match from home.

Mexico’s soccer federation, known as FEMEXFUT, is reporting that Giovani dos Santos will miss the match due to an injury he suffered while playing for his club Ipswich Town. The injury to his groin muscle has not completely healed and despite vast improvements in his health, the he has failed to heal 100%. To prevent further injury, Sven Goran-Eriksson concluded that it would be best for Giovani to take the opportunity to return to England and work on his recovery.

Edgar Castillo is forced to miss the match against Honduras due to his misplacement of his travel documents. He has been unable to locate his passport and is unable to submit the necessary paperwork to have a new passport issued in time.

Ricardo Osorio came down with flu-like symptoms Sunday night and will stay in Mexico while he recovers from his unexpected illness. Sven-Goran Eriksson has stated that no new players will be called into the squad as a result of the team having plenty of depth already available. Both Carlos Salcido and Jonny Magallon are eligible to play during Wednesday’s match and will likely see minutes.

ESPN is reporting that Mexico cruised to an easy finish over Honduras this past weekend despite the fact that Mexico faced Costa Rica. It looks as though much was overlooked in a hasty attempt to have an article published.

The ESPN article, which provides no author’s name, states:

“Mexico coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is calling on his team for a repeat performance when they seek their first away win of the World Cup qualifying campaign against Costa Rica on Wednesday…Mexico cruised to a 2-0 victory over Honduras last night at the Estadio Azteca…”

It’s bad enough that the mistake was not caught but the article even properly quotes Sven-Goran Eriksson’s remarks regarding Giovani dos Santos‘ prospects of seeing minutes against Honduras as well as his decision to have  Guillermo Ochoa in the net against Honduras.  ESPN writes, “Ochoa is very likely to start the Honduras match, too. I don’t need to change after Memo did everything perfectly.”

Quality reporting ESPN.

For an opportunity to read the article before it is either revised or taken down altogether, head over to:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=632294&sec=worldcup2010&cc=5901

Mexican Giovani dos Santos of Ipswich Town FC  scored a goal against of Burnley FC in the March 17, 2009 Championship league match.

For a video of the goal, refer to:

The following text is taken directly from Giovani Dos Santos‘ official web-site.

“There have been several versions heard as to why Giovani is now playing in England’s second division, among them word that he has failed, has regressed, that he is upset that Tottenham was sending him to the reserve, etc.

It must first be said that this is not is not what was expected when Giovani chose to leave Barcelona. At the time, his intention was to have more minutes, continue with his development, and this is what was offered to him at Tottenham, a team that appeared in good position to contend against England’s top four.

Unfortunately, the Spurs did not have the results they expected – and we must be clear and honest here – and the team failed completely in all aspects. As a consequence of bad results the manager opted for illogical formations and style of play, the defense was very weak/fragile, the midfield failed to dominate, and the forwards failed to score goals.

The manager was sacked after winning only two points out of a possible twenty-seven in the league and the situation radically changed with the arrival of a new manager, Harry Redknapp. He initially utilized a formation of five midfielders and only one forward, a situation that was detrimental to all of Tottenham’s forwards. Additionally, he selected his squad based on players’ experience and he further developed his preferred approach through various signings during the winter transfer window.

Before these factors, nineteen year-old Giovani, had few opportunities to prove himself.

We must acknowledge that this is the “reality” of life; there are many situations which must be overcome.

The Spurs have been eliminated from the FA Cup, the Carling Cup, and the UEFA tournament and thus they only have one competition left: the Premiership – where Giovani would have little or no activity. The end of the season is approaching and he could have either endured through this time with Tottenham from his chair on the sideline or from the bench, both without seeing any playing time.

Gio did not want this and instead searched for and found an opportunity that would allow for playing time in England’s second division.

For some this could be an unattractive alternative; seeing it more logical to and perhaps more comfortable to stay with a Premiership side and simply wait for the summer transfer window to open to make an exit. This would be the alternative to facing head-on a situation that could be a potential catalyst for a regression in skill and form.

The decision was to go the lower division, foregoing or even risking prestige, but gaining rhythm, form, and continuity with the objective of aiding Mexico’s national team which is also in a difficult situation after poor results in its World Cup qualification.

What we are sure of is that Giovani has not given up. With his decision he is showing great maturity, that he has clearly defined goals, that he is in search of his role, all while fighting against the obstacles that have crossed his path in life.

I strongly believe that to have lived through these situations at such a young age will only help Giovani out. First as a person, in allowing him to understand the value of things and of life itself, and second, to allow him to become a great player in the future.”

The translation is my own but you can find the original text here.

Ipswich Crest

Several news outlets are reporting that Giovani dos Santos will join Ipswich Town FC for the remainder of this season.

If all the proper paperwork goes through in time, Giovani could play his first match on Saturday against Reading.

Ipswich Town FC confirms the signing on their web-site.

Ipswich is currently 10th in the Championship table, trailing leader Wolverhampton by twenty points.

Club Manager Jim Magilton welcomed the news, stating: “Gio has got a great pedigree having been at Barcelona and playing 30 odd games for them and…He’s played games for Tottenham in the Premier League and in Europe and he will bring some added quality to the squad. He is with us for the rest of the season and will go straight into the squad for the Reading game and be in contention to play.”

Giovani will likely see playing time considering that a key squad member, Jon Walters, has been sidelined for the rest of this season due to ruptured ankle ligaments.

For Sky Sport’s article click here.
For Setanta’s piece click here.
For BBC’s article click here.
For Vital Football click here.
For SportingLife click here.

Mexican Carlos Vela of Arsenal scored a goal against Burnley FC during the March 8, 2009 FA Cup match.

For a video of the goal, refer to: