Posted: 07/13/2013 12:01:00 AM MDT
Updated: 07/14/2013 01:38:06 PM MDT
There were 57,000 soccer fans in San Diego screaming for Chepo's head on a platter because he had the audacity to allow his team to lose. And, somehow, that reaction was friendlier than the silence of 105,000 people in Mexico City after a tie.
The Mexican national soccer team coach - José Manuel de la Torre, known as "Chepo" - walked off the field last week to thunderous " Fuera Chepo!" chants. Fire Chepo!
Mexico, carrying the proud soccer tradition of "El Tri," is struggling. And its next stop is Denver.
Mexico plays Martinique at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sunday in the final game of the Group A stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, clawing for an opportunity to advance in the
championship tournament for North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The game follows unbeaten Panama vs. Canada at the stadium.
"With any difficult situation or bumps you have along the road, you have to think: How are you going to turn things around?" de la Torre said in San Diego last week. "What is your reaction going to be? Are you going to stay put, or are you going to keep working?
"There is no other way. That's how I've been all my life. That's how my parents raised me. We haven't got the results we want, but we are going to keep working hard. No bad streak lasts forever."
Don't be so sure, Chepo. Mexico finally won a match Wednesday, 2-0 over woeful Canada in Seattle. El Tri is 3-3-8 this year, including a 1-0-5 run so far in the all-important World Cup qualifying final round, after recently tying Costa Rica in front of stunned fans at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
The pressure on Chepo is peaking. Just in time for his visit to Denver.
"It's always important to win every competition, in every aspect," de la Torre said Wednesday. "The team improved on many fronts and operated better. That creates more confidence and less pressure."
Mexico's roster for the Gold Cup is something less than its A side. But Mexico's sub-World Cup team won Olympic gold in London last summer. Also, El Tri is the two-time defending Gold Cup champion in the biennial tournament.
In its previous visit to Denver, Mexico played in front of 45,401 feverish fans at Sports Authority Field in a friendly, defeating New Zealand 3-0. But that game had little consequence.
This time, Mexico is on alert.
"The Mexican crowd and the fanatics have grown tired of ties. Especially in Mexico City. They just can't seem to get the right result," said Marcelo Balboa, the Rapids' play-by-play broadcaster on Altitude TV.
Balboa knows the Gold Cup. He captained Team USA to Gold Cup gold in 1991, the first year of the tournament. The Americans have since won four Gold Cup titles, but none since 2007.
This year's U.S. team is streaking. The Americans are 7-2-2, atop the World Cup qualifying standings. They stole a tie at Mexico in March that dug El Tri's hole even deeper.
"When (Mexico) comes here, that's a big game," Balboa said. "I want to see how Mexico responds. That's going to be the key. You'll see a lot right off the bat, the interaction between the players and a coach, if the coach has lost the players or not.
"I want to see if this is a team that's really fighting for their coach."
Nick Groke: 303-954-1015, ngroke@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nickgroke 2013 Gold Cup The national-team championship for North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Group A first round Sunday at Sports Authority Field in Denver
Panama vs. Canada, 1:30 p.m.
Mexico vs. Martinique, 4 p.m.
What's up?
* Red-hot Panama already has wins over Mexico and Martinique and are poised for a deep run.
* Mexico, the two-time defending Gold Cup champ is struggling. They desperately need a win.
Info and tickets: GoldCup.org
No comments:
Post a Comment