Part 14 of 32: The Mexican Interview
For part 14 of the series, I caught up with 28 year old Mario Ortegón from Campeche, México. Mario is an Electronics Engineer having graduated at the Universidad de las Américas, in Puebla, México. The last two months, Mario has been living in Germany as a Systems Programmer. ‘The World Cup was as important in my decision of moving to Europe as my new job’, Mario discloses.
I thank Mario for agreeing to the interview.
Tell us a bit about the Mexican football history and the football culture which exists.
If we go far far back in time, we would find that Mexicans have been always crazy about ball games. The old mesoamerican ball game is thousands of years old, and was played by both the Mayas and the Aztecs from the earliest times. All prehispanic cities have at least one ball court, and some had even more than one.
Soccer was introduced in Mexico by British mining prospectors in Pachuca at the turn of the century, and the oldest club is almost 100 years old. The league started very early, and in the 40’s it was professionalized. The Mexican League is one of the strongest in the American Continent, paying very high salaries and with highly competitive teams. Many good players from Argentina and Brasil, and even Europe, play or have played in México. The stadiums are quite big. The largest of them, Estadio Azteca, has been home to two world cup finals and has a capacity of 110,000 people, making it one of the biggest stadiums in the world.
Because of the high salaries, very few players leave México to ply their trade in Europe. Among them, the most famous player is Hugo Sanchez, winner of five pichichis in the Spanish league. That is the reason Mexican players are relatively unknown worldwide.
In México, soccer is still a family activity in many stadiums. Beer drinking is allowed, and normally typical Mexican fast food is consumed inside. The atmosphere is great, specially at the Clásico (Guadalajara vs América), when you can see the whole Aztec stadium full of roaring fans.
Tell us a bit about the Road to the World Cup – the qualification, and the emotions the fans went through at the time.
For México, it was a must to qualify to the World Cup. Last time, qualification was decided at the last. This time, however, it was relatively easy. The coach, Ricardo Lavolpe, did a very good job during all the qualifying phase even though he got a lot of pressure from the media and from Hugo Sánchez, who also wanted the coaching job. The fans were more concerned about how the results were being obtained than by the result themselves. Mexico showed a mixed face during the qualifications, and ultimately an upset as the first place of the group was won by the United States after a very strange defeat in the last game of the series at Trinidad & Tobago. Both México and United States tied in points, but they lost by goal difference the lead in the group.
It is important to mention that once México was considered the giant of the CONCACAF region. However, US Soccer has improved a lot and they are almost impossible to beat on US Soil. The same can be said of México, which has never been defeated by any CONCACAF team in Mexico but once (by Costa Rica).
What style of football does the national team play?
The average Mexican player is not tall and is not specially strong. So, the Mexican style of football will never be of hard contact. Most players are very skilled with the ball and have great technique, so the best way to define the style of play is a slow possession game which lots of short passes followed by quick, surprise runs on the sides. The Mexican team likes to keep the ball at all times and build the attack with patience, waiting for an opening by shifting the ball around. At the moment we have very good wing backs and side mid fielders that go into attack a lot, providing a lot of good crosses. This time our strikers are not bad, Jared Borgetti is a header specialist and Guille Franco (who plays for Villareal) is very talented. Kikin Fonseca is also very strong and has lot of stamina.
On the defensive side, México likes to apply a lot of pressure on the rival everywhere on the field. They also like to apply a lot of double and even triple markings on the person with the ball. They try to recover the ball as fast as possible to start either a fast counter attack or to go back to the slow rhythm of semi-slow soccer. The central defenders have good technique and will carry the ball confidently. Don’t expect the Mexican defenders to clear away the ball often.
Most probably Mexico will pay a 5 – 3 – 2 with aggressive wing-backs. The formation will be very flexible, sometimes turning into a 3-5-2 during the course of the game. The attack level of the team is controlled by the aggressiveness of the wing-backs. We have no natural “10”, but the tempo of the game will be controlled by collectively sharing the ball.
Expect over 60% possession for México in some games. That doesn’t mean they will create that many scoring opportunities though.
How do you think Mexico will fare at the World Cup?
For the first round they look very good. We were selected as head-of-series, the first time a CONCACAF team is so drawn. So we got a group that looks easy on paper, with only Portugal as a “dangerous” team. It seems fairly easy to go into the second round as either first or second place… against either Holland, Argentina or Ivory Coast. I expect México to win the group, but most probably will go out in the next round. México has recently defeated both Argentina and Brasil, but the Copa América and the Confederation’s Cup is not the World Cup. Of course, both Iran and Angola could prove to be a lot tougher than they look, and we would better not be too overconfident
The problem is, Ricardo Lavolpe has promised a fifth game, and the expectations are high. If México does go through the first knockout stage, expect great things from them.
Who will be the most important player for your country?
I think Rafael Márquez, the captain and key player of FC Barcelona. He can play both in the midfield and the central defense and has a great long pass accuracy and free kick ability. He is the man to rally the defense around. I hope he won’t get any red cards this time, though, as he is quite hot-tempered. I also expect Jared Borgetti, the striker from Bolton Wanderers, to be a key player who will score important goals. Guille Franco, the nationalized Argentinian player, will provide talent in a position that few Mexicans play successfully: second striker. The keeper, Oswaldo Sánchez, is in his prime and could also be a very important player. Mexico has a great tradition of short, agile keepers which are good on one-on-one confrontations. Carlos Salcido, another central defender, is going to amaze the world. He is one of the best central defenders, with a lot of strength and an aggressive attack, for a center back. He scored a goal against Argentina in a solo counterattack from a free kick, running the whole pitch, dribbling three defenders and beating the keeper after bouncing the ball at Coloccini.
Which player in your country’s side would you most like to get rid of?
Claudio Suárez. He is too old to play, even though he would break some records. Also the son in law of the Coach, Rafael “Chiquis” Garcia, is in the team and he is a misery. There is 26 players on the list at the moment and the coach must take three of them out, so there is still the chance that they will be eliminated. Also, one of the best mexican players, Cuauthemoc Blanco, won’t be in the World Cup partially because of an injury and partially because of personal problems with the couch..
Who are the players to watch from the other countries?
Ronaldinho Gaucho is the player to watch this World Cup. He is at his prime, he is improving every day in Barcelona and he will be worth the price of any ticket. His repertoire of plays is amazing. Also watch for Lionel Messi. I have been seeing a lot of him in Barcelona and he is a great player, very fast, with an amazing dribble and a lot of vision. He needs to score more, though. Also I think Ibrahimovic from Sweden will make his presence be known.
What will be your excuse in the event of failure?
This time there is no excuse for failure. Mexican fans have a bitter aftertaste after the defeat against United States last World Cup, so they want a better experience this time. A first round knockout will feel like a failure, even with an heroic defeat against the likes of Argentina or Holland. México, after the Confederation’s Cup, has very high hopes. Mexicans want the team to succeed. There is no excuse for failure this time. Not qualyfing for the second round will be a national tragedy.
Have you got the right manager?
I think so, even though the media and some club owners have been very harsh with him. He has a very polemic personality and he is prone to talk too much and make blunders in the interviews. However, he is a very offensive-minded manager with a love for tactics who has gotten very good results with the team. He was in charge when México played the Confederation’s Cup at a great level and, as promised, qualified to the World walking (even though México was second place, we qualified a couple of games before the end of the last round).
What advice would you give him?
I would advice him to stop paying attention to the press and avoid the frequent traps they use to set him up and extract juicy new tidbits. I would advice him to calm down and not be so quick to anger. The Mexican fans need reassurance from the coach, not fighting and bickering.
Which team do you most want to beat?
The United States. After last World Cup, the confidence of the Mexican side suffered a lot. IT is going to be difficult though to have this match up again this World Cup. The United States is in a very difficult group and I think the game would have to wait until the semifinals.
In the second place I would place Argentina. The South Americans have no respect for the Mexican side, and all the time in the Libertadores Cup the referees have a field trip with the Mexican clubs. I remember very painful eliminations.
Which opposition player will get the most stick?
Landon Donovan. Everyone in México hates him. He has a very loud-mouth and no education. One of the most remembered acts he did was peeing on the grounds of the Jalisco Stadium in a training session before a game against México. He trash-talks a lot and always tries to put down the México National Team.
In the group stage, I hope Figo gets the most stick. Players from Angola and Iran are mostly unknown in México and many mexicans are fans of Barcelona because of Rafael Márquez, so I expect them to pick on Figo a lot. However, Mexican fans are not known to worry too much about other players, excepting the keeper, which will be insulted in very harsh language every time he clears the ball.
Where will you watch the matches?
I am getting tickets for all Mexico matches. I even plan to get a special costume for the games, complete with a shell ocarina in the best pre-hispanic fashion. The other games I will watch with friends in front of a big flat TV screen with HD and a lot of beers and tequila.
How keenly will the World Cup be followed in your country?
VERY keenly. Mexican fans will travel in masse to Europe to see the World Cup. Expect 20,000+ Mexicans in the stadium at the very least when México plays, chanting “Cielito Lindo”. All people in México will be tied to the TV. Many games will be on regular television and the two main TV Stations have special crews in Germany for months now. These TV stations will even install their own cameras to complement the normal feed and have teams of at least a hundred people, including comedians and filmmakers who are shooting special short films regarding football, the World Cup and football culture in general. Every day we will get a two hour summary of the soccer journey with in deep analysis and even cultural clips.
The World Cup is a big event in México, specially for the TV Stations. Expect no one on the streets in the normally packed México City, home to 22 million persons.
We have Presidential elections in Mexico this summer with three almost-tied contenders. However, even the political analysts think the candidate with the advantage when the World Cup begins will surely win the presidential election, as nobody will pay attention to politics once the ball starts rolling.
Who will be the player of the tournament?
Ronaldihno Gaucho. He is just magical and Brazil has everything on their side to win a sixth world cup.
Who will win the Golden Boot?
I think Shevshenko. He has an easy group and he will inflate his goal scoring count. I don’t see many good strikers at the moment. Another good possibility is Henry. If France plays well, he will be the best striker in the World Cup.
Which team will disappoint the most?
I think Argentina might not make it to the next round again. They are in a very hard group and I think they are too overconfident. They don’t have a top level striker at the moment so I feel their attack lacks dept. I think England is also dangerously overrated. For some reason I feel Portugal might flunk also.. we all remember what happened last time a colonial power (France) played a former colony (Senegal)… for Angola, beating Portugal justifies the World Cup and then more.
Who will be the surprise team of the tournament?
I think Ivory Coast will make it to the next round and wreak havoc. They have very good players, a lot of stamina, they are fast as devils and they never give up. If they can find the discipline, they are going to be hard to beat. I also expect México to be a big surprise in the tournament. The team does deserve it and we have the added motivation of the Under-17 team.
Finally, Who will win the World Cup?
Brazil. They have the best players at the moment, they have the magic, they have the attack. However, I wouldn´t be surprised if they don’t win as they are relatively weak in defense and their strikers are not in such a top form (Both Ronaldo and Adriano). However, with two defensive mid fielders putting the pressure and recovering the ball very quickly, and then giving the ball to the likes of Ronaldinho and Kaká… Brazil will be definitively be a nightmare to beat.
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I hope you enjoyed part 14. Follow up questions for Mario can be e-mailed to me. Also, feel free to contact me if you would like to be interviewed or know a friend who would like/could be interviewed. Specific questions for specific countries which might pop in your mind in due course may also be sent.
For the rest of the interviews, check out the World Cup interview series page.
Tags: FIFA World Cup 2006, Football Interview Series, Mexico Football.
