By Tony Edwards – SAN JOSE, CA (Mar 23, 2011) US Soccer Players – What will be the biggest draw at the Oakland Coliseum this year? The Athletics? The Raiders (with the lockout, be careful how you answer)? U2 on its ‘360 Degrees’ tour?
Right now, the winner would be the Mexican National Team. With no English-language advertising unless you count the electronic billboard along I-880 in front of the Coliseum, more than 48,000 tickets have been sold for this coming weekend’s game. And yet, while the FMF and SUM rake in the cash from these high-profile friendlies and Mexico handily wins these games, in the long-run, they might be a loser for the USA’s main CONCACAF rival.
This Saturday the Coliseum’s parking lot will be jammed and the commuter rail station will be packed with people wearing green. Odds are, they will go home happy as Mexico pulls out another win. The bigger question might be not ‘how many people can Mexico draw to games in the United States?’ but rather, ‘is it in the best competitive interests of Mexico to keep scheduling games such as these?’
Despite new National Team coach Jose Manuel De La Torre‘s pledge during his first press conference that Mexico would play fewer games in the United States and more in Mexico, the existing contracts and the drawing power of the team suggest it will be a rare occurrence for Mexico to see home soil before World Cup Qualifying.
Mexico played Spain in Mexico City on August 11th, right after the US faced Brazil in New York. They stayed domestic for two September friendlies, playing Ecuador in Guadalajara and Monterrey in Colombia. Then it was back to the US for 2011. It’s a better mix than we’ve seen in the past for sure, but you have to wonder what’s in the best interest of Mexico when the games count. There's an argument that it's too friendly, turning North America into a giant home crowd and rarely playing anywhere else.
It is difficult to argue against the finances when Mexico drew more than 50,000 to the Georgia Dome in February for a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. After Saturday’s game in Oakland, Mexico heads to San Diego for essentially another home game, this time against Venezuela. Yes, Mexico is using the current international friendly window to play games in the same country that will host the Gold Cup and against teams from South America. There’s competitive value in both. At the same time, they’re not going to have the luxury of experimenting while facing a Summer that desperately needs it. As they advertise the stops in the US, they’re on tour, with all the expectations
On the other side of the country, it’s a somewhat odd mark of progress that the United States might outdraw Mexico, and all it takes is Argentina and Messi to do it. Mexico is playing Paraguay, ranked 24th in the FIFA Rankings (the United States is 19th and Mexico is 27th).
Yet, does playing friendlies against teams such as Venezuela and Bosnia in front of huge, supportive crowds really prepare the team for what it faces when they play in Columbus or against Costa Rica or Honduras away during Qualifying? Not to mention the later stages of the Gold Cup or what a less experienced version of the Mexican National Team will see from the Copa America.
Granted, the same would be true for El Tri in Mexico, but there’s a different tone when a game is truly at home. That’s the case for any National Team, and Mexico aren’t the only ones who are treated well by ex-pats and well wishers when playing in the United States.
What’s at issue is bigger than simply turning a friendly tour into the biggest possible moneymaker. World Cup qualification was not the usual stroll for Mexico last time around, and Javier Aguirre proved he’s CONCACAF’s best coach, getting an overrated team into the World Cup.
To be fair, Mexico heads right from the Gold Cup to the Copa America with a first round group of Chile, Peru, and Uruguay. The double booking has caused controversy for Mexico, with CONCACAF requiring that they field an Under-23 team plus five overage players in South America. Playing with that handicap, you could make an argument that Mexico could finish anywhere from first to fourth in that group.
And while Mexico is in the most difficult group in the Gold Cup, they could well have qualified for the next round by the time they meet Costa Rica in Chicago on June 12th. That could leave what could be potentially a difficult game as nothing more than a chance to run out some reserves and to keep the first 11 fresh for the knockout rounds.
If you asked a Mexico fan, they would probably prefer the first choice team fresh for the challenge of the Copa America. Instead, de la Torre is in a potentially uncomfortable situation where CONCACAF has made his choice for him. The best he can hope for is a good mix between his five senior players and the rest of his squad in the Copa America. What he won’t have is the luxury of being creative with a set of friendlies prior to heading to Argentina. Mexico will already be playing games that count, with very little time to improvise and even less patience from crowds home and away with high expectations.
Tony Edwards is a soccer writer based in the Bay Area.
