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Does Mexico have a shot at the semifinals?

Since they are likely to qualify with Portugal from Group D, anyone has a shot in the knockout stages. I'm not sure they have enough quality in the squad to make it to the Semi's though. Borgetti's legs aren't what they used to be, and he struggled with the pace of the Premiership at times this season. I like the look of Jaime Lozano, a pretty tricky midfielder who has a good goalscoring record, but they don't have enough firepower.

Having said that, they have guts and fight, and may be able to grind out results in Extra Time of the knockout stages.
 
Do you know about Francisco "kikin" Fonseca (my namesake). He's supposed to be better than Borgetti who's getting a little old and whose timid football style I never really liked. Kikin has a killer instinct. He's the Mexican player to keep an eye on, imo.
 
Anybody of note on the Italian squad?

The Italians are another team that play a defensive style of football much like the Mexicans. Once they score, they don't attack anymore. They just defend hoping the other team don't score. I've seen them lose a game or two using that dumb approach.
 
Mexico will be up against Argentina, Netherlands, Ivory Coast or Serbia and Montenegro if they go through the first round though. I don't know if they have the quality to go up against the first two.

Assuming (hoping) it will be the Netherlands and Argentina.
 
In the world cup, any team is beatable any day of the week. That's what makes it so much fun. Remember the Korean team from 2002. There was no way anyone would have picked them to go as far as they went. But then again they were the home team. So who knows.
 
I wonder why the home team has so much of an advantage. It would seem that the World Cup would be the only sport venue immune to the home court advantage thing due to fans of this sport being true fans of the game rather than of a particular team as we see in American sports.
 
keekeen said:
Do you know about Francisco "kikin" Fonseca (my namesake). He's supposed to be better than Borgetti who's getting a little old and whose timid football style I never really liked. Kikin has a killer instinct. He's the Mexican player to keep an eye on, imo.
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I know of him, but I can't say I've really seen him play for any length of time. What's his record like at international level? Mexoco's problem has always been a lack of goals. They are scrappers, more than anything.

keekeen said:
Anybody of note on the Italian squad?

The Italians are another team that play a defensive style of football much like the Mexicans. Once they score, they don't attack anymore. They just defend hoping the other team don't score. I've seen them lose a game or two using that dumb approach.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. They have bags of talent, and quite often show little inclination to use it. A large majority of Italian football is incredibly dreary, punctuated by diving & bookings. It's not as bad as the 'simulation' I've seen in Portuguese footy, but not far from it.

keekeen said:
In the world cup, any team is beatable any day of the week. That's what makes it so much fun. Remember the Korean team from 2002. There was no way anyone would have picked them to go as far as they went. But then again they were the home team. So who knows.
Click to expand...

Yeah. The Koreans were different in as much as they were a host country, and had clearly been preparing well long before the tournament. The 2002 tournament showed with Korean and the USA that a strong fitness regime pays well.

keekeen said:
I wonder why the home team has so much of an advantage. It would seem that the World Cup would be the only sport venue immune to the home court advantage thing due to fans of this sport being true fans of the game rather than of a particular team as we see in American sports.
Click to expand...

It's the '12th man' factor, the crowd, amongst other things. If you have a stadium booing the hell out of you, it may just help, because you have something to play against. If they're cheering & singing like mad, it drives you on to perform, and find that extra dose of adrenaline. If it's quiet, the away team may suffer when they have the ball. The climate is also a strong factor.
 
He doesn't have a lot of international play experience, except in the Copa Libertadores, which is a regional Latin American club championship. I don't remember whether he was on the 2002 squad either. My guess is that he wasn't. Here's what Yahoo says about him:
Yahoo! Sports said:
Mexico’s most popular player since goalkeeper Jorge Campos, Fonseca can play as a centre forward or on the right side of midfield. He scored 10 goals in 11 matches in qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ and two in four matches at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. ‘El Kikin’ is a battling player, who makes the most of his ability by giving his all for club and country. At the beginning of 2005, Fonseca moved to Cruz Azul in one of the biggest transfers in Mexican league history.
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246784.jpg
 
keekeen said:
The Italians are another team that play a defensive style of football much like the Mexicans. Once they score, they don't attack anymore. They just defend hoping the other team don't score. I've seen them lose a game or two using that dumb approach.
Click to expand...

I can't tell you how many times I have had my heart broken whilst watching this brilliant side loose because they play like this and then don't have any time left to make up points when the opponent answers... ( a certain Cup game against France comes to mind).

Gagh said:
They have bags of talent, and quite often show little inclination to use it.
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*weeps*
it's mystifying.
 
Are they? That's funny. Only 37 year old Claudio Suarez seems to play for an American club, from the entire Mexico squad. Yes, USA beat Mexico in a friendly. Would they in a competitive match? I think not.
 
Actually, Gagh. For some unknown reason Mexico very often chokes when facing the US squad. I think it may have something to do with the Mexicans feeling that they may be deported out of the stadium if they win. But most likely, it's due to a mental block. Because clearly Mexico has the better team.
 
I've come to the conclusion that both Mexico and U.S.A have improved their game and their overall toughness due to squaring off against each other so many times.
 
keekeen said:
Anybody of note on the Italian squad?
Click to expand...

Del Piero, from the Padova Juventus, one of Italy's best forwards. He's got great footwoork, speed, and precision. He's the Juventus' all-time top goal scorer.

Buffon, a 2002 World Cup alum is their keeper. Watching this man in Serie A games is a sight to behold. He's definitely a wall. He managed to stop a penalty kick against Korea in the '02 cup. However, he can get too aggressive and when his defense isn't doing what they're supposed to he can screw up. But, if you keep him in his goal, nothing gets through.

De Rossi, from the serie A Roma team. He's the youngest on the Italian squad. He's a rising star. He helped his team win in the UEFA U-21 in '04. He also helped Italy gain a bronze at the last Olympic Games. They're only putting him in as a mid because he doesn't have the experience on the pro field to be a striker. Definitely a player to keep your eye on.

Totti, also from serie A Roma is a favorite. Yet, he broke his ankle back in February of this year. He's also in mid. My guess is that he's not going to be a starter. I was rather disappointed at this one. He's a great footballer. Also, this last season with Roma has been his best yet.

Some of my other favorites are Gilardino, Pirlo, Nesta, and Materazzi.

The Italians are another team that play a defensive style of football much like the Mexicans. Once they score, they don't attack anymore. They just defend hoping the other team don't score. I've seen them lose a game or two using that dumb approach.
Click to expand...

A comical sidenote is that if you study Italian military history they've tried this for centuries.

Yes, they are mostly a defensive team. Since the glory days of Vieri they haven't been able to put together a credible offense. They've got some contenders this year, but their best striker is lame from an injury in '98. The rest [of the strikers] are relatively new to the world cup. They've proven their mettle at home in the Serie A games. Yet, against an international lineup, I have my doubts.
 
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