Mexico trained at Crew Stadium Tuesday morning and based on the limited tactical drills they performed, it appears Mexico will be playing in a 5-3-2 alignment. Probable starters: Goalkeeper — Jorge Campos. Defenders (r-l) — Salvador Carmona, Rafael Marquez, Claudio Suarez, Alberto Macias, Marco Antonio “Chima” Ruiz. Midfielders (r-l) — Pavel Pardo, German Villa, Braulio Luna. Forwards — Luis Hernandez, Jared Borgetti. Expect Ruiz and Carmona to overlap and provide width on the flanks offensively while the trio of Marquez, Suarez and Macias will rotate in central defense. Several players donned goalkeeper gloves to keep their hands warm. Forward Luis Hernandes appeared to be entirely healthy and Coach Enrique Meza confirmed afterward that he expects Hernandez to play. Marquez and forward Francisco Palencia also trained without visible discomfort from previous injuries. The players continued to boycott the media, but Meza held a press conference after practice. Mexico Coach Enrique Meza
(On field conditions) The field is in good condition. Due to the temperature, it seems the ball is travelling at a faster pace and bouncing higher because it is a hard surface.
(On the health of defender Rafael Marquez) He’s been training very lightly, but he should be ready to go. He’s just coming off a complete game [with Monaco]. I’m very optimistic he’s fully recovered and he’ll be ready.
(On the U.S. team) The U.S. team is a dangerous team. They do not have as many games under their belt as us. Their players are in the offseason, so some of the players are raw, but I’m aware they have players who play overseas, so that will balance out their squad.
(On whether a week was enough preparation for the Mexican team) It was satisfactory. The players put a tremendous amount of effort into the week of training and they made a lot of sacrifices, knowing that they would miss out with their club teams and their current busy schedule of competition.
(On whether the whole team is fit) Yes, they are all in excellent condition, mentally and physically. The only question mark was Luis Hernandez. (On the U.S. lineup) Yes, I more or less know who will be the key players in the starting lineup.
(On the style that the U.S. plays and whether it changes the defensive outlook) The team has to adjust to their style. I cannot just play with five players in the back the entire time. I know throughout the game, the players will have to adjust to a style that will counter their efforts. … At this point, the most important thing is to play well and get a positive results. With a good result, we will have confidence going into the coming games.
(On whether we should expect a standard U.S.-Mexico game, or something different because of the new venue) I don’t think that the venue will play much of a factor. The U.S. has their style and Mexico has its own style. So I don’t think much will be different between the two countries.
(On how the negative things that happened in recent games affected the team) The only thing I notice is the availablity of the players due to their club commitments.
(On whether the cold weather gives an advantage) Obviously the U.S. has a little bit of an advantage because they are used to this type of weather. Ultimately, though, it will be decided on the field and both teams must deal with the weather. … It will play some sort of a factor, but it will also be the players’ responsibilities to adapt to the temperature. The same is true for both teams, but overall it will affect us more.
(On the pressure of a qualifier) It’s clear that myself and the team feel pressure. I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t feel any pressure or that the players didn’t feel any pressure from the outside. But on a positive note, I have a group of players who have been involved in two World Cup qualifying campaigns. They have played in many qualifiers, so that gives me confidence that the players will perform well. They have made my job fairly easy.
(On the players’ support for him) It all has to do with the intelligent relationship I have with the players. I want them to speak openly and I want to hear the pros and cons they see. I understand that I do not have quite the experience at the international level that some other coaches have, but that is why I have taken input from those experienced players.
(On criticism from Mexican fans and media) It is a little bit discouraging, but overall you cannot give too much attention to the criticism because you pretty much stand alone anyway once you are on the field. It is very difficult to judge what people are going to do or say and we do not have any control over it. As fans, Mexicans are always expecting good results in international play and we try to get as much support as possible, but when we don’t get the best results, we get hammered by both the media and the fans.
(On the players’ effort and readiness) I feel very good about them. They have done an excellent job. … Overall this is a good group of players and they play as a unit.
(On the acclimating to the city) We’re just here for the qualifier. The players are here to play and then it’s back to their club commitments.
(On the officiating) Referees are something you need in the game. Basically, I’ve said before — every team wants to win, just like us. I have full confidence that the referee will do his job on the field. I’m not going to coach the referee, I’m going to coach my team.
(On how many points will be needed to earn a berth) I just want to take it step by step. I want to do my job, and that is to coach the team one game at a time. I don’t want to jump ahead and speculate on how many total points we will need.
(On whether a tie would be considered a victory) I don’t know. I will have to see the circumstances. (On differences between the 1998 Mexico team and today’s) There are many players from that team, but I would say now we have to be better, because we have more experience.
(On impressions of Columbus) It is a quiet city, very clean. I have noticed that many Mexicans work here. I believe that I will always have some sort of memory of Columbus.
(On the pro-American crowd and lack of Mexican fans) Let them cheer for the United States and support their team. … we may feel some sort of lonliness — that you are missing something you are used to seeing or hearing. But even all boos from the Americans will ignite the players. It does play a factor to have any fans in the stadium. If you are playing an excellent game, it gives those fans something to cheer about. Even if we don’t get the cheers that we normally do, the noise will help us.
(On specific American players) I really don’t dare to make individual analyses. They are a team of much respect. We are respecting them a lot because they have made great progress. It is probably the reason there are so many of their players in Europe right now.
(Special thanks to U.S. Soccer’s Steve Torres for translation)