A few months ago Mexico looked as if it might miss out on World Cup qualification. Now El Tri is back on track to qualify while looking the best team in the group. Cuauhtemoc Blanco converted a penalty kick in the 75th minute en route to a 1-0 win over Honduras that moved Mexico into second place in the group.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre, however, isn't paying any attention to the standings. "I still feel out of the World Cup,'' said Aguirre, who took over in April after Sven-Goran Eriksson was fired. "Until all the games are over, we don't know where we will finish. Spain and England qualified today. We haven't. It's not over today.
Mexico, which rebounded from a 1-3 start that included three road losses, hosts El Salvador on Oct. 10 and closes at Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 14. The United States (5-2-1) leads the final round of North and Central American and Caribbean (Concacaf) qualifying with 16 points, one ahead of Mexico (5-3), three in front of Honduras (4-3-1) and four ahead Costa Rica (4-4). The top three teams qualify for the World Cup, and the No. 4 nation goes to a playoff against the fifth-place team in South America.