Mexico Will Emerge From a Tight Group in 2010 World Cup

Mexico will look to continue its consistent performances in recent World Cups by progressing from Group A in South Africa.

How they got here
Mexico endured a rocky road to South Africa. Having cruised past Belize in their opening round of qualifiers, El Tri barely made it out of the first group stage in the CONCACAF qualifiers. Mexico won its opening three games against Jamaica, Canada and Honduras but then only took a single point from its last three ties to scrape through ahead of Jamaica on goal difference.

Things got worse when the final qualifying round got under way. Mexico lost three of its first four ames. A 3-1 defeat against Honduras proved to be the breaking point and manager Sven Goran Eriksson was fired for the team’s poor performance. With qualification hanging in the balance Mexico raised its game dramatically down the stretch. Victories over the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, spurred the team into a run of five straight wins to guarantee qualification.

Who to watch
Belief in veteran talent should see Mexico gain plenty of interest in World Cup betting. At 36 Cuauhtemoc Blanco is not going to be around for too many more World Cups but it was his return from international retirement that guaranteed El Tri’s trip to South Africa. Soccer fans around the globe will be hoping to see the veteran perform the Blanco Trick or Cuauhteminha as it’s known.

Attacking midfielder Giovani Dos Santos has showed a lot of promise at international level. Having enjoyed mixed spells with Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and Galatasaray in Europe, the 20 year old has made his presence felt in the Mexican national team. He was named MVP of the tournament as he helped El Tri claim the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup title and will be eager to put in a similar performance in South Africa. Mexico are captained by Barcelona midfielder Rafael Marquez, who will look to add World Cup honours to his sizeable medal collection.

How they will perform
El Tri has made it through to the last 16 in every World Cup since 1994 and this year will be no exception. In a group where one favored team has to miss out, Mexico will emerge unscathed. I expect Mexico to win at least two group games to leave either France or South Africa in a fight for the other spot in the last 16. El Tri’s lack of big game players will prove costly in the latter stages so don’t expect Mexico to make a deep run once the knockout rounds are underway.

For the best World Cup lines as the countdown to South Africa continues check out Sports Interaction’s online sports book.