Preview: South Africa vs Mexico
May 5th 2010 03:42
With the World Cup 2010 finals approaching, let us take a look at some of the key fixtures that are sure to be highlights in the tournament. The opening game is usually the one that sets the tone for the rest of the competition and once again, it will feature the host country, this time being South Africa. Bundled together in a difficult group featuring South American giants Uruguay, former world champions France and always tricky Mexico, the hosts will kick off against the latter in a potentially difficult opener.
There has been a lot of pressure on South Africa in the intervening years since FIFA awarded the World Cup 2010 finals to them. Much talk has been about the ability of the country to fund and finish the construction of the facilities and infrastructure required to stage the competition. Many felt that it would be a miracle if they managed to complete anything and previews of the stadiums and infrastructure have not been too appealing. However, do not rule out FIFA from stepping in to ensure everything runs like clockwork once the tourney starts.
South Africa has also faced criticism for their performance on the pitch - which can be hard to gauge considering they do not have to go through a competitive environment that qualifiers experience in the leadup to the finals. Results in friendlies have been less than desirable while they failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations finals. There is already talk of them being one of the few rare host countries to be eliminated in the group stage.
South Africa have a few outstanding individuals such as Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar, the latter of whom has been in outstanding form for Premier League club Everton and has attracted much attention from Manchester United and Liverpool. But Carlos Alberto Perreira does appear to have his hands full trying to guide the country to a respectable showing and they will need their fans to turn out in full force to back them. He has done it before and do not forget Perreira is a former World Cup winner with Brazil.
Mexico will always be Mexico and with a nation full of football fanatics behind them, they will alway do their best to entertain and surprise. The Latin Americans have a whole host of talent that coach Javier Aguirre managed to harness together in time to qualify for the finals after almost missing out at one point. They may lack the physical stature and global experience that comes with exporting their best players to foreign clubs but that is also improving with time. Javier Hernandez joined a growing number of Mexicans snapped up by big clubs after signing for Manchester United a couple of weeks ago. Rafael Marquez plays for Barcelona and if all these experienced internationals can guide the younger players, then there is a possibility that they may light up the world stage in South Africa.
A full stadium is expected for hosts South Africa's opening match and it might play both ways - can the hosts overcome their nerves to play with inspiration and open the tournament with a resounding win, or will Mexico arrive with little fear and dominate an opponent that might be gripped by stage fright?
There has been a lot of pressure on South Africa in the intervening years since FIFA awarded the World Cup 2010 finals to them. Much talk has been about the ability of the country to fund and finish the construction of the facilities and infrastructure required to stage the competition. Many felt that it would be a miracle if they managed to complete anything and previews of the stadiums and infrastructure have not been too appealing. However, do not rule out FIFA from stepping in to ensure everything runs like clockwork once the tourney starts.
South Africa has also faced criticism for their performance on the pitch - which can be hard to gauge considering they do not have to go through a competitive environment that qualifiers experience in the leadup to the finals. Results in friendlies have been less than desirable while they failed to qualify for the African Cup of Nations finals. There is already talk of them being one of the few rare host countries to be eliminated in the group stage.
South Africa have a few outstanding individuals such as Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar, the latter of whom has been in outstanding form for Premier League club Everton and has attracted much attention from Manchester United and Liverpool. But Carlos Alberto Perreira does appear to have his hands full trying to guide the country to a respectable showing and they will need their fans to turn out in full force to back them. He has done it before and do not forget Perreira is a former World Cup winner with Brazil.
Mexico will always be Mexico and with a nation full of football fanatics behind them, they will alway do their best to entertain and surprise. The Latin Americans have a whole host of talent that coach Javier Aguirre managed to harness together in time to qualify for the finals after almost missing out at one point. They may lack the physical stature and global experience that comes with exporting their best players to foreign clubs but that is also improving with time. Javier Hernandez joined a growing number of Mexicans snapped up by big clubs after signing for Manchester United a couple of weeks ago. Rafael Marquez plays for Barcelona and if all these experienced internationals can guide the younger players, then there is a possibility that they may light up the world stage in South Africa.
A full stadium is expected for hosts South Africa's opening match and it might play both ways - can the hosts overcome their nerves to play with inspiration and open the tournament with a resounding win, or will Mexico arrive with little fear and dominate an opponent that might be gripped by stage fright?
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