Mexico’s U-17 World Cup odyssey was wrapped in FAIL even before the venture began. It started with Jesus “Chucho” Ramirez abandoning his post as head coach of the Mexican national Youth Teams to sign a lucrative deal with club America. Assistant coach Jose Luis Gonzalez China was then promoted. Then a week before the tourney was set to begin star player Martin “Pito Loco” Galvan is dropped from the squad for sneaking in a hooker to the team’s hotel room.
Thus Mexico began their World Cup quest with a two-nil defeat against Switzerland. The Tricolor looked bad enough that an early exit from the tourney was the most logical conclusion but the lads managed to shake off their loss and surprise Brazil. Then in the last match of the group phase Mexico surprised a superior Japan and with a two-nil win advanced to the round of sixteen.
The match against Korea had Mexico in the quarterfinals up until the last minute when everything came crumbling down for the Tricolor. In my opinion it was a disaster, for lack of a better word, that could have been avoided. Many of my colleagues pointed at the team’s poor endurance leading to questions about why an inexperienced trainer was appointed to the U-17 squad. China’s substitutions also leave another question mark but the inexperienced coach cannot be held accountable. Then there is the Galvan factor and if his punishment was a bit extreme.
While Mexico had a respectable showing in Nigeria one cannot help but think what could have been had FMF been more serious about the national team’s participation in the Youth World Cup. Perhaps, the only consolation is that the success from the 2005 squad has now added pressure to the Youth Teams to perform to a higher standard. The bar has been raised for the Youth Teams but it is time that it is also raised for FMF directives whose decisions can either help or hinder the team’s aspirations.
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