Mexico

Confederation: CONCACAF
Head coach: Javier Aguirre
Captain: Gerardo Torrado
Group: A



Having seen Mexico in the flesh on Monday night, I have to say I was very impressed with them. Flair, techique, movement and creativity are all qualities the Mexicans showed. At times they made England look very ordinary by making pass after pass. Some poor finishing let let them down, after breaching the English defense on a couple of occasions. Captain Gerardo Torrado was superb in the centre of midfield, everything went through him and he hardly wasted a pass. Small and lean, Torrado showed, you don't have to be an athletic powerhouse to dictate midfield possession. Both full backs were also excellent, Carlos Salcido and Efrain Juarez bombed forward all night and gave Mexico great width. Salcido, who has a penchant for scoring goals, was never afraid to have a shot and tested Robert Green with an effort.

Juarez played behind Spurs winger Giovani Dos Santos on the right hand side and both of them gave Leighton Baines a torrid time. The duo worked in tandem and complemented each other very well. Dos Santos was a threat all night with his pace and direct running. The English defense couldn't handle him at times and struggled to deal with his mazey runs. Dos Santos' club future is unclear at the moment, but if he puts in more performances like that this summer, then there will be many teams who will want his signature. West Ham striker Guillermo Franco, led the line well and offers Mexico a wealth of experience.

Manchester United fans will hope to see one of their latest new recruits, in Zavier Hernandez at the World Cup this summer. Hernandez, 21, hasn't been in the Mexico set up long, however he has scored 7 goals in just 12 caps. Carlos Vela will hope to gain a starting role this summer and show Arsene Wenger that he's ready to feature more at the Emirates. Andres Guardado is another one to watch this summer, Guardado is small and tricky with plenty of flair. The Mexicans are in group A along with hosts, South africa, France and Uruguay. That group is a tough one to call, as I believe all four could realistically reach the second round.


Squad:

Oscar Perez (Chiapas), Guillermo Ochoa (America), Luis Ernesto Michel (Guadalajara); Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Ricardo Osorio (Stuttgart), Francisco Rodriguez, Carlos Salcido (both PSV Eindhoven), Hector Moreno (AZ Alkmaar), Paul Aguilar (Pachuca), Efrain Juarez (Pumas UNAM), Jonny Magallon (Guadalajara), Jorge Torres Nilo (Atlas); Andres Guardado (Deportivo La Coruna), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Israel Castro (Pumas UNAM), Giovani dos Santos (Galatasaray, on loan from Tottenham); Pablo Barrera (Pumas UNAM), Adolfo Bautista, Alberto Medina (both Guadalajara), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Veracruz), Carlos Vela (Arsenal), Javier Hernandez (Manchester United), Guillermo Franco (West Ham).


Ant Myers