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Cape Town - Mexico will be hoping to cause a few upsets in Group A of the 2014 Soccer World Cup.
Mexico will be hoping to make the second round of the
competition for the sixth consecutive World Cup, but a tough group and poor
qualifying campaign will make it tough to do so.
The Mexicans weren't fancied to do so in 2010, either,
but capitalised on France's capitulation and South Africa's poor form to
progress before getting knocked out by Argentina.
How
they qualified
Mexico had a dismal run of form during the qualifying
and finished fourth in the CONCACAF group of six countries after winning just
two of their ten qualifying games. They managed to squeeze into an intercontinental
play-off spot, though, where they beat New Zealand 9-3 on aggregate over
two-legs to secure a spot at the tournament in Brazil.
Star
player
Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez might not
have had the best of seasons at Old Trafford, but will fancy being the number
one striker for Mexico at the World Cup.
Hernandez is the top scorer in the 23-man squad with 35
goals for his country and, if the El Tri are to progress to the next round, a
lot will ride on Chicharito's scoring form.
One to watch
Versatile young Porto defender Diego Reyes is the
youngest member of the Mexico squad and is just starting to break through for
the Dragoes in Portugal. While he has only made five appearances for Porto, he
has shown signs of promise, particularly his comfort in possession, his
strength in the air and intelligent positioning.
Reyes also been deployed at both centre-back and
centre-midfield positions, and has earned 12 caps for his country.
The
manager
Miguel Herrera took over the reins from Victor Manuel
Vucetich in October 2013, initially on an interim basis, but after sealing
qualification for the World Cup, it was announced that he would carry on as
head coach until the end of the tournament.
The former Mexico international has managed several Mexican clubs since 2002, including CF Monterrey and Club America.
Prediction
It will be very tough for Mexico to progress from a difficult group but they do have the ability to surprise, but don't expect them to finish higher than third.
