Mexico 2, New Zealand 2

Mexico gave a game effort to reach the quarterfinals, but in the end it came up just short with a 2-2 tie against New Zealand. As it turned out, it wouldn't have mattered anyway, as England was well in control of their match.

New Zealand, who had come all so close against both England and Japan, managed to get two very late goals to tie this match and earn their first World Cup point ever.

New Zealand coach John Herdman inserted veteran Hayley Moorwood and young Rosie White into the starting lineup for this match. Mexican coach Leonardo Cuellar made two changes in his lineup as well from the previous match against Japan. Kenti Robles started on the back line in place of Luz Saucedo. And Guadalupe Worbis started in the midfield in place of Dinora Garza.

Knowing that to have a chance, they needed to score several goals, Mexico went on the attack early. And just over a minute into the match, they went up 1-0. Veronica Perez gained possession and threaded a pass up the middle to Maribel Dominguez. Dominguez pushed the ball out the right side for Stephany Mayor. Mayor timed her run perfectly and having beaten the defender, walked in on goal and place her hard, low shot through the legs of Ferns goalkeeper Jenny Bindon. Mexico had taken the early 1-0 lead.

In the 20th minute, Mexico nearly doubled their lead. Mayor crossed the ball into the box, but Perez's diving effort at a header missed by mere inches. A few minutes later, Bindon made a nice save on Monica Ocampo and New Zealand's defense was able to block the ensuing rebound.

New Zealand nearly equalized in the 26th minute after a collision in the penalty area, but Cecilia Santiago came out to make the save as Betsy Hassett was able to get a shot off from 12 yards out.

Mexico's second goal came in the 29th minute. Santiago's goal kick came to center with Perez heading the ball forward past the defense. Dominguez had timed it perfectly and her great speed put her well behind the defender. She made no mistake finishing with well placed shot past Bindon and inside the right post. For Dominguez, it had been a long wait. She scored in the 1999 World Cup for Mexico, the last time they appeared in the tournament.

Mexico continued to press the attack, but with England leading the other match, things looked dim for the tricolor.

New Zealand tried to get one back at the start of the second half, as Ali Riley's cross found Anna Green, but her header went wide of the net.

At the other end, Ocampo put a shot from 10 yards well over the bar in the 58th minute. Dominguez attempted a shot from distance in the 60th minute, but it also went high. With England now leading 2-0 over Japan, the task had become impossible for Mexico as far as the quarterfinals go.

New Zealand began to knock on the door and came close in the 72nd minute as Mexico almost helped them out. A New Zealand corner kick found the head of Dinora Garza, who almost put it in her own net. Santiago made a reflex save to tip the ball just wide.

Charlyn Corral hit a free kick onto the top of the goal in the 88th minute, nearly putting Mexico up 3-0.

With time winding down, New Zealand was able to score two late goals. As had been giving them problems throughout the tournament, it was a set piece that led to the first goal against Mexico. Rebecca Smith rose easily above the defense and headed home a corner kick in the 90th minute.

Two minutes of time was added on and it was nearly that far into to stoppage when Hannah Wilkinson went down with an injury. The game continued on yet another minute as Wilkinson re-entered the game. She received a cross into the box, settled the ball and finished past Santiago to tie the match 2-2 on the last play of the match.

Mexico made a very good account of themselves, playing two strong matches against England and New Zealand. They earned two points and it could have easily been four. New Zealand was thrilled to have earned their first World Cup point.

England 1, Mexico 1

England and Mexico battled for 90 minutes to a hard-fought draw in Wolfsburg. The match was well contested throughout, with both sides having several good chances to score, but the match ended in a 1-1 tie.

This is a much improved side we are seeing from Mexico these days and they stayed with the tough English team blow for blow in this match. They nearly went on top in the opening minutes as Maribel Dominguez was given a nice through-ball that put her temporarily behind the English defense, but veteran defender Faye White made a nice recovery and Dominguez was unable to get a shot off.

For England, early on, it was shots from distance that seemed to be the order of the day. Kelly Smith's near miss just past the right post was the first of many that England would try in the first half. Apparently, the English were trying to test 16-year old Mexican keeper Cecilia Santiago early and often.

With no score in the 21st minute, England gained a corner kick on the right side. Karen Carney took the kick with the ball going high to the right side of the box, about 15 yards away. English midfielder Fara Williams was able to get height over the Mexican defender and headed the ball into the upper right corner of the net, while Santiago watched helplessly. England led 1-0.

Santiago appeared unfazed just a few minutes later as she was able to make a diving stop on Williams' attempt from 22 yards and smother it without rebound.

Then, what appeared to be a very innocuous play from Mexico resulted in a goal. The Mexicans gained possession in the midfield and after a couple of passes the ball came to Monica Ocampo, a good 35 yards away from the goal.

Ocampo touched the ball to the center of the field and then ripped a shot that curled under the bar and beyond a very stunned Karen Bardsley to tie the match at one. Bardsley appeared to be deceived by both the pace and spin on the shot and attempted to catch it two-handed instead of punching the ball away. As it turned out, it was just out of her reach and the match went into intermission tied at one.

Although they didn't score, the two great strikers in this match, Kelly Smith and Maribel Dominguez did not disappoint anyone with their play. Dominguez seemed to be perpetually on the run and menacing the English back line. Smith, as usual, controlled the center of the field, distributing well to teammates and taking a shot or two herself when the opportunity presented itself. Dominguez eventual developed a cramp late in the contest and was substituted out, but not before she threw a few scares into the English team.

While England had the better of chances and possession in the first half, Mexico gained confidence after Ocampo's goal. They nearly took the lead in the 49th minute as Dominguez struck her free kick from 22 yards just wide of the left post.

England took their turn just five minutes later as Rachel Yankey's cross to the back post was headed to the middle by Karen Carney, but Eni Aluko's swing at the ball from directly in front of the net produced nothing.

The English might have been a tad lucky in the 60th minute as Rachel Unitt's late challenge on Alina Garciamendez in the penalty area did not result in a call and the English defense were able to clear.

In the closing minutes of the game, both teams were presented with golden chances on free kicks. Smith's attempt from 25 yards went over the bar, while Ocampo's try from similar distance was even closer, just inches over the crossbar.

It appeared that Mexico had plenty of energy in the last few minutes, while England appeared to be worn out. Two minutes into stoppage, Mexico pressured inside England's penalty area, but Stephany Mayor's blast was blocked by Ellen White just yards in front of the goal to avert disaster.

While the result was a tie, the young Mexican squad had to be very happy with their performance and should gain confidence for the road ahead. They were able to strike back within minutes of falling behind in the match and showed more energy and greater possession as the match wore on.

Perhaps, a disappointing result for England, but their task against a very tough Mexican team was not that easy. England next faces New Zealand, a team that tied them in the Peace Cup last fall. Mexico will now face Group B leaders Japan. A victory against the Japanese would put Mexico in very good shape to advance to the quarterfinals.

Group B Preview: Mexico

Mexico (#22)
Region: Concacaf
Coach: Leonardo Cuellar
How They Qualified: Finished in 2nd Place in Concacaf Region Qualifying.
Prior Cups:
2007: DNQ
2003: DNQ
1999: Group Stage
1995: DNQ
1991: DNQ
.
Roster (Average Age: 23.50)

Name	Pos	Club	Age	Caps/Goals
Cecilia Santiago	GK	Laguna	16	11/0
Pamela Tajonar	GK	Atletico Malaga	26	36/0
Erika Vanegas	GK	None	22	13/0
Monica Alvarado	DF	Texas Christian Univ.	20	5/0
Natalie Garcia	DF	Univ of San Diego	21	3/0
Alina Garciamendez	DF	Stanford	20	17/1
Kenti Robles	DF	Espanyol	20	12/0
Rubi Sandoval	DF	None	27	70/5
Luz Saucedo	DF	None	27	91/2
Natalie Vinti	DF	Univ of San Diego	23	20/0
Dinora Garza	MF	Tigres	23	30/9
Juana Lopez	MF	None	32	102/14
Liliana Mercado	MF	UDLA Puebla	22	11/0
Teresa Noyola	MF	Stanford	21	7/0
Nayeli Rangel	MF	Tigres	19	27/3
Guadalupe Worbis	MF	ITESEM Puebla	27	95/22
Charlyn Corral	FW	ITESM Monterey	19	19/3
Maribel Dominguez	FW	L’Estartit	32	90/67
Stephany Mayor	FW	UDLA Puebla	19	16/5
Monica Ocampo	FW	None	24	36/12
Veronica Perez	FW	None	23	23/4

Recent Matches:

Date	Opponent	Competition	Result
6/20/11	Australia	Friendly	L 2-3
6/16/11	Sweden	Friendly	L 0-2
6/5/11	USA	Friendly	L 0-1
5/20/11	Costa Rica	Friendly	W 4-1
5/18/11	Costa Rica	Friendly	W 3-0
4/24/11	Colombia	Friendly	W 4-2
4/22/11	Colombia	Friendly	W 3-2
3/9/11	New Zealand	Cyprus	W 5-0
3/7/11	Northern Ireland	Cyprus	W 3-1
3/4/11	Korea Republic	Cyprus	T 1-1
3/2/11	Russia	Cyprus	T 0-0
12/19/10	Holland	Sao Paulo	L 1-2
12/15/10	Holland	Sao Paulo	L 1-3
12/12/10	Canada	Sao Paulo	L 0-1
12/9/10	Brazil	Sao Paulo	L 0-3
11/8/10	Canada	Concacaf	L 0-1
11/5/10	USA	Concacaf	W 2-1
11/2/10	Canada	Concacaf	L 0-3
10/31/10	Trinidad & Tobago	Concacaf	W 2-0
10/29/10	Guyana	Concacaf	W 7-2
10/21/10	Chinese Taipei	Peace Cup	W 1-0
10/17/10	Australia	Peace Cup	L 1-3

The last time that Mexico played in the Women’s World Cup was in 1999, when it was played in the United States. Maribel Dominguez was a member of that team that lost all three matches in the group stage. Dominguez scored the only goal that Mexico would get in the 1999 World Cup. Now 12 years later, she has seen a Mexican team evolve into one that can truly be competitive against the best in the world.

It’s not just the 2-1 upset that Mexico pulled over the United States in Concacaf Qualifying, although that’s certainly one that made people take notice. They have played very well against several top sides in 2010 and 2011. Most recently, in three friendlies, they lost by one goal the United States, two to Sweden and one to Australia, a match that they led 2-0 35 minutes into the match.

Before that, they swept a pair of matches against Colombia, another World Cup qualifier for 2011. They also performed very well at the Cyprus Cup, earning two wins and two draws, including a 5-0 victory over yet another qualifier New Zealand, a team they will meet again in Group B in Germany. They will not be taken lightly by their opponents anymore.

They’ve upset good teams and played competitive against nearly everyone. Can they take it one level higher? If the cards fall right, they might just make it to the quarterfinals.

While the team has some veterans like Dominguez, Evelyn Lopez, Luz Saucedo, Rubi Sandoval, and Guadalupe Worbis, this team is mostly made up of younger players. They have 14 players that are 23 years old and younger, many of them American college students. Alina Garciamendez, Teresa Noyola, Natalie Garcia, and Monica Alvarado all play college soccer in the US. Natalie Vinti and Veronica Perez recently finished up their college eligibility.

Dominguez is still their best offensive weapon. At age 32, she can still score goals in bunches. She plays very smart and seems to have a good sense of when and how to make her runs at the goal. But the younger generation has come on lately, especially Dinora Garza, Stephany Mayor, and Perez. Nayeli Rangel is another player to watch in the midfield.

Mexico has three solid goalkeeping options to choose from, including veteran Pam Tajonar and Erika Vanegas, who was in goal for the upset over the US. But 16-year old Cecilia Santiago may be the one to watch. She has been very sharp in several of the pre-Cup matches and is probably now considered Mexico’s number one keeper.

With such a young team, the future may be four years away for Mexico to really go deep into the tournament. Still, they have improved rapidly over the past year and they should be very competitive in Group B. They’ve already shown they can beat New Zealand. If they can perhaps get a win and a tie in the group stage, they might make it to the quarterfinals.

Note: Some information for this article was obtained on www.fifa.com and www.femexfut.org.mx.

MEXICO UPSETS US in World Cup Qualifying 2-1

A game Mexican squad, playing in front of a boisterous home crowd, upset the USWNT 2-1 tonight in Cancun, Mexico. For most of the evening, the underdog Mexicans outhustled and outplayed a US team that hadn't lost since a penalty kick decision at the 2009 Algarve Cup to Sweden.

Mexico had their foot on the gas peddle from the opening whistle, catching a sluggish looking US squad back on their heels. They struck first in the 3rd minute on a set piece. A long free kick was sent forward and Nayeli Rangel headed the ball toward the goal. Mexican star Maribel Dominguez slipped behind the defense and chipped the ball neatly over Nicole Barnhart's head for a 1-0 lead.

The US equalized in the 25th minute. A corner kick came loose in the box after Mexican goalkeeper Erika Vanegas was unable to handle it. Carli Lloyd slotted the loose ball into the net to knot the score at one.

It was only a minute later, however, that Mexico regained the lead. A high cross was sent into the box and former Saint Louis Athletica developmental player, Veronica Perez, headed it home past Barnhart.

The rest of the half saw the US often resorting to long passes and ill-advised shots, none of which came remotely close to scoring. Mexico headed into the intermission with a 2-1 lead. Little did anyone realize that there would be no more scoring.

The US would get very few good opportunities during the match. While they controlled the pace of the match much better in the 2nd half, the Mexican defense was more than up to the task, keeping most of the pressure away from their keeper. The Mexican team looked surprisingly poised compared to the far greater experienced USWNT. A frustrated US side was very ragged with their passing game and from a defensive standpoint, resorted to shirt-tugging all too often.

Perhaps the best chance for the US came well into the 2nd half as Alex Morgan corralled a loose ball off of a corner and turned with a hard shot that went right into the gut of Vanegas.

In stoppage time, Abby Wambach collided with Kenti Robles on a header that left both women bleeding, with blood gushing from Wambach's head. She got taped up, but the 4th official was unable to get the head referee's attention and Wambach was never able to rejoin the match.

A joyous Mexican crowd counted down the seconds to victory and the closing whistle set off quite the celebration. Mexico will now face Canada for the Concacaf championship, although both teams have already qualified for the World Cup. Canada broke open a close game late to win by a 4-0 margin over Costa Rica. Canadian goals were scored by Josee Belanger, Jonelle Foligno, Christine Sinclair, with a fourth coming on an own goal in stoppage time.

As for the US, the road just got a lot more difficult. They must now defeat Costa Rica once again in the 3rd place match. If they win that, they would face Italy in a home-and-home on November 20 and 27 for the final World Cup berth. Italy finished in 5th place in UEFA qualifying.