Mexico in Top 6 Favorites in Olympic Soccer EFE
go to original July 8, 2012

Mexico is among the six countries with the best chances of winning gold at the London Summer Olympics, but fans should not claim victory too soon, Olympic soccer team coach Luis Fernando Tena said.

Mexicans have a tendency to celebrate wins before matches are actually played, Tena said in his last press conference before traveling to Spain for a series of friendlies to prepare for the Games.

"We Mexicans are very prone to claiming victory before the competitions, and I do the same thing because we are confident about ourselves. They are putting us in sixth place in terms of chances of winning," Tena said Saturday.

Some "good players" will be competing for Mexico at the London Olympics, but there are some other solid squads, such as Spain, Brazil, host England, Switzerland and Uruguay, Tena said.

The Mexican players are mentally ready for the Games and will also be prepared physically when they make their Olympic debut, the coach said.

"The team is going to be fine when it gets there and we have to work hard during those three weeks to achieve our maximum potential," Tena said.

The players wrapped up training camp on Saturday and will spend the rest of the weekend with their families before heading to Spain on Monday.

The team will travel to Marbella, where it will play England on July 15. From there, it will travel to Cadiz to take on Spain on July 18.

The team will then travel to England, playing Japan on July 21.

Mexico is in Group B along with South Korea, which it will play on July 26 in Newcastle; Gabon, which is on tap on July 29 in Coventry; and Switzerland, which will be the opponent on Aug. 1 in Cardiff.

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