Mexico has the Motivation and Talent to Achieve Olympic Success Nick Rosano - Goal.com
go to original March 23, 2012

Mexico U23 head coach Luis Fernando Tena (Goal.com)

Mexican youth national teams have enjoyed vast success in the past decade. Between two U17 World Cup wins (2005 and 2011) and a third-place finish in the 2011 U20 World Cup, the youth setup’s recent record is laudable.

Success in the Olympic Games, however, remains elusive.

Mexico has failed to qualify for two of the past three Olympic tournaments, and in the one it did qualify for, in 2004, it failed to progress from the group stage of the competition.

Critics write of the significance of what is essentially another youth tournament, while club sides shudder at the though of giving up some of their best young talent right as the European season kicks off.

Yet young players across the globe are fixated on achieving a place in the games that have become synonymous with athletic excellence.

European-based youngsters Taufic Guarch and Ulises Davila have both spoken to Goal.com in recent weeks about their desire to make the Olympic squad, while back home in Mexico, there is plenty of talk about the need for Mexico to overcome its Olympic struggles and succeed at the London Games.

Similarly, a veteran of the 2004 tournament, Gonzalo Pineda, recently recalled to Goal.com, “What I experienced in Athens was something unforgettable. It is a tournament that very few athletes can get to. Going to an Olympics must be given the value it deserves.”

Though Pineda and his team were duly dumped out of the 2004 Olympics – a 0-0 draw with Mali and a 1-0 loss to South Korea offset a 3-2 win over the host Greece – Pineda’s enthusiasm for the tournament is one that can motivate this generation of U23 players to book their place in the London Games.

Even if the World Cup remains the ultimate goal for any player at the international level of soccer, the prestige of a sporting event such as the Olympics provides an extra bit of luster compared to other youth tournaments. It is no wonder, then, Mexico would like to add an Olympic medal to its list of achievements at the youth level.

It certainly appears as though Mexico U23 head coach Luis Fernando Tena has the tools at his disposal to return El Tri to the Olympics. Results have been good – save for a 2-0 setback to the United States in February – and the team’s gold medal showing in the 2011 Pan American Games should have Mexico fans brimming with optimism.

For one, the team is loaded with starters from the Mexican domestic leagues, forming an incomparably experienced team. There is depth across the defense and the midfield. Even at forward – where options are more limited – Tena found himself blessed with another option in Miguel Ponce.

Though the Sacramento-born Chivas man is nominally a left back, Tena has used him to great effect at a variety of positions throughout the Pan American games and Mexico’s warmup games. Ponce bagged both goals from the penalty spot and put in a strong display in Mexico’s 2-1 win over Senegal on Saturday.

“Ponce was good, he played going forward. That’s the way he’s supposed to play. He played very well. When played in the Pan-American Games, he played as winger,” Tena explained. “He’s a great player, he’s a versatile player, he has a lot of quality, skills.”

Even with the tweaks Tena may need to take, on paper Mexico has more than enough quality to advance from its group and win the semifinal game that would take it to London.

Panama, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago aren’t to be written off entirely – the latter held Mexico to a 1-1 draw at the Pan American games, the only blemish in a triumphant campaign. Tena also highlighted Honduras, and not his own side, as favorite for the tournament, citing its extensive experience together.

“I think Honduras, they have told us that they are favorite to qualify in first position from the group,” Tena declared. “They have time working together. It is a team that’s strong, the same thing as Panama, that they have a long time working together. Costa Rica and Trinidad as well.”

Tena’s low-key approach to the tournament may come as somewhat of surprise given Mexico’s status – along with the United States – as favorite to reach the Olympics, but it also helps to keep the pressure off the young players. Given Mexico’s occasional tendencies towards self-inflicted wounds, this may not be a bad idea, and Pineda agrees.

"I believe that it happens more because of a mental issue that because of some of the team's failures to qualify to the Olympics, those negative thoughts come, but they shouldn’t exist," the 2006 World Cup veteran explained.

He added, "We must confide in the quality that exists in the U23s. It is a plenty complete team with many players that are already in the senior team. I believe they simply have to be confident and they will do very well."

There is no denying the talent available to Tena, however, and the U23 manager acknowledged that anything short of a place in London would see him out of a job. Though the players can take comfort in better job security, after the continued hype surrounding Mexico’s young talent, an early exit will surely not do wonders for the players’ confidence as they seek a spot in the senior team.

Mexico has the talent and motivation not only to qualify for the Olympics, but to go far in the tournament. Only when qualifying kicks off Friday will we then start to see see whether Tena and his charges can mastermind another Mexican success at the youth level, or whether El Tri will have to wait another four years for that elusive Olympic medal.

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