User:MxcnKing926/Mexico history

 

 

Early Years
Competitive association football in Mexico was organized in the early 20th century by various European immigrant groups, notably English miners from Cornwall, England, and in later years, Spanish exiles fleeing the Spanish Civil War. Though organized football was disrupted from 1910 to 1919 as a result of the Mexican Revolution, a new football association had been established in Mexico City by 1922, and by the end of the year a national team had been organized from players in the league to represent Mexico in international friendlies. On January 1, 1923, Mexico played their first international friendly against Guatemala in Guatemala City, which the Mexican team won 3–2. They would play two more games against Guatemala in the next few days, losing the second game 3–1 before winning the third 4–1. Mexico then played another three-game series against Guatemala in December of the same year. These games were played at the Parque España in Mexico City and were the first games Mexico played at home. Mexico won the first two games 2–1 and 2–0 and drew the third 3–3.

However, Mexico's first FIFA recognized game came nearly four years later, at the 1928 Summer Olympics, Mexico's first international tournament. Mexico's first game was a 1–7 loss to Spain in the Round of 16, with Mexico's first international tournament goal scored by Juan Carreño. With the loss, Mexico played against Chile in the consolation round. Despite taking the lead in the fifteenth minute, Mexico wasn't able to hold onto it and lost 3–1.

The First World Cup
Mexico's next games were at the 1930 FIFA World Cup. Unlike future World Cups, the first World Cup had no qualifying stage. Instead all members of FIFA were invited. At the tournament, Mexico was grouped together with Argentina, Chile, and France. On July 13, 1930, Mexico played their first World Cup match against France at Estadio Pocitos in Montevideo, which occurred simultaneously with the USA–Belgium match. The match ended in a 4–1 win for France, but witnessed Mexico's first World Cup goal by Juan Carreño. In their second match of the tournament, Mexico fell to Chile 3–0 at Montevideo's Estadio Gran Parque Central. Mexico ended their participation in the World Cup against Argentina, losing 6–3 in a game that featured the first penalty of the tournament, awarded in the 42' and scored by Mexico's Manuel Rosas. A total of five penalties were awarded during the match which was refereed by the Bolivian coach Ulises Saucedo, although three were controversial. With three losses, Mexico was eliminated from the first World Cup.

1934 World Cup: Disappointment
Mexico's next few matches would be qualifiers for the 1934 FIFA World Cup against Cuba. In a one-sided three-game series, Mexico thrashed Cuba 3–2, 5–0, and 4–1 to earn a place at the World Cup. However, Mexico would travel to Italy and not play a single game at the finals. A late application from the United States forced Mexico to play another qualifier upon arrival in Rome, which they lost 4–2, leaving Mexico eliminated from the cup only three days before the opening game. This qualifier also laid the foundation for a fierce rivalry that would develop between the two sides in the future.

1935-1938: A Giant Rises
After missing out on the World Cup, Mexico would rebound emphatically and begin to assert its dominance over its regional rivals. At the 1935 Central American and Caribbean Games, Mexico began its participation by defeating El Salvador 8–1. Mexico would go on to beat Guatemala 5–1, Cuba 6–1 and Honduras 8–2. Mexico's final game would be against Costa Rica. La Sele proved to be a more formidable opponent, but Mexico won the gold after winning 2–0. Two years later, Mexico played a three-game series at home against the United States, the team that prevented them from playing at the previous World Cup. Mexico got their revenge in style, winning all three games and outscoring the United States 19–6.

The next year, Mexico would attempt to retain their crown at the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games. In their first game, Mexico fell behind in the fourth minute against Colombia, but ended up winning 3–1. In the next game, Mexico narrowly won against Venezuela, a fourth minute Manuel Alonso goal enough to give them the win. Mexico then thrashed El Salvador 6–0, before drawing 2–2 with Panama. Again Mexico's final game would be against Costa Rica. In order to retain their title, Mexico needed to defeat Los Ticos. After taking the lead in the fifth minute, Costa Rica equalized in the twentieth, leaving the teams tied at half-time. A second goal by Horacio Casarín gave Mexico the gold and momentum ahead of the 1938 FIFA World Cup. However, because of FIFA's controversial decision to have the World Cup in Europe, many American countries, including Mexico, withdrew or refused to participate. This meant that the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games was the last international tournament Mexico participated in and the last games Mexico played before the breakout of World War II.

Post-WWII and 1950's
Mexico's first games after WWII were at the 1947 NAFC Championship, the precursor to the CONCACAF Championship and later, the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Mexico began with a 5–0 demolition of the United States before winning the championship with a 3–1 victory over Cuba. Mexico then played at the 1948 Summer Olympics in a Round of 16 tie against Korea Republic. Mexico was eliminated after they lost 5–3.

1950 World Cup
After the loss, Mexico turned its attention to the 1950 FIFA World Cup. Qualification went smoothly, with Mexico retaining their NAFC Championship crown at the 1949 event, winning all four of their games against the United States and Cuba, outscoring them 17–2. To prepare for the World Cup, Mexico played Spain twice in Mexico City. They lost the first game 3–1 despite winning 1–0 at halftime. The second game was played days later and ended goalless. At the World Cup, Mexico was grouped with host country Brazil, Yugoslavia, and Switzerland. Mexico began group play with a 4–0 loss to eventual runner-ups Brazil. Mexico's next game saw a similar result as Mexico lost 4–1 to Yugoslavia, with Mexico's only goal scored via penalty kick by Héctor Ortíz. With this result, Mexico was again eliminated in the first round. Mexico closed group play with a 2–1 loss to Switzerland.

In 1946, the Panamerican Football Confederation was formed in an attempt to unite the Americas and create a competitive tournament. Mexico competed at the confederation's first tournament, held in Santiago, Chile, 1952. Mexico began with a 3–1 loss to Uruguay. Mexico were unable to rebound and lost 4–0 to Chile and 2–0 to Brazil. In the penultimate game, Mexico beat Panama 4–0. Mexico ended with a 3–0 loss to Peru, finishing second to last in the six-team tournament.

1954 World Cup
Mexico's next challenge was qualifying for the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Qualification went smoothly, beating Haiti and the United States each twice, outscoring them 19 to 1. At the finals, Mexico was grouped with Brazil, France, and Yugoslavia, although Mexico never actually played against Yugoslavia due to a change in tournament format. As in the previous tournament, Mexico began with a heavy 5–0 defeat to Brazil in the opener. Mexico then lost 3–2 to France to end its participation without a single point.

The First Tournament at Home
The second edition of the Panamerican Championship was hosted by Mexico in 1956. Mexico began tournament play by tying with Costa Rica at one goal. However, Mexico couldn't make home advantage count and lost 2–0 to Peru and 2–1 to Brazil. Mexico was then able to tie Argentina, before winning their final game 2–1 against Chile. However, even with this victory, Mexico finished second to last again.

1958 World Cup: First Point
Mexico's next competition would be the 1958 FIFA World Cup. As in previous qualification cycles, qualification went smoothly. In the first round, Mexico played Canada and the United States in a round-robin group. Mexico won all four games to advance to the play-off that would determine the region's sole representative. Mexico's opponent would be Costa Rica. Mexico won 2–0 at home and tied 1–1 in Costa Rica to win 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the finals. At the World Cup, Mexico was grouped with Sweden, Wales and Hungary. Mexico began with a 3–0 defeat to Sweden. Mexico's next game witnessed their first point at a World Cup, drawing with Wales 1–1. In order to progress to the next round, Mexico needed to beat Hungary and for Sweden to win. However, Mexico lost 4–0 to Hungary and ended their participation.

To close out the decade, Mexico played friendlies for the first time since 1950, playing two against Costa Rica and one against England. Mexico beat Costa Rica twice and then achieved its most significant result up to that point: a 2–1 victory over England despite conceding the first goal.

1960's: Friendlies Gain Importance
The third, and last, Panamerican Championship was Mexico's next tournament. Mexico picked up from where they left off against England, drawing 2–2 with Brazil despite losing 2–0 heading into the final 25 minutes. However, Mexico wasn't able to keep this success going, losing 3–2 to Argentina. Mexico then drew 1–1 against Costa Rica. In the next game, Mexico was again losing 2–0 to Brazil. However, this time Mexico wasn't able to come back and lost 2–1. Mexico lost 2–0 to Argentina before beating Costa Rica 3–0. Mexico again finished second to last despite early signs of promise.

1962 World Cup: First Win
Mexico played a friendly against Holland, winning 3–1 before the qualification campaign for the 1962 FIFA World Cup began. To qualify, Mexico needed to go through three rounds. In the first round, Mexico played a home and away playoff against the United States, winning 6–3 on aggregate. Mexico began the second round round by losing 1–0 to Costa Rica. However, Mexico rebounded and beat Netherlands Antilles 7–0 and Costa Rica 4–1. In order to qualify, Mexico needed to achieve a better result away to Netherlands Antilles than Costa Rica. To prepare, Mexico went on a tour in Europe, beating Holland 2–1, before losing 2–1 to Czechoslovakia and 8–0 to England, Mexico's heaviest defeat to date. Mexico ended its tour against Norway, drawing 1–1. Mexico then went back to qualification, drawing 0–0 with Netherlands Antilles to progress to the inter-continental playoff against Paraguay. Mexico won 1–0 at home and drew 0–0 away to qualify for the 1962 FIFA World Cup.

To prepare for the tournament, Mexico played friendlies against Argentina, Colombia and Wales. At the World Cup, Mexico was grouped with Brazil, Spain, and Czechoslovakia. For the third time in four World Cups, Mexico began with a defeat to Brazil, losing 2–0. Brazilian legend Pelé assisted the first goal and scored the second. Mexico then lost 1–0 to Spain, despite holding them goalless for nearly the entire match. Mexico's final game witnessed the first win at a World Cup, beating Czechoslovakia 3–1. However, the win was not enough to progress to the next round and Mexico was eliminated.

1966 World Cup
After winning their first game at a World Cup, expectations in Mexico were not only to qualify to the World Cup, but to progress to the next round. In 1963, Mexico began the long path to the World Cup with the newly formed CONCACAF Championship. Mexico lost its opening game against Netherlands Antilles 2–1 and successfully rebounded by thrashing Jamaica 8–0. Needing to match Netherlands Antilles result against Jamaica, Mexico tied Costa Rica 0–0 while Netherlands Antilles beat Jamaica 2–1, eliminating Mexico at the first round. The year after, FIFA announced Mexico would host the 1970 FIFA World Cup. The pressure was on Mexico now to prove to the world it was worthy of hosting such an event by doing well at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Qualification was simple, two rounds of round-robin group play would determine the confederation's sole representative. Mexico advanced to the final round after winning its group containing the United States and Honduras. During this phase of qualifying, Mexico also played its 100th game, winning 3–0 against Honduras.

Qualification was then briefly interrupted by the 1965 CONCACAF Championship. The tournament was a group consisting of 6 teams. The team with the most points after playing the other teams once was declared the winner. Mexico won its first three games against El Salvador, Curaçao, and Haiti. In the penultimate game, Mexico drew 1–1 with Costa Rica. Thus Mexico headed into its final game against Guatemala level on points. Mexico won 2–1 against the host country to win its first CONCACAF Championship. Mexico thus headed into the final round against Costa Rica and Jamaica as champions and qualified easily despite drawing 0–0 with Costa Rica in the opening round.

At the World Cup, Mexico was grouped with hosts England, France, and Uruguay. The pressure to have a successful tournament caused team manager Ignacio Trélles to field a heavily defensive line-up throughout the tournament. In Mexico's opening game against France, Mexico took the lead through an Enrique Borja strike. However, Mexico wasn't able to hold onto the lead and France drew level in the 62nd minute with the game ending in a 1–1 draw. In the next game against the hosts, the memory of the 8–0 defeat five years earlier caused Trélles to field seven defenders. The game eventually ended in a 2–0 defeat. With a win against Uruguay in their final game, Mexico could advance to the next phase for the first time. However, the defensive mindedness of the team prevented them from taking anything more from the game other than a 0–0 draw. Thus Mexico was eliminated again at the first hurdle. The one positive the team was able to take from the tournament was that goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal made his final appearance at Wembley Stadium in his fifth and final World Cup, a record that was equaled by Germany's Lothar Matthaus at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

1970 World Cup
In 1970, Mexico hosted the World Cup and kicked off their campaign with a scoreless draw against the Soviet Union. This was followed by a win over El Salvador (4–0). Mexico advanced to the next round with a victory against Belgium thanks to a penalty scored by Gustavo Peña in the 14th minute. At the quarter-finals stage, Mexico was eliminated by Italy in a 4–1 match despite Mexico taking an early lead.

1978 World Cup
Mexico failed to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup and did not appear at the world stage until the Argentina '78. Mexico suffered an early exit after three defeats: 0-6 against West Germany, 1-3 against Tunisia, and 1-3 to Poland. Mexico failed to qualify for Spain 1982.

1986 World Cup
In 1986, Mexico again hosted the World Cup. Coached by Bora Milutinović, Mexico was placed in Group B where they defeated Belgium 2-1, draw 1-1 with Paraguay, and defeated Iraq 1-0. With this performance, Mexico won the top spot in its group and advanced to the next round where Mexico faced Bulgaria in a 2-0 win. In the quarter-finals stage, Mexico lost to West Germany 0-0 (1-4 pens). They won the first championship game

1990 World Cup Disqualification
Mexico was disqualified from the 1990 FIFA World Cup (and any other international competition) after using players over the age limit allowed by FIFA in the qualifying round for the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988. The punishment originally was only going to be applied to the Olympic team and not the World Cup team, but the penalty was applied to all Mexican national representatives of all sports for two years.

1994 World Cup
In the 1990s, after hiring coach César Luis Menotti, Mexican football began experiencing greater international success. An important turning point was its participation in the 1993 Copa America, where they finished second in the tournament, losing to Argentina 2-1 in the final. Mexico went on to win its group on tiebreakers in the 1994 World Cup, emerging from the tournament's "Group of death", composed of Mexico, Italy, Ireland, and Norway. However, Mexico eventually lost in the second round to Bulgaria on penalty kicks. Miguel Mejía Barón led this team into one of its most distinguished performances in a World Cup.

1998 World Cup
After its participation at King Fahd's Cup (which would eventually become the FIFA Confederation's Cup) and being coached again by Bora Milutinović then eventually Manuel Lapuente, in a very good qualifying round for France 1998, in which they came in first place in the CONCACAF side. At the World Cup, Mexico was placed in Group E, with the Netherlands, Korea Republic and Belgium. Mexico started against Korea Republic losing 0-1 but came back to win 3-1. Belgium had started beating Mexico 2-0 but came back to tie 2-2. The third game against Netherlands ended in another 2-2 result which resulted in qualification to the Round of 16. In the next round, Mexico faced Germany. Although having the lead Mexico did not manage to hold onto it and lost the game 2-1.

2002 World Cup
After a tough qualifying campaign for the 2002 World Cup, Mexico reached the finals and was placed in Group G alongside Italy, Croatia, Ecuador. Mexico opened its participation with a 1-0 win over Croatia. In the second match, Mexico earned a 2-1 win over Ecuador with goals from Jared Borgetti and Gerardo Torrado. Mexico then achieved a 1-1 draw against Italy thanks to a goal from Borgetti that was regarded as one of the best of the tournament. In the second round Mexico played continental rivals United States. Mexico was defeated by the U.S. 2-0.

2006 World Cup

 * Additional information: 2006 FIFA World Cup - Group D

Mexico played a series of friendlies in the United States of America in preparation for the World Cup, seeking to maximize revenue by appealing to Mexican Americans living in the USA.

Mexico was one of eight seeded teams in the first round at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The eight seeded teams consisted of Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Mexico. This was the second time a non-hosting CONCACAF nation was seeded. Mexico was put in Group D with Iran, Angola and Portugal.

Mexico won their opening match 3–1 against Iran, with two goals from Omar Bravo and one by Sinha. In their second match, Mexico played to a 0–0 draw against Angola. Mexico joined Portugal as a qualifier in the Round of 16, despite losing to the Portuguese 2–1. During the match, Bravo missed a penalty shot.

In the second round, Mexico played against Argentina. The Mexicans scored in the 5th minute with a goal by captain Rafael Márquez assisted by Pável Pardo. Four minutes later, Hernán Crespo scored for Argentina to equalise. The score remained 1–1 after ninety minutes, and in extra time, a volley by Maxi Rodríguez in the second period of extra time brought about a 2–1 win for Argentina.

Argentine coach Ricardo Lavolpe stepped down as coach after the tournament, and was succeeded by Mexican legend Hugo Sánchez.

International Competitions
Since their second place finish in the 1993 Copa America, Mexico has been a regular participant in the South American tournament and has competed well. It earned third place in 1997, 1999 and 2007 and another second-place finish in 2001. Mexico has never failed to reach the quarter finals of the Copa America and twice has had the leading scorer in the tournament (Luis García in 1995 (sharing the title with Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta) and Luis Hernández in 1997).

Mexico hosted and won the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup. Mexico won its first official FIFA tournament trophy by beating Brazil with a final score of 4-3. Mexico's star, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, shared the tournament's Golden Shoe award as top scorer with Ronaldinho, he was also awarded the Silver Ball.

Mexico co-hosted (with the United States of America) the Gold Cup in 2003, winning it after a 1-0 victory in Mexico City over a mostly U-23 Brazilian squad which had eliminated the United States in Miami, Florida.

The parallel emergence of Mexico and the United States on the international stage has helped elevate the status of the CONCACAF region, and has provided a natural rivalry that has benefited the development of both national teams.

The growth experienced by the Mexican national team since the early 1990s was matched by the increased competitiveness of its domestic league, the Primera División de México. Due in large part to lucrative television contracts, Mexican football clubs are amongst the richest outside of Europe. The influx of high level foreign players, together with increased participation in international tournaments has helped compensate for the fact that, traditionally, relatively few Mexican players have sought opportunities in other countries. Hugo Sánchez (Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid), Luis García (Atlético de Madrid and Real Sociedad), Rafael Márquez (AS Monaco and FC Barcelona), and Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Real Valladolid) have all found some success during their time in Europe. Other European-based players that have managed to succeed thus far include Carlos Salcido (PSV), Pável Pardo (VfB Stuttgart), Ricardo Osorio (VfB Stuttgart), Aaron Galindo (Eintracht Frankfurt) and Nery Castillo (Manchester City), all of whom won championships with their clubs in this past 2006-07 season. Carlos Vela (Arsenal) as well as Giovani dos Santos (FC Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur) and Andrés Guardado (Deportivo de La Coruña) who is vital to the formation of both club an country.

After losing the final match of the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2007 1-2 against the United States, Mexico successfully rebounded with a remarkable first-round participation at CONMEBOL Copa America 2007. Beginning by beating the recent champions Brazil 2-0 (goals from: Nery Castillo 23' and Ramón Morales 28') in their first match, they then went on to defeat Ecuador 2-1 (goals from: Nery Castillo 21' and Omar Bravo 79'). For their final match they tied 0-0 with Chile. With those results Mexico came first in Group B with seven points.

In the quarterfinals, Mexico beat Paraguay 6-0 but lost in the semi-finals 3-0 to Argentina. With this defeat, Mexico was left to fight for third place against Uruguay, winning 3-1 and claiming the bronze trophy.