FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017: Mexico, despite being in 'Group of Death', are formidable contenders

Thousands of people throng the Angel of Independence memorial in Mexico City as an open top bus snakes its way through the wide thoroughfare of Paseo de la Reforma. The mood is celebratory. Euphoric even. The memorial — built to commemorate the North American nation’s independence from Spain — is probably the most recognisable monument in the country and commonly witnesses political protests. But this is different. [caption id=“attachment_4032533” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] The Mexican U-17 team celebrate their win in the South American Championship. AFP[/caption] The Mexican football team has just won the World Cup, so it is not surprising that the country is celebrating. What is surprising is that this is not the senior men’s national team that has won the prestigious tournament and is being paraded in the nation’s capital in an open-top bus for the adoration of thousands. The year is 2011, and the Mexican U-17 team has claimed its second title in the age group, after a hard-fought 2-0 win over Uruguay. That the country is mad about football is known. But the fervour on display for the U-17 team is refreshing. According the FIFA, over a million fans attended the 52 matches of the 2011 World Cup, hosted by Mexico, while 1,04,000 were packed into the Azteca Stadium when the hosts claimed their second title in the age group. This time around they should be one of the favourites given the way they qualified for the World Cup — their six matches in the CONCACAF U-17 Championship saw the team pump in 22 goals as they strode to the title with scant unease. They only stumbled once — a 3-4 defeat against United States of America in the group stage. However, they avenged that defeat with a penalty-shootout victory over the Americans in the final to clinch the title. A lot of credit for the team’s progress also goes to Liga MX (Mexican league) clubs like CD Guadalajara which provide the national team with a bulk of their players. The club, which has famously given the world footballers like Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez and Carlos Vela, insists on fielding only local players. While the Mexican team for the World Cup is yet to be announced, as many as seven players were part of the 25 called up for a preliminary training camp. Many other players from the club have flitted in and out of the national team over the last year. Semi-final target Luis Cesar, an assistant coach with the team, reveals that the U-17 team have always had a target of at least making it to the semi-finals. “Back in Mexico we set up a robust youth system which has been in place and has been followed by the Mexican age group teams since 2009. All our youth teams have come up following the same system since 2009. This has been yielding results for us in all World Cups since then,” Cesar, who was in Mumbai to attend the U-17 World Cup draw told Firstpost in July. “Reaching at least the semi-finals of the World Cup has been our target for the last three tournaments. We will try and get to at least the same stage this time around too,” he added. Though this is easier said than done. The Mexican team has been placed in a tough group which could be classified as a Group of Death . Giving them company are England, Chile and Iraq. While England finished second in the uber-competitive UEFA U-17 Championship, Chile were second in the equally tough South American U-17 Championships. The last team in the group, Iraq, also come into the tournament as Asian champions. “Every rival in a World Cup is difficult. There’s England, which has been at the forefront when it comes to youth programs. They’re going to be tough competitors. Then there’s Chile, who we are really familiar with, having played many matches against them. They’re a team which traditionally give everything on the pitch. They play with a lot of courage. “And then there’s Iraq. It may not be too well known in footballing circles, but in a World Cup everything can change at any moment. Besides, we cannot take them for granted as no one will take any match lightly. Each team prepares really hard for this opportunity and to compete at this stage of the tournament,” Cesar said. What is notable, however, is how their rivals are analysing the draw. Chile coach Hernan Caputto said that all three teams in their group are strong. But he reserved special praise for the Mexicans. “We are grouped with a very tough team like Mexico. Other countries like Iraq and England are equally strong,” Caputto had said right after the draw. While reading between the lines can often be as accurate an art as star gazing, it’s interesting how Caputto mentions Mexico as the biggest threat to them in the group. After all Caputto would be aware that this is a team which has two titles at the U-17 level besides being finalists on another occasion, in 2013. Moreover, in the last edition in Chile two years back, they finished fourth after losing to eventual winners Nigeria in the semi-final. It’s something that all managers would do well to remember when the tournament begins on 6 October.