The question sounded something like this: “How special would it be if a victory over Mexico clinched a World Cup berth?”
Landon Donovan, a forward for the United States soccer team, broke into a grin. Words were not necessary, but he offered some, anyway.
“It would be the best possible ending to our qualifying,” Donovan said.
The response highlighted the magnitude of the United States-Mexico soccer rivalry, which dates to 1934.
On Wednesday night, the United States knocked off Trinidad and Tobago, 1-0, in a World Cup qualifier, and Mexico defeated Costa Rica, 2-0.
Coming off those relatively easy victories, these kings of Concacaf will square off Sept. 3 in Columbus, Ohio, in perhaps the most meaningful match between them since the 2002 World Cup.
Not only would the winning team be able to book a flight to Germany for the 2006 World Cup, but it would also be in the driver’s seat to win the qualifying group that includes teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Mexico is the group leader with 16 points, and the United States has 15. A victory is worth 3 points and a tie is worth 1. Both teams are virtual locks to qualify for the World Cup. (The United States qualified for the 2002 tournament with 16 points.)
But the group winner would set itself up for a high seeding next summer. Not that these teams need any added motivation when they meet.
“We always want to win against Mexico,” United States goalkeeper Kasey Keller said after the victory against Trinidad and Tobago. “They are always our best rival, and this game is very important - maybe not in qualifying, but just for all the people. Tickets were sold out in 20 minutes for this game, and for all the people in the U.S., we can win this game.”
Mexico and the United States last met in a March 27 qualifier before a boisterous crowd in Mexico City. Mexico won, 2-1.
The top three finishers in the six-team qualifying group receive World Cup berths. The fourth-place team must win a home-and-home playoff series against the fifth-place finisher from Asia to make it to Germany.
Mexico and the United States have clinched at least fourth in their group.
Even if the United States does not defeat Mexico, it will have three more matches to qualify for the World Cup for the fifth consecutive time.
Should the United States qualify with a victory over Mexico, the team will not slow down, its manager, Bruce Arena, said.
“Our objective is to qualify for the World Cup,” he said. “Whether we finish first, second or third, I don’t think it’s that important.
“However, every time we step on the field, we try to win. If we’re fortunate to qualify in the next game or two, we’re still going to try to win Games 9 and 10.”
Source: NY Times
Mexico should sell stakes in Pemex, billionaire says
Mexico, which nationalized its oil industry in 1938, should sell stakes in the petrochemicals and refinery units of state-owned Petróleos Mexicanos to private investors to help free up funds and increase output, billionaire Carlos Slim said.
Pemex, Mexico's only oil company, will need to remain in government hands because of its importance to the economy, Slim said in an interview in New York. The Mexican government should insulate Pemex from politics by appointing professional managers and independent board members, Slim said.
"Pemex is the main tool of fiscal and monetary policy and a leverage for
Katrina Gaining Strength in Gulf of Mexico
Residents of the Florida Panhandle and other parts of the Gulf Coast nervously monitored the path of Hurricane Katrina on Saturday as weary South Florida homeowners cleaned mud out of basements flooded by the storm and street crews canoed through miles of inundated roadways.
Katrina threatened an encore visit as early as Monday after ripping across southern Florida and killing seven people. But forecasters were uncertain of exactly where it might strike, saying the storm could make landfall anywhere from the Panhandle to Louisiana.
"The people of Pensacola don't need another one. They just don't need
Concerns grow after journalist shot in Mexico
Mexico became Latin America's most dangerous country in which to be a journalist in 2005, the international watchdog group Reporters Without Borders said Tuesday.
The organization issued a statement expressing concern about the safety of journalists in Mexico a day after police in the southern state of Oaxaca announced that a radio news reporter had been shot and critically wounded by assailants.
In northern Mexico alone this year, six journalists have been killed and a seventh is still missing, according to Mexican newspaper editors.
In September, Mexican President Vicente Fox said he would appoint a special
Official sees growth in Mexico economy
Mexico's economy could grow by 4 to 4.5 percent in the fourth quarter and 3.2 to 3.3 percent for the year, and the government will be able to offer pensions for the elderly poor in 2006, a government official said Wednesday.
Government institutions "have begun to give other services ... in ways that you are going to see soon," Eduardo Sojo, head of the presidential office of public policy, told a news conference.
"Pensions for elderly people who are in extreme poverty -- you'll see that next year," he said.
Outlining new anti-poverty initiatives, Sojo stressed that the
UPDATE 1-Mexico gross fixed investment up 8.3 pct in May
Mexican gross fixed investment, a measure of spending on machinery, equipment and construction, rose 8.3 percent in May from the year-ago period amid expectations of export growth, the government said on Monday.
The number was higher than expected by analysts, whose median estimate was 7.75 percent in a Reuters poll.
Mexico's government expects exports to grow at least 10 percent this year, led by oil but including solid growth in the manufacturing sector despite increasing competition in U.S. markets from China.
Investment in imported machinery and equipment, up 16.1 percent year-on-year, accounted for the
Delta could grow more in Brazil, Mexico
Even as Delta Air Lines Inc. struggles with its own bankruptcy, the airline could capitalize on the financial troubles of two international competitors: Mexicos AeroMéxico and Brazils Varig.
AeroMéxico, Mexicos biggest airline -- which is for sale -- has been reducing flights to some U.S. cities.
And Brazils largest carrier, the bankrupt Varig, made headlines recently by running out of operating cash, canceling hundreds of flights, and threatening to strand about 5,000 customers at the World Cup soccer competition in Germany -- including, some worried, Brazils national soccer team.
Enter Delta (OTC: DALRQ), which
Oil, Gasoline Rise as Hurricane Rita Shuts Gulf of Mexico Rigs
Crude oil and gasoline climbed as Hurricane Rita threatened rigs, refineries and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, less than a month after Hurricane Katrina struck.
Producers including BP Plc and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. evacuated staff and shut off-shore operations in the Gulf. Rita may reach the coast of Texas, the producer of a quarter of the nation's refined fuel, by Friday. The storm is expected to grow as strong as Katrina, which shut down nearly 10 percent of U.S. refining capacity when it hit last month.
``Rita is more
International Meat Review: Beef Exports Higher, Mexico Main Market
The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) recently issued U.S. red meat export and import statistics for August 2005. According to the numbers, during August, U.S. exports of beef and veal cuts and beef variety meats equaled 41,516 MT. This was 7.9 percent higher than July and was 22.7 percent higher than August 2004. More specifically, exports of fresh, chilled beef totaled 12,437 MT, while exports of frozen beef totaled 3,030 MT. Beef variety meat exports during August rose 13.7 percent over July and 31.7 percent over August 2004 to 24,104 MT.
Brazil reverses course to close higher; Mexico rises
Brazilian equities finished higher Monday as investors took advantage of prices declines earlier in the session, and Mexican stocks were supported by a rally in U.S. markets as investors focused on a drop in oil prices.
In Sao Paulo, the Bovespa rose 174 points, or 0.5%, to close at 34,972.74.
Brazilian shares lost ground earlier in the session, reacting negatively to a sell-off in the currency, said Ricardo Amorim, head of Latin American strategy at WestLB.
The real hit 2.2377 against the U.S. earlier in the day, its lowest level since June 28,
Will Energy Prices Zap Mexico?
Higher oil prices have usually been a boon to the economy. Trouble is, the country imports much of its refined fuel
At first blush, the hike in oil prices wrought by the twin tempests of late summer -- hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- is good news for Mexico. After all, costlier oil has always meant more money for the government. And there has been a strong positive correlation between the strength of the Mexican peso and the price of crude.
But in fact, the runup in energy prices poses problems for the Mexican economy. For starters, Mexico imports
