A Mexican Twist in the North London Derby
The North London derby will have some new fans this upcoming season as many football fans in North America will be engaged in one of the world’s great derbies for the first time.
That’s because perhaps the two best young players in the region, Giovanni Dos Santos (Gio) and Carlos Vela will now be part of the setup of Spurs and Arsenal respectively. The pair will also be the key frontline players along with Andres Guardado for Mexico, CONCACAF’s dominant national team in the near future.
Juande Ramos coveted Gio this transfer season and secured his purchase from Barcelona. At 19, Dos Santos could be an amazing long term bet for Spurs as they chase a Champions League berth in the near future: a young core of players like Gio and Bentley with Spurs is what the North London club needs to get over the hump which they have been unable to climb for the past several years.
Vela, also 19, was signed by Arsenal years ago but had to be loaned out until he secured his work permit, which happened this summer. He is the long term heir apparent to Eduardo in Arsene Wenger’s setup.
Carlos Vela and Gio Dos Santos led Mexico (El Tri) to the U-17 World Cup title in 2005, the first world championship for a CONCACAF nation. Now both feature in the full national team setup and have helped Mexico turn the tables on the United States who this decade had dominated Mexico, despite the US having far inferior talent.
With Gio and Vela in the lineup this past February, El Tri got their first result on US soil against the hated Americans in nine years and doubled the cumulative Mexican scoring output in its last eight games against the US on American soil. It was a shot across the bow to all in the region that the dynamic duo had arrived on the senior level.
Factor in the hiring of Sven Goran Eriksson as Mexico’s new national team manager and it’s no wonder Mexican fans are more excited than ever. However, the hiring of Eriksson could be a fatal mistake as well since El Tri are in the toughest CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group, and Eriksson’s tenure as England manager did little to inspire confidence in his ability to manage a talented squad full of world class players.
The fact that two young Mexican superstars are playing the Barclay’s Premier League is a proof positive as to emergence of English football on the world scene. Until recently, Mexican players seldom ventured out of their comfort zone which was the domestic FMF (arguably the best league in the Americas) and the Spanish leagues. Now with Mexican football once again taking off and its players becoming more marketable commodities on the international transfer market, England is becoming more and more of a potential destination for Mexican players.
This will also grow the popularity of the world’s most popular sports league in the nation with the richest football league outside Europe. The duo’s presence in North London is a win for Arsenal, a win for Spurs and a win for the BPL.
Clearly Vela is the better player because he’s had a full season of La Liga under his belt and unlike Dos Santos is a starter for Mexico after the summer.
Dos Santos is an overrated Barca reject with a bad attitude that still has some potential though.
let me guess, your an arsenal fan?
I wouldn’t say Mexico has turned the tables on the U.S. just yet–El Tri failed to qualify for the Olympics after all, which got Hugo Sanchez sacked.
While Dos Santos hasn’t lived up to his hype, he’s still very young.
I found the “soon to be dominant national team” comment amusing too. Not to say that Mexico’s prospects don’t look more promising than the US’s, but we have definitely had their number lately, and I’m not sure we’re going to just cede them the title. I’m realistic and am well aware that our current form against Mexico will come to an end at some point, but I think its a little presumptuous to believe that three players showing excellent potential will decide the pecking order in CONCACAF in the near future.
You know, I just read the rest of the article. I’m just wondering if the author is paid by the Mexican FA.
“Now both feature in the full national team setup and have helped Mexico turn the tables on the United States who this decade had dominated Mexico, despite the US having far inferior talent.” — Did this come out of the book of Mexican soccer talking points. “We’re way better than you, but you got lucky…again.” –
“El Tri got their first result on US soil against the hated Americans in nine years and doubled the cumulative Mexican scoring output in its last eight games against the US on American soil.” — A 2-2 draw. Not what I would consider a resounding shot across the regions bow. And the fact that scoring 2 goals doubles the output from the previous 8 matches just highlights their rubbish finishing abilities prior to this match when playing a team you deem to be terribly inferior. Its even more sad when you consider that they never really play an away game when they’re here since there are always more Mexican fans then US fans in the stadiums in the US. It doesn’t really put anyone on notice that they’ve arrived. –
And flannel, what was that about Mexico not qualifying for the Olympics? That Olympic qualifying team would likely be made up of a lot of the players that won the U-17 WC, wouldn’t it?
Erik is right on and Kartik (the author) is totally off. Talk about propagandist writing. The points that the two players mentioned are good and that more Mexicans will watch the EPL are both valid but everything else is just BS. Kartik, instead of coming up with a topic (Mexico is about to outclass the USA) and then trying to back it up with facts, try looking at the facts and then coming up with an article that ACCURATELY reflects them.
The US has an all-time record of 29loses, 12wins, and 10 ties against Mexico… what other facts do you need? Im not beign biased but even though the US has been on a good streak lately, to say the US is better or even on the same level as mexico is ridiculous.
i hate aresnal supporters clogging up the comments sections with their bullshit.
samuel havent you got anything better to do then bash tottenham, who this year will make you a little more nervous come derby time?
MexAme,
the all-time record doesn’t mean anything in regards to current games. In the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s ago no one in the US even played football. The US would loose to almost anyone that they played.
Since 1990, the US vs Mexico record is 12-7-7, in favor of the US. That’s what counts now. This is the current generation.
Really the losses against the US have come in meaningless friendly matchups with the exception of the 2002 WC loss and the Gold Cup final recently. Overall, Mexico has better prospects and although the US has a team that is much better than 10 years ago… Mexico is still better and recognized by Fifa as such.
OK guys enough with that bull !#@$ I know some of you Mexican haters have to come from the USA. If the article is about two Mexican players playing im the premiership, what business do you guys have in this post? What players do you currently have on board that is doing a phenomenal job!!! Fredy Adu? What is this kid born, I believed, in Cameroon, have to do in the USA. I thought you guys were always questioning Mexico for having foreign players from other countries, first look for yourself before you look at others. What have the USA won that make you prospect and the courage to say that you are better then Mexico? The only thing that I perceived from all of your comments are jelousy, envy, and greed for having two Mexicans playing in the premiership. What wrongs with having two quality players playing there? Just because our ready to retired Mexican players that are no longer good to play in La Pimera Division of Mexico ends up in the USA MLS such as Cuatemoc Blanco, doesn’t means that you have to get mad at us? Go check your MLS sorry league and focus on you leagues, and let the English people worry about theirs, idiots!!!
The USA hasn’t won Sh#@ at any international games, until you guys win something then you can talk, but as for now, you are nothing. Just keep playing well so that you guys can get some merits from other countries.