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The return of Javier Aguirre as Head Coach has seen Mexico qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals for a record 14th time from the CONCACAF Zone. Sadly, half of those trips to the Grand stage have ended in immediate exits, in fact, El Tri's best performance till date have been quarter-final appearances in the 1970 and in 1986 editions of the World Cup, incidentally as the hosts on both occasions. Now, appearing in their fifth consecutive finals, Mexico will look to go beyong the Round of 16 having faltered at this stage in the last four editions of the FIFA World Cup.

Currently ranked 17th in the FIFA rankings, Mexico are placed in an intriguing Group A alongside France, hosts South Africa and Uruguay. They are ranked below France but 1 place above Uruguay and with history on their side Mexico should make it to the round of 16 for the 5th successive time.

El Tri fell inthe second round in 2006 at the hands of Argentina in extra time. A bitter disappointment for a nation who was tired of seeing its national team exit the competition after inspiring performances in the group stages. In the Copa America a year later, Mexico went all the way to the semis losing out once again to Argentina, this time by a bigger margin of 3-0. A second place finish in Group A for Mexico and a top of the table finish for Argentina in Group B, would pit these two teams together once again, something El Tri will be desperate to avoid.

Spirits will be high following the teams' brilliant comeback in the qualifying campaign to reach the World Cup. Defeats to Honduras and USA initially sent shock waves amongst the fans, but the appointment of Aguirre saw a change of fortune, as Mexico got it all together and finished 2nd in the group behind the US. They won 6, drew 1 and lost 3 of their 10 qualifying games.

Mexico kickstart their campaign against hosts South Africa and chances are they will go all out in this game in an attempt to give their goal difference a huge early fillip. France and Uruguay will be stern tests for El Tri, and they will aim to pick up atleast 4 points from those two games to ensure that they don't run into Argentina again.

Key Players:

Cuauhtemoc Blanco - Persuaded out of retirement by Aguirre, the veteran midfielder has previously been to two World Cups and scored in both of them. Along with Ronaldinho, he holds the record for the most goals scored in the FIFA Confederations Cup. Playing in a side brimming with youth, Blanco's experience will be crucial to Mexico's success. Blanco helped in uniting the squad when they lacked composure and though not the captain, he'll still be a leading figure on the pitch.

Rafael Marquez - Former captain of the national team, the stern Barcelona defender is a popular figure all over the world. His last ditch tackles and strong defending makes it hard for strikers to get past him. With the emergence of younger players, he hasn't played as many games for Barcelona as he would have wished for, but still his centre back partnership with Osorio remains tough to break down. Also an added feature of his game is his ability to score from dead ball situations.

Giovani Dos Santos - The talented and skilful midfielder came through the Barcelona youth system full of promise. However, a lack of first team opportunities at Barca saw Dos Santos make a switch to Tottenham, a deal which sadly turned sour, leaving him a regular loanee. For Mexico though, he is turning out to be a real gem. Dos Santos won the Most Valuable Player award in the Gold Cup and has since then shown an increasing level of consistency.

Team:

Goalkeepers - Guillermo Ochoa (America), Luis Ernesto Michel (Chivas), Oscar Perez (Chiapas)

Defenders - Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Ricardo Osorio (Stuttgart), Hector Moreno (AZ Alkmaar), Francisco Rodriguez (PSV Eindhoven), Carlos Salcido (PSV Eindhoven), Paul Aguilar (Pachuca), Efrain Juarez (Pumas), Jonny Magallon (Guadalajara), Jorge Torres Nilo (Atlas)

Midfielders - Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Israel Castro (Pumas), Giovani dos Santos (Galatasaray), Andres Guardado (Deportivo La Coruna), Pablo Barrera (Pumas), Alberto Medina (Guadalajara)

Forwards - Adolfo Bautista (Guadalajara), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Veracruz), Javier Hernandez (Guadalajara), Guillermo Franco (West Ham), Carlos Vela (Arsenal)

.Top Goal Scorers: Cuauhtémoc Blanco (38), Rafael Márquez (10)

Most Capped Players: Cuauhtémoc Blanco (113), Gerardo Torrado (111)

Head Coach: Javier Aguirre

May 14, Mexico 1-0 Angola
May 16, Mexico 1-0 Chile
May 24, England 3-1 Mexico
May 26, Netherlands 2-1 Mexico
May 30, Mexico 5-1 Gambia

Fixtures:
11-Jun: South Africa vs. Mexico 3:00pm (GMT) - Match Report
17-Jun: France vs. Mexico 7:30pm (GMT) - Match Report
22-Jun: Mexico vs. Uruguay 3:00pm (GMT) - Match Report

Team Trivia

Mexico has qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals 12 times, more often than footballing giants such as England and France

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