| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Karl |
Posted - Jul 23 2003 : 12:40:27 PM
Karl
Part of Mexico's stingy record in the Azteca
Wednesday, July 23, 2003, 12:43:34 AM
IP:172.161.154.193
Jan 1, 1923 to April 17, 2002 Mexico played 145 matches in Mexico City they lost 9 matches.
The conquering heros were:-
26 May '50 - 1-3 Spain
04 Mar '56 - 0-2 Peru
08 Mar '56 - 1-2 Brazil
08 Dec '67 - 0-2 Hungary
14 Jan '70 - 1-4 Italy
30 Sept '70 - 1-2 Brazil
20 Sept '73 - 1-2 Chile
23 Jun '81 - 1-3 Spain
16 Jun '01 - 1-2 Costa Rica
Caribbean minnows and big dogs have lost all their matches in Mexico City. Not long ago it was the same for her CONCACAF compatriots. The US has never won in Mexico City.
Costa Rica seems to have found the formula.
22 Nov '92 Mexico City: Mexico 4, Costa Rica 0 (WCQ - A mis-step?)
01 Jul '93 Mexico City: Mexico 1, Costa Rica 1 (Gold Cup)
09 Nov '97 Mexico City: Mexico 3, Costa Rica 3 (WCQ)
16 Jun '01 Mexico City: Mexico 1, Costa Rica 2 (WCQ)
NB: Costa Rica got stronger or is it El Salvador became more fatigued as the 2003 Gold Cup match in Mexico City went on? regardless another display that shows Costa rica has solved the riddle of playing in the high altitude of Mexico City.
19 Jul '03 Mexico City: COSTA RICA – EL SALVADOR 5:2 (2:1)
'I think we grew as a team today,” said Costa Rica technical director Steve Sampson. “I believe we did a very good job of dominating play in the second half'.
It will be interesting to see how Costa Rica fares tomorrow, Jul 24 against Mexico in the Estadio Azteca?
Interesting facts:
15 Feb '70 - Mexico City: Mexico 1, Bulgaria 1
18 Feb '70 - Mexico city: Mexico 2, Bulgaria 0
and
22 April '70 Mexico City: Mexico 1, Romania 1
26 April '70 Mexico City: Mexico 3, Romania 2
Question: In light of better results received by the visiting team in its earlier match; Could the altitude be the great 'equalizer' in the following match?
Question: Is it best when visiting the Azteca to fly in on a private plane - (to prevent any possiblity of flight foul-ups that could occur on normal scheduled flights and ensure shorter, direct trip to Mexico City) - landing, say..., x hours, determined by scientific research as being least likely to affect performance and most beneficial to combat the problems football athletes encounter when playing in Mexico City's high altitude, before match time?
Would that give the Reggae Boyz a great chance to be on a level playing field...on which to give without fear peak performances?
If, yes! Solutions by the Massive...PLEEEEASE!?
BTW - Some of the great football countries have NEVER EVER WON in Mexico City!
Opinion: TD Carl Brown has assembled the finest squad of technical REGGAE BOYZ to represent the country.
For that he should be commended.
The improved play shown by this squad from that US 5-0 hammering in Gaints Stadium in New Jersey to the present status of competitiveness with the acknowledged quality opponents Japan, US, Nigeria, Paraguay, Colombia all at sea-level is recognised.
For that the players, TD Brown and his staff and the JFF must be commended.
With a few additions (Burton, Fuller, Kelly) to the squad...and Lowe's continued improvement in playing TEAM ...please look at the tape - His Guatemala match was a retrograde step after his Colombia match...and, yes a TEAM Lowe is as vital as a nonTEAM Lowe is not! Continued improvement of all our players in gelling into TEAM and rapid advance in the abilities of our 2nd defensive unit, WE should BURST into the FIFA TOP 25 RANKINGS before World Cup 2006...ADVANCE TO WORLD CUP 2006 FINALS Competition and CREATE WAVES all with TD BROWN at the helm!!!!
Having said all that WE MUST SOLVE THE RIDDLE OF MEXICO CITY!
FORWARD!
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| 3 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Karl |
Posted - Jan 03 2006 : 8:44:02 PM
Mexico City
Each morning, as the world's largest city awakes and its inhabitants begin the day, the streets and sidewalks fill to capacity with cars, buses and pedestrians. Everyone, from business executives to ordinary people suffer through gridlocked traffic and serious air pollution lasting most of the day. But the story of Mexico's bustling and beautiful capital is not all gloomy; it is also a story of resiliency and accommodation. As Mexico City continues to grow and transportation problems are becoming more pressing, bicycles are emerging as an effective way to bypass the perpetual gridlock and effectively distribute goods and services to the public.
People are turning to bicycles in Mexico City for many of the same reasons they are in other large cities around the globe, including the U.S. With traffic congestion near gridlock, bikes get around faster than cars, and the adventuresome are riding bikes. Though the streets of Mexico do present bicycle riders with many challenges, more and more residents have come to depend on these two-wheelers than ever before.
The air pollution in Mexico City has reached crisis proportions. The emissions from the 3.2 million private cars that ply the streets of Mexico City have so devastated the natural environment that one school teacher reports her children sometimes reach for grey crayons when asked to draw the sky. Environmentalist Beatriz Padilla who works promoting the development of solar cars and bicycle commuting reported just how thick the air can get:"I've seen the smog get so bad that there isn't just haze in the air. There are actually different densities of air swirling in the street and we don't even know what they are. Something must be done."
Mexico City's air pollution problems are aggravated by natural conditions . During the cold days winter, thermal inversions often occur because pockets of cold, ozone and lead-laden air are pushed ground-ward as the sun heats the valley floor at day-break. This effect intensifies air pollution problems by displacing cleaner air with air heavier with contaminants. Mexico City's altitude is also part of the problem, as people have to breathe in more air to get the same amount of oxygen, which means they inhale more contaminants at the same time.
--- and,
...Mexico City is at altitude (7,400 feet above sea-level)
...finally -----> ------>Mexico City has possibly the worst problem with vehicle emissions because all or at least most of the vehicle run on leaded fuels. Because these vehicles run primarily on leaded gasoline, pollution control devices such as catalytic converters can not be used. "There are some 2.5 million motor vehicles -- buses, minibuses, taxis, trucks, vans, and private cars -- are responsible for 44% of the total energy consumption in the city. Motor vehicles are by far the main source, as they burn 40 thousand barrels of diesel fuel and 1 million barrels of leaded gasoline each day - (Mexico City: A Topographical Error 25)." These vehicles "discharge an estimated 80 percent of the 5 million tons of air pollutants that enter the city's skies each year.
The beginning of the problem with vehicle emissions is two fold. First, the cars run on a very rich air-fuel mixture of 8:1. This is necessary to produce adequate power at Mexico City's altitude of 2400 meters. Since the air-fuel ration is so rich , much of the fuel ends up in imperfect combustion. This imperfect combustion is what causes so much of the hydrocarbon pollution in Mexico City. The best ratio for cutting emissions would be an air:fuel of 19:1, but most gasoline engines are calibrated for optimum power at 12:1
The topography of Mexico City is as much of the problem as the emissions themselves. Mexico City sits in a basin between two mountain ranges. Because the city is in a valley, there is little wind to move air and pollutants around so that they may disperse. The basin is the perfect topography to develop temperature inversions. A temperature inversion occurs when warm, light air rests on top of the cooler, denser air. This situation is a very stable system, meaning very little mixing between the two layers. Because there is so little mixing, pollutants emitted during drive times are trapped under the warm layer and concentrate at ground level (Beard 21). During the winter months, temperature inversions occur up to 25 days per month(Mexico City: A Topographical Error 25). These inversions hold in pollutants such as: ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and mercury. (School Days 23). Due to the rapid expansion of the urban area into the basin and the massive consumption ofenergy, the microclimate of the valley region has been seriously altered.The temperature in the city can be as much as 12 degrees Celsius higher than the suburban and rural areas. "These climatological and topographical factors trap pollutant emissions close to the city (Mexico City: A Topographical Error 25)." These temperature inversions are so bad that they have caused classes to be delayed and in some cases even canceled (School Days23).
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| Karl |
Posted - Mar 27 2005 : 3:46:33 PM
12-May-02 Mexico City 2-1 Colombia
13-Jul-03 Mexico City 1-0 Brazil VII. Gold Cup
17-Jul-03 Mexico City 0-0 Honduras VII. Gold Cup
20-Jul-03 Mexico City 5-0 Jamaica VII. Gold Cup
24-Jul-03 Mexico City 2-0 Costa Rica VII. Gold Cup
27-Jul-03 Mexico City 0-0+ Brazil VII. Gold Cup
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| Karl |
Posted - Jul 28 2003 : 08:02:53 AM
'Truthfully, I don't know what we would have done if we now had to get on a plane and fly to Mexico City for a match on Sunday,' Arena admitted. 'Not only more travel, but then having to play at altitude. The game would have been a farce.'
Arena said Mexico was given a huge advantage by playing the entire tournament at its home stadium as well as in the high altitude to which its opponents must adapt. 'You can never underestimate the difficulty playing in the heat and the altitude in Mexico City,' Arena said. 'The Mexican team has been there throughout the whole tournament and they are completely acclimatized. There is a reason they have hardly ever lost at home (one international loss in the last 30 years at Azteca). They have good teams, but not that good. That's why I think they will win the Gold Cup this year.'
Interview with Bruce Arena, US Coach - July 2003
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Mexxx
Speaking of flat, read this from the Brazilian coach before the match
Sunday, July 27, 2003, 12:55:30 PM
IP:24.53.201.23
HIS TEAM IS made up of players 23 and younger and lacks most of Brazil’s stars. It also must play Sunday at an altitude of 7,200 feet in Azteca Stadium, where Mexico rarely loses.
“The team was not dynamic at the altitude of Mexico,” he said following a 2-1 semifinal overtime victory over the United States on Wednesday. “After 10 minutes, there were players with their tongues hanging out.”
Brazil’s squad seemed weary as the players filed out of Mexico City’s airport on Friday. Some players said they were too tired to speak.
Mexico, meanwhile, has added incentive, not that any is needed in meeting the world champions. After several days of confusion, CONCACAF president Jack Warner confirmed on Friday that Mexico needs to defeat Brazil to guarantee the North American slot in the 2005 Confederations Cup in Germany.
- Ricardo GOMES, Brazilian TD, after defeating US aT SEA-LEVEL and before facing Mexico in the 2003 Gold Cup Finals in Mexico City - July 2003
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