COMMERCE CITY — Perhaps the only thing smiling on Mexican national team coach Sven-Goran Eriksson of late was the full moon Tuesday night at a cold and windy Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
After a quick practice before more than 100 brave fans in preparation for tonight’s international friendly against Bolivia, Eriksson was asked the same question in different ways and different languages.
How important is tonight’s result, and how much pressure is on Mexico to break its recent slump in World Cup qualifying, which resumes March 28 against Costa Rica?
“There’s always the pressure, especially when you haven’t done good,” Eriksson said with the tactical coolness that made him a coaching hero in Italy in the late 1990s and propelled the Swede to become the first foreign-born coach of the English national team.
“We want to show that we can play football,” Eriksson said. “Good football.”
Tonight’s match, against a typically weak Bolivia, won’t assuage the growing tension surrounding “El Tri,” which is winless in its past four World Cup qualifying matches and last won Sept. 10.
Eriksson’s hiring last summer, which made him the seventh European coach in Mexico’s history, caught many by surprise. Mexico won its first three World Cup qualifiers, all at home, under Eriksson, before the carnival took to the road. Losses to Jamaica and Honduras and a 2-2 draw with Canada — where El Tri twice had to rally — were followed by a 2-0 defeat last month in Ohio to the United States.
The pressure has steadily mounted, with rampant rumors that he will be fired if Mexico doesn’t show signs of life in the next month.
Eriksson said tonight’s game, which will include star Omar Bravo and Club America standouts Guillermo Ochoa and Pavel Pardo, is increasingly important with Costa Rica looming.
“In the away games, I think we’ve been getting better every time and hopefully positive for the future,” he said.
Costa Rica is tied with the U.S. atop the six-team group, which will send its top three teams to the World Cup and a fourth to a playoff, while Mexico is at the bottom of the standings along with Honduras, which finished ahead of El Tri in the previous round of qualifying.
Bolivia, which is 1-6-1 against Mexico all time, is ninth in South America’s 10-team World Cup qualifying bracket. La Verde, however, is 1-0-2 in three matches, including a 0-0 draw at Brazil.
Tonight
Who: Mexico vs. Bolivia
What: International friendly
Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
When: 7 p.m.
What’s up: Both teams are prepping for vital World Cup qualifying matches later this month, but the pressure is clearly on Mexico and Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. Fresh off a 2-0 loss to the United States, “El Tri” has stumbled in its past four matches — which doesn’t sit well with its proud players and fans.
