Mexican shows Brits

Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006 | 7:25 a.m.

Mexican striker Jared "Desert Fox" Borgetti needed only 37 minutes to score in his first English Premiership start for Bolton last Saturday.

A Reebok Stadium crowd of 26,466 witnessed history.

Borgetti, the first Mexican to sign with a top-flight team in England, became the first player from his country to score in arguably the best league in the world.

Former Las Vegas High star and current Los Angeles Galaxy striker Herculez Gomez saw the replay on television. Renowned for his prowess in the air, Borgetti's watershed goal came courtesy of his right foot.

"His technical ability from the Mexican league helps him out," Gomez said. "If he can handle the physical aspects of the English game, he should do well. It's a great time for him to prove himself."

Upset that he had only been used in Cup games by Bolton coach Sam Allardyce, Borgetti had been linked with a move to Benfica in Portugal. His agent, Eriberto Lopez, said German and Italian clubs also were interested in the Desert Fox.

More starts for Borgetti will keep him in form for the World Cup in Germany -- where Mexico is grouped with Angola, Iran and Portugal -- and keep Benfica and other potential suitors at bay.

"What a time to do it," Gomez said, "with the World Cup coming up."

Numero uno

Borgetti, 32, scored more goals, 14, than anyone from any region in World Cup qualifying. CONCACAF, to be sure, is full of amateurs, but that shouldn't totally tarnish the Fox's knack for finding the back of the net.

The belief here is that Borgetti is the most important player on the Mexican national team, more valuable than even veteran Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

Blanco, 33, was recalled to the squad Wednesday for a friendly against Norway in San Francisco. It was the first national team appearance in seven months for Blanco, who has 18 goals in 81 appearances for Mexico.

Borgetti scored twice in the 2002 World Cup. Gomez agreed that Borgetti will play a vital role for his team in Germany this summer.

"But it's not easy," Gomez said about picking an MVP. "Different positions. Blanco is a playmaker, while Borgetti scores goals. (But) how can you not be more important if you're one of your country's all-time great scorers?"

You lookin' at me?

Blanco counts a "kangaroo-hop" -- in which he pins the ball with both feet and hops between two foes -- among his tricks. He also has a volcanic temper. His antics, such as kicking a prone opponent at the last World Cup, can be shameful.

If Mexican national coach and Argentina native Ricardo La Volpe, who has clashed with Blanco, retains the fiery player for Germany, make Blanco the early favorite to receive the tournament's first red card.

Gomez said there's a reason for Blanco's hot-headed nature. He's from Tepito, an infamous Mexican barrio that was featured in the hard-edged 1987 film "Que Viva Tepito, Mi Barrio."

"He definitely has anger-management issues," Gomez said. "But that barrio is notorious for the biggest, baddest gangsters in Mexico.

"He came from humble beginnings, and he's very proud of it. He fights for what he believes in. I think that's one of the things that made him the player he is."

Quiz time

Eight months ago, Liverpool trailed AC Milan, 3-0, at halftime in Istanbul, Turkey, at the Champions League finale when the Reds, from their locker room, heard a familiar sound echoing from a throng of fans inside Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium:

"You'll Never Walk Alone." The Liverpool theme song.

Duly inspired, Liverpool rallied for one of the most memorable comebacks -- a victory by penalty kicks -- in European history.

Match the following English clubs with their theme songs and you, too, can be a champion. (See answers below.)

A) Millwall

B) Manchester City

C) Leyton Orient

D) Chesterfield

E) Hudderfield Town

1) "Rock the Casbah"

2) "Is This the Way to Amarillo?"

3) "Volare"

4) "Tijuana Taxi"

5) "Blue Moon"

Kudos

To Gomez, for appearing on the cover of the current Las Vegas Sports Magazine as its Athlete of the Year for 2005. Currently involved in two-a-day preseason practices for the Galaxy, he will return home Monday to receive that award at a Sports Magazine function before zipping back to camp Tuesday in Los Angeles.

The Library "Football Against the Enemy," Simon Kuper's 1994 book about how the sport affects the politics, and vice versa, of 22 countries, deservedly took the top spot in FourFourTwo magazine's August 2005 list of 50 must-read football books.

The following passage explains why.

" ... in Rwanda, it briefly stopped the killing. Rwandans of all tribes supported Nigeria, and during the World Cup whole armies powered up generators and clustered around TV sets.

"However, the World Cup always inflames conflict and causes more deaths than goals."

Next in the reading rotation is "Dynamo: Defending the Honour of Kiev," Andy Dougan's 2001 epic about a 1942 match between Dynamo Kiev and the Luftwaffe, and the events leading up to it, in Nazi-occupied Kiev, Soviet Union.

Quoting

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, one of our favorite subjects, to BBC Radio Five Live when asked why foreign coaches get some of the top gigs in England.

"Why did (Arsene) Wenger arrive at Arsenal? Because he had great results before. Why did (Jose) Mourinho arrive at Chelsea? Because he had great results."

Quiz answers

A-3, B-5, C-4, D-2, E-1

Match of the Week

Olympique Lyon at AS Monaco, Sunday

Lyon (16-1-6), bearing down on its record fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title, travels to the principality to take on Monaco (9-8-6) at Stade Louis II.

Consider yourself lucky if you can obtain a 2003-04 AS Monaco home jersey, a distinctive red and white top split into a diagonal pattern. It's a tough find.

Rob Miech can be reached at 259-4087 or at miech@lasvegassun.com.