2666? El Pánico de Mexico

Even the prescient Bolaño could never have seen this coming!

The Mexican national team is edging closer to mayhem today as El Tri and still-manager Sven Goran Eriksson return home from Honduras after getting handled by Wilson Palacios & Co.

The loss leaves the Mexicans tied on points for the last automatic qualification spot in their CONCACAF group, but more importantly, in a whole heaping shite of trouble with their supporters... and presumably, the vicious and bloodthirsty drug mafia that's pushed parts of the state into martial law.

Roberto Bolaño told-- and foretold-- of this social breakdown in his epic 2666... even pin-pointing Ciudad Juarez as the blood meridian. But could the brilliant (and sadly, dead) Chilean have EVER seen this coming???


More time to spend with Nancy?

It was, by all accounts, a summary beatdown last night for the Mexicans, who were without Rafa Marquez (red card-- kicking Tim Howard) and Ip Ip Tp Town loanee Giovani dos Santos (unfit... physically). Still, Omar Bravo was healthy and started along with Carlos Vela.



The late addition of Nery Castillo, for Bravo in the 69th minute, was too late. Castillo pulled one back on a PK in the 89th, but by then half the Hondurans (the players) were already, mentally at least, in the locker room feasting on chayotes.

For Honduras, highlights included rising star Wilson "The Mad Honduran" Palacios guarding the backline, marauding from box to box... by all accounts his standard performance at home and abroad, for club and country. The goals came from Bongo's own Carlos Costly-- he had two-- and Mexico's old bogeyman, Carlos Pavon. Weighing in at about a quarter ton, aged 34, The Turkey Man almost added a fourth at the end.

So how's the Mexican press handling all this? I scrambled through some half-reputable papers this morning... and there's something of a common theme.

Select headlines (tanslated too, for you bruto americanos!)

Diario 21 -- Otra decepción... (Betrayed Again!)

Diario de Juarez -- ¡De pesadilla! (Nightmare!)

La Cronica de Hoy -- “Seguir en el Tri no depende de mí”: Eriksson (Sven says soemthing to effect of "My tactics were solid, these morons need to execute." Later in the article he also promises that Mexico will qualify. Bold!)

And here, if you think I've made all this stuff up, are the highlights-- the goals at least-- from the match.