SA aim for Round of 16 with opening win
Johannesburg: With the World Cup only seven months away, the South African FA made a brave but necessary move to oust former coach Joel Santana and bring back fellow Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira. That move paid off, and the team now prepare themselves for the opening match of the 2010 World Cup.
Bafana struggled to score goals a few months back, and Parreira has done well to improve that situation, though the side should make more out of the opportunities and possession they have during games. The defence on the other hand, has been impressive, with very few goals conceded thanks to tight marking and good communication at the back, while marshalled by Itumeleng Khune in goal. The side currently boasts a 12-game unbeaten run, and although a number of those teams were not particularly testing for Bafana, there were also matches against the likes of Colombia, Bulgaria and Denmark in that statistic.
For this reason, and due to incredible support from the home fans, South Africa is feeling confident and aiming to make it to the second round of the competition. Failure to do so would make them the first host nation to fall at the group stage.
Mexico are well prepared
The opponents of the host nation are the surprise package of Mexico, a country with a tradition of football passion and a fair share of good teams down the years. The Mexicans have played many warm-up matches ahead of the tournament, and the preparations have been good for the North Americans, with opponents such as England, Holland and Italy coming head to head with El Tri.
The side lost to England and Holland, while beating Italy, but against all of those opponents the Mexicans proved to be an impressive and cohesive outfit. Talented and relatively balanced throughout the park,Mexico will be a stern test for South Africa, and home advantage will be a necessary weapon in Bafana's arsenal.
Mexico have reached the last-16 at the last four World Cup tournaments and coach Javier Aguirre has set a second-round place as the minimum requirement for his squad of 14 local-based stars and nine from around Europe. Aguirre salvaged a qualification campaign on the verge of failure under former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson.
The Mexicans do not suffer from a lack of support either, with a great number of fans making the journey to South Africa for the World Cup. They will be behind their troops, knowing that two difficult tests against France and Uruguay remain after the Soccer City opener. A coach like Aguirre has experience and will prepare his team well, while the many matches ahead of the tournament would have allowed the team to become more comfortable together.
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