There’s no signature star at midfield, but Cowboys Stadium is ready for the first game in the venue’s history this afternoon. Mexico’s national soccer team will highlight today’s Gold Cup quarterfinals doubleheader atop the field marked for soccer rather than football. Here’s a quick primer:
The Gold CupWhat: The regional soccer championship for the men’s national soccer teams from the North and Central America and the Caribbean region (CONCACAF).Who: The first match features Costa Rica (1-1-1) vs. Guadeloupe (2-1) at 3 p.m., followed by the big draw, Mexico (2-0-1) vs. Haiti (1-1-1), 6 p.m.Mexico’s woesThe story line of the day will be the current troubles of the Mexican national team. No sport or team is more beloved by our southern neighbors than the national soccer team, known as "El Tri." However, the Mexico is in perhaps its worst slump in the team’s history.The national federation already fired legendary coach Sven-Goran Eriksson this year because of poor results during World Cup qualifying. Eriksson didn’t last a year in the position. Mexico sits behind Costa Rica, the United States and Honduras in South Africa 2010 World Cup qualifying.Current Mexico coach Javier Aguirre won’t be on the bench today after he earned a three-game suspension for kicking a Panamanian player.Deja vu?In a strange coincidence, local sports fans might remember the first sporting event at American Airlines Center was also a soccer match. The now-defunct Dallas Sidekicks indoor soccer team played the AAC in 2001 before the Mavericks or Stars.The scoreboard is in playOne of the first questions fans brought up was, could a ball hit the giant scoreboard above the field? Jerry Jones and the Haitian team answered that question during practice last week. Jones challenged the players to try to hit it, and several were successful, drawing the applause of fans who were touring the stadium.The opportunityThe Mexican national team players all enjoy fat paychecks, either in Europe or Mexico. However, players from Haiti and Guadeloupe languish in minor leagues and said last week they’d love to catch the eyes of Major League Soccer coaches during the tournament.If you goFans can still get tickets through Ticketmaster or the stadium box office, but as of Saturday 55,000 tickets had already been sold. Also, a neutral fan might want to wear the signature green color adorned by Mexican supporters, which will be the "home" team based on fan support.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
