Mexico’s search for coach continues

Can a pale 60-year-old coach from Sweden with a reputation for womanizing really be what Mexico is thinking?

Or is the Mexican soccer federation merely engaging in a bit of gamesmanship by bringing England reject Sven-Goran Eriksson’s name into the equation as national team coach?

The guess here is Mexico is keeping three or four names in play to put pressure on the coach it really wants, although just who that might be remains unclear.

It could be Luiz Felipe Scolari, the best-credentialed of the bunch after winning the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and taking Portugal to the final of Euro 2004.

It could be Jose Mourinho, who would provide a marvelous lift in credibility to soccer within the CONCACAF region but is hardly likely to be tempted away from the bright lights and big cities of Europe to strut his stuff on what is very much an off-Broadway stage.

It could be Javier Aguirre, who has held the position before and who, in the back of his mind, must surely have on his to-do list the not-so-small matter of avenging Mexico’s 2-0 ouster by the U.S. in the 2002 World Cup, a loss that ended his reign as Mexico’s coach.

Or it could be Sven.

Rumors were flying this week, especially in the Spanish-language media, that Eriksson was about to be appointed as the successor to Hugo Sanchez, who in March joined the scrapheap of former Mexico coaches.

But the Mexican federation denied it, and Eriksson mumbled the usual sort of thing about being flattered to be considered but not really having made up his mind what he wants to do after Manchester City tosses him out the door in the next week or so.

“The Mexico offer is not the first proposal,” Eriksson said before leaving with Manchester City on a brief postseason trip to Thailand and Hong Kong. “It is not the right time to make a decision.”

The Portuguese club Benfica, home to American bench-warmer Freddy Adu, also has been trying to lure Eriksson back. He coached the Lisbon team from 1989 to 1992, winning two Portuguese championships and the Portuguese Cup.

But Benfica this week appeared to have given up hope of seeing its former mentor return.

“The situation doesn’t allow us to hold out much hope and we have decided to look at other solutions,” said former Portuguese international Rui Costa, who retired as a player this week and immediately became Benfica’s sporting director.

Eriksson, meanwhile, told the Mexico City sports daily Esto that he had been in touch with Mexican federation officials.

“I was called from Mexico,” he said. “My agent is the person who analyzes the contract terms… . It is just one more [offer] and I will study it with my people. I have nothing clear yet. My relationship with Manchester City is still running … and I will complete the commitments. Then I don’t know what is going to happen.”

What is going to happen is that Manchester City’s Thai owner, Thaksin Shinawatra, will bid Eriksson adieu and the Swede who was dismissed by England after the 2006 World Cup will join a long list of prominent coaches currently in the unemployment line.

What makes things intriguing, though, is that reports in England have suggested that Manchester City, like Mexico, has its eye on Scolari, who in 2006 turned down an offer to become England’s coach as the successor to Eriksson.

And then there is Aguirre.

There are many who believe he has been Mexico’s main target all along, but Aguirre, 49, last month said no to the job, saying he wanted to concentrate on getting his Spanish club, Atletico Madrid, into the upper reaches of La Liga and qualifying for next season’s European Champions League.

On Sunday, Aguirre achieved that feat, as Atletico defeated Deportivo La Coruna to assure itself a top-four finish in Spain and a place in Europe’s premier and hugely lucrative tournament for the first time in 11 years.

Having reached that target, there is virtually no chance that Aguirre would step down without having tested himself and his team in the Champions League.

Which brings everything back to Eriksson.

“Coaching a national team is always attractive, no matter if it’s Mexico, England, Sweden or any other,” he said. “It’s a big commitment for any coach. I’m glad to be offered [the chance] to coach Mexico.”

Whether he accepts, of course, is another matter.

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