Mexico in trouble if it can't beat T and T

If Mexico doesn't beat Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday then Javier Aguirre and his team are in real trouble.

They already have mounting problems. A 2-1 loss on Saturday to El Salvador away was Mexico's third loss in four qualifying games - all losses on the road - and leaves the country with the very real possibility that it could miss its first World Cup finals since 1990.

Trinidad and Tobago is last in the six-team North and Central American and Caribbean region, seemingly the perfect opponent for Aguirre, who took over the team in April after leading it to the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, to get the qualification campaign back on track.

"I'm one who's convinced we'll be in the World Cup finals,'' Aguirre said. "There's still time. What's for sure is that six games remain and four will be at home and we have to put those points up.''

Costa Rica leads CONCACAF qualifying with 12 points followed by the United States with 10. They have both played five matches, with five remaining. They are followed by El Salvador (5), Honduras (4), Mexico (3) and Trinidad and Tobago (2). They've played four.

In the other CONCACAF qualifier on Wednesday Honduras plays El Salvador.

The top three teams advance to the finals automatically, while the fourth placed team faces a playoff with South America's fifth best for another berth.

Mexico is used to being the regional powerhouse, and failing to qualify from the relatively weak region would be a major humiliation.

The problem is the side's dismal away record. It is almost a year since Mexico last recorded a competitive win on the road, a run that has stretched six games and includes embarrassing defeats against Jamaica, Honduras and El Salvador.

But Mexico's home form has held firm. It has claimed five straight home wins in the same period, a fact that gives Aguirre cause for optimism when his team takes on Trinidad and Tobago in the 105,000-seat Aztec Stadium in Mexico City. After Wednesday, the next home match will be Aug. 12 against the United States.

"The way the playing calendar was set up, we had four games - and three were away,'' Aguirre said. "El Salvador is just the other way around. The calendar and the lack of victories leaves us hanging by a thread.''

"It's hard to win on the road, not just for Mexico but for everybody,'' he added. "In Asia, Europe, South America it's very difficult to win away from home. Everybody knows this.''

Aguirre saved Mexico during his first spell in charge, taking over in 2001 with qualification in jeopardy and guiding the team to the 2002 World Cup. He hopes to do it again after taking over from Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Aguirre is Mexico's fourth coach in three years and the fifth since Argentine Ricardo La Volpe was let go after the 2006 World Cup. La Volpe was followed by Hugo Sanchez, Jesus Ramirez and Eriksson.

One of Aguirre's first moves was to talk iconic striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco out of international retirement at the age of 36.

The Chicago Fire veteran marked his 98th international appearance by converting a penalty to temporarily level the score against El Salvador after coming on as a substitute.

Blanco's introduction inspired his teammates and he is tipped to start on Wednesday, but Aguirre has cautioned against piling the nation's expectations on one man's shoulders.

Mexico has missed the World Cup finals just three times since 1950

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