The Borg – Resistance is Futile

Jared Borgetti, long dismissed as a washed up player, continues to be the Mexican national team’s leading striker. After ten years with the “Seleccion” only Nery Castillo threatens the Borg’s position as the TriColor’s goal scorer, but even then Castillo has a long way to go before he reaches Borgetti’s 43 career goals.

What makes Borgetti so irreplaceable is Mexico’s scarcity in the center forward position. The Borg seems to be the last in a short line of towering strikers. Although not as tall as his predecessors, Luis Roberto Alves “Zague”, Carlos Hermosillo and Ricardo Pelaez, Borgetti has proven to be far more productive.

The only player that seemed destined to replace the Borg was Francisco “Kikin” Fonseca, whose loan goal against Portugal in the FIFA 06 World Cup did very little to cement his position within the Tricolor. The World Cup was seen as Borgetti’s last stand, especially after his only goal helped Argentina level the score in the round of sixteen match-up.

Still, it would be Borgetti who would bounce back and once again win a spot in the starting eleven. During the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup Borgetti scored two goals, helping Mexico reach the final, while Kikin was relegated to the bench, and later dropped from the Copa America squad.

Borgetti’s also missed the South American tourney, due to injury, prompting head coach Hugo Sanchez to call in Miguel Angel Landin; one of the few young players that can assume Borgetti’s role in the national team.

The Morelia striker, however, saw very little playing time. Which, I find somewhat alarming given that he is the next in line to inherit the Borg’s position, which judging by U-20 squad seems to be all but forgotten. Despite the immense talent of the youth team, none of the players have the characteristics of the center forward.

Going back a generation we get a quite a few players that got left on the way side. Antonio De Nigris was at one point the next best thing; he now seems to be abandoned in Turkey. Others that made little noise but had great potential are Isaac Romo, Roberto Nurse, and Santiago Fernandez, who left the Barcelona youth teams to return to Club America.

Given the lack of options the Borg, at 34 years of age, could very well become Mexico’s own version of Roger Milla by the time South Africa 2010 rolls around. That is unless head coach Hugo Sanchez decides he doesn’t need a center forward or finds someone better.