| | Associated Press
MAZATENANGO, Guatemala -- From the steamy, sugar cane-littered streets of this quiet little town, it looks like Christmas in July.
World Cup qualifying is coming to town.
|  | | The heat won't be the only intimidating factor the U.S. men will face Sunday. |
With the United States facing Guatemala in the opening CONCACAF
semifinal round match for both sides Sunday, this sugar-producing
hamlet of 80,000 is receiving unprecedented attention.
Officially, the venue selection is to "generate support and
excitement for soccer in Guatemala's rural interior regions."
But placing the match in a city that is a three-hour bus ride
west of Guatemala City instead of the capital has been
diplomatically called "gamesmanship" by U.S. coach Bruce Arena.
Many see it as the Guatemalan federation's attempt to create the
most hostile atmosphere possible for the Americans.
Mazatenango features a brutally hot climate -- an average daily high of
100 Fahrenheit forces many here to head to work before 4 a.m. for
the pre-dawn cool.
Arena sees the decision to hold the game here as "an attempt to intimidate us."
Although the United States has a 6-4-2 record against Guatemala, it has never beaten the Central Americans away from home.
Still, Guatemala is a long shot to qualify for World Cup play,
and has to finish in the top two of a group that also includes
Costa Rica and Barbados to advance to the final round of
qualifying.
The U.S. national team flew to Guatemala City on Friday, and made no
comments before boarding three luxury buses to Mazatenango.
The Americans trained all week in the heat and humidity of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Ten on the 18-man roster play in Major League Soccer, which, unlike most leagues around the world, plays a summer season.
"A lot of the guys are from Southern California and played
there in the summer, so we think they will be will prepared," U.S.
team press officer Rich Schneider said. "It can get awful hot
playing in places like Dallas in the U.S., too."
The game, and the resulting controversy, only became realities
after the 11,000-seat Carlos Salazar Stadium, with its heavy
cinderblocks walls, flaking light blue paint and worn wooden
bleachers, passed inspection.
In fact, when mayor Carlos Orellana heard his town was in the
running to host the game with the Americans, he dispatched a
special task force to the stadium for "obstructed-seat watch."
And since FIFA and CONCACAF approved the venue, everyone here
seems more than happy to bask in the glow of their 90 minutes of
fame.
"It's like a giant party," CONCACAF vice president Rafael
Salguero of Guatemala said. "This is the most important thing
that's happened to Mazatenango, probably ever."
Orellana said besides the instant international attention World
Cup qualifying and the U.S. team will bring to his city, the game
is expected to generate more than $130,000 profit for local vendors
and merchants.
"I can't ignore the fact that this is the biggest economic
opportunity we've ever had," he said.
Others also are rushing in to take advantage of the game.
Upon learning that Mazatenango would host the game, Pepsi
commissioned a contingent of painters to freshen its two dozen
blue-and-red billboards throughout the stadium.
The company also is paying to fix the stadium's shabby
electronic scoreboard, which had been malfunctioning. In exchange
for its trouble, the world's second-largest soft drink producer
gets the right to paint over the scoreboard's old advertisement -- which had belonged to Coca-Cola.
"When you've got the United States coming, you know it will be
on TV for the whole world," said Jose Luis Pamirez, 21, who is one
of the 15 painters Pepsi hired. "I suppose I need to be careful
not to miss a spot."
And do folks here think the heat is their town's secret weapon?
"It is very tropical here," Orellana said. "Let's wait until they feel it and see what happens."
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