Mexico to show its worth versus Russia

KAZAN, Russia — The game against host nation Russia will mean more to Mexico than just a spot in the Confederations Cup semifinal.

Coach Juan Carlos Osorio says it will be the perfect opportunity to show that Mexican soccer has matured and reached a level at which it can succeed under the most difficult circumstances.

"I honestly think that this is the perfect scenario for Mexican football," Osorio said Friday. "We play away from home, against the host team, with a lot of support from their fans, and fighting for the qualification. We need to control the game and to show to ourselves, especially, that we can compete under such difficult circumstances."

Mexico needs at least a draw in Saturday's game in Kazan to secure a spot in the semifinals of the eightnation tournament that serves as a warm up for next year's World Cup. Mexico and Portugal have four points each after two rounds of games in Group A. Russia has three points and New Zealand zero. The top two teams advance to the semifinals.