CAPPING A CAREER AT 37, MEXICO'S SUAREZ AN INSPIRATION TO EL TRI.

Byline: SCOTT FRENCH Staff Writer

MUNICH, Germany - He's the grand old man of Mexican soccer -- indeed, of international soccer -- but Claudio Suarez feels like a kid. It's his third World Cup, and he's Mexico's leader whether or not he takes the field, but his face tells a far different tale.

As the Tricolores prepare for their Group D opener Sunday against Iran in Nuremberg, Suarez has that familiar churning in his gut.

``It's a great emotion, what you feel,'' said the 37-year-old Chivas USA defender who anchored Mexico's backline at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups but missed 2002 with a broken leg. ``Everything -- the atmosphere, especially in Germany. ... And the youngest players are that way, and me, the most experienced, has those same feelings, that same nervousness.''

It helps him relate to Mexico's young guard, which looks up to the veteran center back with reverence. Suarez is like a coach for El Tri, and coach Ricardo Lavolpe and his teammates treasure his experience and know-how. He's got 178 games worth on the international level, a mark exceeded only by Saudi Arabian goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea, who at 40, has lost his starting spot.

Suarez is hoping to add to his total in the next few weeks, perhaps surpassing Al-Deayea to become soccer's most-capped player, but he's not Lavolpe's first choice in the middle, and he realizes he might never see action behind Barcelona standout Rafael Marquez and rising star Ricardo Osorio. It doesn't matter.

What Suarez provides in the locker room, and especially on the training field -- his ability to offer guidance to youngsters who have never been on such a stage -- is irreplaceable for Mexico.

``He's a great player, a quality player,'' said midfielder Gerardo Torrado, a 2002 World Cup veteran who has spent most of his national-team career immediately in front of Suarez. ``He's calming, he settles the team.''

``In the back, with Claudio, we are always secure,'' said assistant coach Jorge Campos, a former Mexican goalkeeper whose dangerous ways -- racing far from his box with the ball at his feet -- were made possible by Suarez's presence. ``I always felt comfortable because Claudio was always there.''

He was 23 when he debuted for Mexico in July 1992, four months before qualifying began for the 1994 World Cup. By the time the games counted, coach Cesar Luis Menotti had anointed Suarez as the big man in the back.

Over the next decade, he was pivotal as Mexico evolved from regional power to one of the world's most highly considered teams.

Coaches came and went, lineups were altered, but Suarez was a constant.

``We always wanted players like Claudio in the back,'' said Francisco Palencia, a two-time World Cup forward for Mexico and Suarez's Chivas USA teammate. ``He always gives a lot of balance in the back, a lot of security for our team. He's really professional, on the field, off the field, in practice, and he communicates his experience to the other guys. ... I think Claudio is one of the best players they ever had in Mexico. Ever.''

Suarez played every minute of the 1994 World Cup in the U.S., where Mexico beat Ireland, tied Italy and played Bulgaria to a draw before being eliminated on penalty kicks. Four years later in France, the Mexicans beat South Korea, tied Belgium and the Netherlands and took Germany to the end before falling in the round of 16. Suarez, again, never left the field.

``In '94, I was a lot more nervous -- very emotional, very enthusiastic,'' he says. ``But once you're there, thing go by. And '98 was a very different World Cup, in terms of atmosphere. In the street, everybody was talking about soccer. Mexico had a good World Cup, and when we tied Holland, that was a very emotional game. That's the memory I most keep from that World Cup.''

Suarez was ready to head to the Far East for the 2002 tournament, but a broken leg stopped his preparations, and Aguirre decided it was a risk to include him on the roster, although his recovery nearly was complete.

He was ready to return to Mexico's lineup after the World Cup, but Lavolpe, who supplanted Aguirre in 2003, first considered Suarez too old. He brought the defender in for one game in October 2003 and another in July 2004, and that appeared to be that.

Then Suarez, playing for UANL Tigres in Mexico's top division, gave an inspirational performance last fall, helping the Monterrey-based club to the Primera Division semifinals. Lavolpe asked Suarez to join the national team for a match last December in Phoenix against Hungary, and his play was pivotal in a shutout victory.

Suarez soon transferred to Chivas USA, where American training methods emphasizing fitness put him in the best shape of his career.

He played well again against Paraguay in March in Chicago, and Lavolpe didn't hesitate adding him to the World Cup roster.

He's provided a foundation for Mexico, which also faces Angola and Portugal in Group D play.

``They say it's an easy group, but for me, they're not easy opponents,'' Suarez said. ``No team in the world is easy at this point, especially in the World Cup. That's the biggest mistake that Mexico could make, to think they're going to have an easy time of it.''

scott.french(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

photo, 13 boxes

Photo:

(color) no caption (Claudio Suarez)

Box:

(1) ENGLAND vs. PARAGUAY

(2) TRINIDAD & TOBAGO vs. SWEDEN

(3) ARGENTINA vs. IVORY COAST 

- Scott French

(4) SUAREZ BY THE NUMBERS

(5) MEXICO vs. IRAN

(6) GROUP A

(7) GROUP B

(8) GROUP C

(9) GROUP D

(10) GROUP E

(11) GROUP F

(12) GROUP G

(13) GROUP H