After
the U.S. floundered against Brazil, its biggest rival and next
competitive opponent put together a stellar performance in a 2-2 draw
over Argentina on Tuesday. Despite coming up against the No. 1-ranked
team in the world, with Lionel Messi, Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano
all in the starting lineup, El Tri looked like it would defeat La Albiceleste until a last-minute equalizer.
Mexico took the lead after hardly more than a quarter-hour passed, as
Javier Hernández put away the penalty earned by Raúl Jiménez in the
19th minute. The goal came somewhat against the run of play, as
Argentina had much of the early momentum, but the de facto home side in
Texas took over after scoring.
Argentina eventually worked its way back into the game but couldn’t get
past Moisés Muñoz in the Mexico goal before halftime. A series of
impressive saves from the Club América goalkeeper left La Albiceleste goalless at the break and beyond.
Muñoz remained El Tri’s best player throughout the second
half as well, making saves on Messi, Tévez and the whole cast of
world-beaters facing him. Finally, the team in front of him scored the
second goal in the 70th minute, as Miguel Layún found Héctor Herrera
with a driven cross from the left flank.
Herrera smacked his shot into the net, but Argentina would score
twice late to leave with a draw. Sergio Agüero scored first, after
Ezequiel Lavezzi chased down a long ball and crossed along the ground
for a tap-in in the 85th minute. Messi equalized, smoothly turning and
firing from inside the penalty area, three minutes later.
Regardless, Mexico is now undefeated in 10 games, its last loss
coming with a second-choice squad in the final group match at Copa
América. Here are three thoughts on the match, El Tri’s last
friendly before naming a new coach and taking on the U.S. in a playoff
for the CONCACAF berth into the 2017 version of the Confederations Cup:
Mexico returns to 5-3-2 for first time since Herrera’s firing
On Tuesday, interim Mexico coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti put El Tri
in its familiar 5-3-2 that former manager Miguel Herrera used to great
effect at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The team put together probably
its best performance since that tournament, and although formations
generally don’t offer a reliable barometer of team style—they’re as
useful as “telephone numbers,” as Pep Guardiola says—that isn’t
completely a coincidence.
Ferretti’s preferred style at Tigres resembles what he implemented with
the national team against Argentina. Rafa Márquez and José “Gallito”
Vázquez acted as the anchors defensively, allowing their partners in
central defense and midfield, respectively, to press runners in the
spaces between lines. The common denominators between Ferretti and
Herrera’s styles are those free men, who hold the team shape together.
In attack, the fluid midfield triangle supports an interchangable
forward pairing, with wingbacks bombing down the flanks to add an extra
element on both sides of the ball. It’s strange to see Ferretti coaching
the last two remaining tune-ups before such an important match against
the U.S.; any coaching points or selections he makes could be null and
void by next week, since he’ll be gone by the time of the Rose Bowl
game.
Still, his formation and style maintain Mexico’s national footballing
identity nonetheless. Of course, like any other coach, Ferretti has
several players he didn’t select based on his preference, but they
should return in October, most notably Memo Ochoa—though Muñoz made a
strong claim on the starting spot on Tuesday—and Giovani and Jonathan
dos Santos. Oribe Peralta should also make his return if he recovers
from the lower-back injury that kept him out of the friendlies against
Trinidad and Tobago and Argentina.
Chicharito goal could kickstart his return to form, just in time for U.S. playoff
After missing two chances inside the first 10 minutes, Hernández put
away the penalty to potentially give himself a much-needed confidence
boost. It’s been a long end of the summer for Chicharito, as he hasn’t
played yet for Bayer Leverkusen since his transfer from Manchester
United, where he only made one appearance this season. He also spent the
entirety of the 3-3 draw with Trinidad on the bench.
He knew he needed a goal, and credit to Hernández for grabbing the ball
immediately upon Mexico winning its first-half penalty and sticking it
into the bottom right-hand corner. He showed no hesitation despite his
last attempt going against him—and breeding the incredulous look between
United manager Louis van Gaal and assistant Ryan Giggs that was shared
worldwide on social media.
Chicharito is still far from sharp. His first touch let him down all
night, and he seemed to be running through wet concrete on a two-on-one
counterattack in the 59th minute. He ended up playing a poor pass behind
strike partner Jiménez that left him only with space to miss wide.
Still, he outsmarted center back Nicolás Otamendi in the box not 10
minutes later, though he was late to the header, and generally looked on
the cusp of scoring for much of the game.
It’s just a matter of regaining more of that confidence, getting
consistent training in Germany and perhaps making a couple appearances
for Bayer, and Chicharito should be back to top form in short order. If
it all falls into place, Hernández should be in the mix to start up top
on Oct. 10 against the Americans, along with “ÉlCepillo” Peralta, Giovani dos Santos and Carlos Vela.
Mexico in far better shape than the U.S. for their big matchup
One team played No. 1-ranked Argentina straight up, taking the game to La Albiceleste
and nearly defeating it with exciting, attacking soccer. The other
timidly lost by three goals to No. 5 Brazil, leaving its manager under
pressure and creating more questions than answers with its performance.
To say Mexico looks better than the U.S. before their Oct. 10 playoff
would be a major understatement. The vast improvement between the
Trinidad match and Argentina win alone point to a ramping-up in
preparedness that the U.S. just didn’t match this international window,
regardless of the strength of El Tri’s lineup in its second match versus the first.
Despite the revolving door of managers that Mexico has always had, the
national identity on the field is still there. That’s something the U.S.
has either lacked for a long time or never had in the first place,
depending on with whom you speak. Uncertainty and insecurity are nothing
new for Mexico, so culturally, it’s in a far more comfortable position
than the U.S.
El Tri is in better shape on all fronts, also coming off the
Gold Cup tournament win. It’s not that the team doesn’t have its
shortcomings; Argentina threatened all game long, forcing excellent
individual defensive play and goalkeeping interventions in desperation
situations before breaking through twice in the last five minutes.
Still, Mexico looks to be on a different level than the U.S. and a
clear favorite heading into the Oct. 10 playoff match in Los Angeles.
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