El Tri will take the pitch in its last match of 2010, celebrating the swan song against Venezuela.
After the referee blows his whistle to end hostilities between Mexico and Venezuela, fans will likely be seeing the last of many wearing the characteristic green uniform of the CONCACAF giants.
They'll definitely be seeing the last of Efrain Flores on the touchline. A new era is expected to be ushered in in the following weeks, with either Toluca boss José Manuel de la Torre or Monterrey manager Victor Manuel Vucetich taking the reins.
Several players might be on their way out of the team due to age or disciplinary reasons: a party in which prostitutes and alcohol purportedly played a major factor between national team players has already yielded two suspendees in Arsenal striker Carlos Vela and Celtic midfielder Efrain Juarez.
Meanwhile, Venezuela look forward to Brazil 2014 under Cesar Farias, and will attempt to break into the top of the heap in South America, en route to their first World Cup appearance.
Mexico will wrap up its 2010 calendar this Tuesday in Ciudad Juárez, facing Venezuela in its fourth friendly match since the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a competition that held high hopes for the Mexicans and once again featured a mix of the sublime (a 2-0 victory over France), the disappointing (the 3-1 loss to Argentina), and the ridiculous (Javier Aguirre giving starts to the 37 year-old Cuauhtémoc Blanco and overweight Adolfo Bautista).
El Tri finish a slate of games that started out with incredible promise, when world champion Spain were barely able to muster a draw at the Estadio Azteca thanks to an injury time strike from David Silva. The drop in quality was more than subtly apparent after that, as Mexico faltered against Ecuador (1-2) and needed an injury time goal of their own from Elias Hernandez to beat Colombia (1-0).
Venezuela, on the other hand, have to feel confident with the massive strides they've made in their development within the sport in the past decade or so, punctuated by a strong Copa América (held at home for the first time ever) in 2007 and finishing just two points behind Uruguay for the last spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the last cycle of qualification.
Their recent run in friendlies (wins at home against Ecuador and away to Bolivia) have them geared up and ready to face a Mexican team in semi-disarray due to the uncertainties surrounding their coaching situation and aforementioned disciplinary troubles.
The Vinotinto's 23-man squad features a grand total of 13 legionaries, including a familiar face for Mexican audiences: San Luis' César González. Six players on Farias' call-up ply their trade in Europe, including Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Juan Arango, Getafe striker Nicolás Fedor and Twente defender Roberto Rosales.
Facing them will be a team that has also begun to make a dent in European football, as seven of the 20 selectees work on the other side of the pond.
Premier League fans will have plenty of look for, as four England-based players could see action for Mexico: Fulham's Carlos Salcido, West Ham's Pablo Barrera, Tottenham's Giovani dos Santos, and Manchester United sensation Javier Hernández.
Based on interim manager Efrain Flores' recent line-ups, we can expect a Mexico team that won't stray too far from the standard 4-4-2, with defenders and midfielders caressing the wing having way more freedom than players bunched up towards the middle. Up front, two strikers, one box-bound and one with a modicum of mobility.
If last year's friendly against Mexico is any indication of how César Farías will play his men this time around, a flexible 4-3-3 that can fold back into a 4-5-1 is widely expected.
A single man in attack will be flanked by two multifunctional players on the wings, with a playmaker behind them and two defensive midfielders preventing breakaways upon a change in possession.
As always, no matter what the result in past matches, focus will reign squarely on the style of play displayed by both countries for their respective critics -- the media. On the Mexican side, only one doubt will remain:
The match is over - where's the party?
They'll definitely be seeing the last of Efrain Flores on the touchline. A new era is expected to be ushered in in the following weeks, with either Toluca boss José Manuel de la Torre or Monterrey manager Victor Manuel Vucetich taking the reins.
Several players might be on their way out of the team due to age or disciplinary reasons: a party in which prostitutes and alcohol purportedly played a major factor between national team players has already yielded two suspendees in Arsenal striker Carlos Vela and Celtic midfielder Efrain Juarez.
Meanwhile, Venezuela look forward to Brazil 2014 under Cesar Farias, and will attempt to break into the top of the heap in South America, en route to their first World Cup appearance.
Mexico will wrap up its 2010 calendar this Tuesday in Ciudad Juárez, facing Venezuela in its fourth friendly match since the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a competition that held high hopes for the Mexicans and once again featured a mix of the sublime (a 2-0 victory over France), the disappointing (the 3-1 loss to Argentina), and the ridiculous (Javier Aguirre giving starts to the 37 year-old Cuauhtémoc Blanco and overweight Adolfo Bautista).
El Tri finish a slate of games that started out with incredible promise, when world champion Spain were barely able to muster a draw at the Estadio Azteca thanks to an injury time strike from David Silva. The drop in quality was more than subtly apparent after that, as Mexico faltered against Ecuador (1-2) and needed an injury time goal of their own from Elias Hernandez to beat Colombia (1-0).
Venezuela, on the other hand, have to feel confident with the massive strides they've made in their development within the sport in the past decade or so, punctuated by a strong Copa América (held at home for the first time ever) in 2007 and finishing just two points behind Uruguay for the last spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in the last cycle of qualification.
Their recent run in friendlies (wins at home against Ecuador and away to Bolivia) have them geared up and ready to face a Mexican team in semi-disarray due to the uncertainties surrounding their coaching situation and aforementioned disciplinary troubles.
The Vinotinto's 23-man squad features a grand total of 13 legionaries, including a familiar face for Mexican audiences: San Luis' César González. Six players on Farias' call-up ply their trade in Europe, including Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Juan Arango, Getafe striker Nicolás Fedor and Twente defender Roberto Rosales.
Facing them will be a team that has also begun to make a dent in European football, as seven of the 20 selectees work on the other side of the pond.
Premier League fans will have plenty of look for, as four England-based players could see action for Mexico: Fulham's Carlos Salcido, West Ham's Pablo Barrera, Tottenham's Giovani dos Santos, and Manchester United sensation Javier Hernández.
Based on interim manager Efrain Flores' recent line-ups, we can expect a Mexico team that won't stray too far from the standard 4-4-2, with defenders and midfielders caressing the wing having way more freedom than players bunched up towards the middle. Up front, two strikers, one box-bound and one with a modicum of mobility.
If last year's friendly against Mexico is any indication of how César Farías will play his men this time around, a flexible 4-3-3 that can fold back into a 4-5-1 is widely expected.
A single man in attack will be flanked by two multifunctional players on the wings, with a playmaker behind them and two defensive midfielders preventing breakaways upon a change in possession.
As always, no matter what the result in past matches, focus will reign squarely on the style of play displayed by both countries for their respective critics -- the media. On the Mexican side, only one doubt will remain:
The match is over - where's the party?
