Re-validating the title Mexico won in the 2015 Gold Cup may not be as easy as expected, especially because the team that El Tri will present won't have some of their best players.
"Chicharito", Guillermo Ochoa, Oribe Peralta and Carlos Vela weren't selected by the Colombian coach, as their clubs demanded to grant them some rest prior to the upcoming season. With that in mind, let's analyze some reasons why El Tri's suffering may benefit the USMNT or Costa Rica.
1. Why Mexico played in the Confederations Cup
Mexico represented CONCACAF in the FIFA Confederations Cup after winning a play-off against the USMNT. The North American region hosts two tournaments between World Cups, in this case , the 2013 and 2015 Gold Cups. CONCACAF's execs determined to give each champion a chance to play in Russia, forcing a one-match playoff between Mexico and the USMNT. El Tri defeated the Stars & Stripes 3-2 on October 10, 2015 to qualify for the tournament.
2. What Mexico can make out of their FIFA Confederations Cup performance
Mexico's rotation policy saw their coach, Juan Carlos Osorio, get in trouble with fans, experts and even his own players. In a tournament as short as this one, the Colombian boss might want to keep it simple and not make up to eight changes from one match to the next.
Elías Hernández has scored in both friendlies played by Mexico's B squad prior to the Gold Cup.
3. How Mexico's games in Russia compare to the USMNT's friendly games in June
After playing two games against Portugal, and one against New Zealand, Germany and Russia, Mexico's "A" team got a good idea of what to expect in next year's World Cup. On the other side, the USMNT kicked off Bruce Arena's second stint as coach on a high note, keeping an unbeaten streak since he took Jürgen Klinsmann's spot as boss.
It's safe to say that the good vibes felt by the USMNT have nothing to do with the team playing in the Gold Cup for Mexico, especially because El Tri's roster is way different than the one that played in Russia.
Dom Dwyer scored his first goal for the USMNT, two months after becoming a U.S. Citizen.
4. Will the USMNT benefit from Mexico's busy summer?
This answer could go both ways. On one hand, El Tri will play with sort of a "B" squad, which could help the USMNT reach the title. On the other side, Bruce Arena decided not to call up his best team for this competition, giving some young talents a chance to shine. So, the outcome of this competition will only be determined by each coach's capability of working with a different side than the one they fielded, for example, on June 11th, when Mexico and the USMNT ended their World Cup Qualifying match with a draw.
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This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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