The Gold Cup does not come at a perfect time for Mexico. They were dumped out of the 2013 Confederations Cup in the group stages following defeats against eventual third-place winners Italy and champions Brazil. They did quit South America with a bit of pride by beating Japan 2-1 in their third and final fixture of the tournament. However, this may not be enough to offer Mexican fans the confidence they need as the team seeks to defend its CONCACAF Gold Cup title this July.
Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez has had to shoulder too much responsibility. As a result, the team has not been able to move properly during last twelve months. Mexico’s run in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers is far from being ideal with five or their six games in The Hex ending in draws.
All of this adds pressure on El Tri's B-team to bounce back immediately during the 2013 Gold Cup. However, Group A contenders Panama, Canada and even Martinique might not make life easy for the reigning champions.
Still, there are a few positives which the Mexican can take from their fiasco at the Confederations Cup. Statistics prove that they are not afraid to play attacking football and they are mainly aggressive on the left wing thanks to the speed of Giovani dos Santos. What has done them a lot of bad is lack of creativity in the final third of the field. The team just cannot seem to find goals easily from open play.
Against the Azzurri last month, Mexico made a total of 10 attempts on goal – 70 per cent of which came from open play. Yet, the only goal they got came from a Chicharito spot kick. The same problem of goal scoring efficiency occurred against Brazil in a must-win encounter. This time, the Mexicans’ conversion rate out of nine shots was zero per cent.
The 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup offers an opportunity for the national football team to nurture new talents and perhaps address several tactical issues that concern the first-choice squad. In the absence of several key players, what sort of show will El Tri produce?
Mexico’s Gold Cup 2013 squad
Goalkeepers: Jonathan Orozco, Talavera, Munoz
Defenders: Jimenez, Lopez, Huiqui, Chavez, Aldrete, Velarde, Valenzuela, Layun, Pereira, Castro
Midfielders: Pena, Cortes, Montes, Enriquez, Ponce
Forwards: Jimenez, Fabian, Lugo, Brizuela, Javier Orozco
Coach: J.M. De La Torre
Mexico’s Gold Cup fixtures
Sunday, July 7, 2013: Mexico vs Panama at 20:00 ET
Thursday, July 11, 2013: Mexico vs Canada at 23:00 ET
Sunday, July 14, 2013: Martinique vs Mexico at 16:00 ET
For live TV info of all the tournament’s matches, please visit the competition page or check LiveSoccerTV.com’s CONCACAF Gold Cup 2013 online and TV Guide.
