Just over a month and a half ago Mexico met Trinidad and Tobago in their final group stage match of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. What unfolded over the following 90 minutes was the best match of the Gold Cup. A heart pounding match that saw three ties and three lead changes along with three goals after the 88th minute. 

Since that game Mexico limped their way to the Gold Cup Final before finally putting together a complete performance against Jamaica in the Final. A day later Mexico manager Miguel Herrera attacked a reporter at the Philadelphia airport and a day later was relieved of his duties as the national team coach. Mexico spent over three weeks searching for the next man to take over the team and Tigres coach Ricardo Ferretti has been the man tasked with stepping in as the interim coach for four games. 

Ferretti has already raised eyebrows with his first call-up with Mexico by leaving out Malaga goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and the Dos Santos brothers, Giovani and Jonathan. For the most part though, Ferretti didn’t make any radical changes and will go into the next few games with the base of the Mexico squad we’ve seen with Herrera. 

Missing tomorrow will be Jesus “Tecatito” Corona, who had immigration paper troubles in Portugal, so he stayed put across the Atlantic and will stay with his new team. Also unavailable for this game will be new Bayer Leverkusen forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, who will be arriving from Germany on Thursday. Finally, Mexican defender Francisco “Maza” Rodriguez is questionable for the match after picking up a knock during the training.

The reports coming out of Mexico say that Ferretti will start the match with a starting XI made up of the players who aren’t seen as starters in his eyes, with the idea of playing his stronger side against Argentina on Tuesday in Texas. This will be the first time we see Mexico play in Ferretti’s 4-4-2 formation, which will be based heavily on possession and moving the ball around quickly from point A to point B, while still having plenty of defensive support that allows Mexico to snuff out any possible counter-attack.

A possible starting XI could be made up (if we’re believed that Mexico will start with a makeshift starting 11) of Moises Munoz starting between the posts for Mexico. In the four man back line Tigres duo Israel Jimenez and Jorge Torres-Nilo will likely line up as wide backs, and Oswaldo Alanis as one of the centerbacks. His parter in the back line will either be Rafael Marquez or Diego Reyes. The choice will say plenty about Ferretti and if he’s thinking of going with the experience of Marquez, or the youth of Reyes. 

A combination of Jesus Duenas, Javier Guemez, and Carlos Esquivel can all find themselves in the midfield Friday night with Duenas and Guemez making up the two central positions with each joining the attack while the other covers, and Esquivel taking the right side of the midfield. Joining them could either be Gold Cup captain Andres Guardado or Miguel Layun.

Up top look for Ferretti to give the young duo of Raul Jimenez and Henry Martin a chance to prove themselves. Martin is getting his first call-up to El Tri and could put himself in the mix for regular call-ups with a great performance that leads to an assist or a goal. Jimenez, on the other hand, will look to build off his first goal of the new season with Benfica over the weekend and try to take that momentum with him for EL Tri.

Predicting Starting XI
Munoz
Jimenez, Reyes, Alanis, Torres Nilo
Esquivel, Guemez, Duenas, Layun
Martin, Jimenez

Ferretti will look to kick off his four game interim stint with Mexico on the right foot as he looks to build his team for the showdown at the Rose Bowl next month against arch rival the United States.