Mexico started their busy 2016 off with a win over a young Senegal team. While the game isn’t anything you’ll be telling your grandkids about in years to come, here are the biggest takeaways from El Tri’s 2-0 win.
Few Fringe Players Do Themselves a Favor
Part of the roster make up of this roster was the amount of borderline Mexican national team players who looked to try and impress Juan Carlos Osorio to earn future call-ups and add depth to the Mexican roster. Few of these players made the most of their chance. Gerardo Flores, Nestro Araujo, and Yasser Corona all struggled in the backline for Mexico. A major Corona blunder in the first half almost lead to Senegal taking a first half lead. He was the worst player on the field and never looked comfortable. Flores again, failed to make a major impact on both sides of the ball and struggled to add an offense spark to a team that needed more dynamic elements to break down a stubborn Senegal team.
While Jesus Zavala and Eduardo Herrera didn’t have as bad of a night as others did, neither were standouts Wednesday night. While the offense didn’t do their best job to help out Herrera up top, he struggled to create many chances for himself or his teammates. His one header on target was a good one that forced a solid save, but there wasn’t enough of a constant threat that made you think he could earn minutes over the established core of Mexican players at forward. While at times, Zavala played some good balls from the defensive position, too often he’d be found just out of position that allowed Senegal to look dangerous on the counter-attack.
Corona Responds for Osorio
Jesus Corona made his return for Mexico since this past summer’s Copa America, where he didn’t look very strong. On this night though, Corona had a great night. Corona demanded his box well and made several interceptions in the box. He had one great save coming across his goal to make a save on the back side. Considering how shaky his backline looked in the first half, the game looks better for Corona.
The performance left Alejandro Palacios on the bench, and shows he still has the quality at the national team level. If he can continue to impress, there’s no reason why he can’t challenge for a spot on the national team for this coming summer’s Copa America Centenario.
Subs Spark Mexico
Whether it was pre planned to make a number of chances at halftime or if the poor performance by Mexico forced Osorio’s hand to make three changes at half. Carlos Salcedo and Jose Rivas added a bit more calm on the backline and showed a bit more quality that cut down on the Senegal attack the second half. Rodolfo Pizzaro also came in on halftime as well and the young Mexican showed his versatility to play in multiple positions on the field. The quick midfielder also scored Mexico’s second goal, connecting his head to a Hirving Lozano cross and almost added another a few minutes later. Candido Ramirez was the last substitute in the match for Mexico and almost instantly made in impact and served the cross for Mexico’s opener that Jesus Duenas finished into the back of the net. Israel Jimenez also made an instant impact for Mexico when he came in for Flores on the right wing. He was more aggressive on the attack and moved the ball quicker, while on defense helped sew up some gaps that Flores left during his time on the field.
Mexican Youngsters Impress
While it was disappointing not to see Erick Gutierrez make an appearance for Mexico, the young talents that did play for El Tri gave a gimps that the future for Mexico has a bright potential. While Salcedo, Ramirez, and Pizzaro all made great impact once they were subbed in. The real standout was 20-year-old Hirving Lozano. While Mexico started in a 4-4-2 formation, it quickly changed to a 4-3-3 while Lozano playing as a left forward. His quickness and cuts inside gave Senegal headaches all game long. He showed a willingness to take on players and be aggressive. Osorio should be pleased with what he saw from this core of youngers and don’t be shocked if you see at least one of these games for the World Cup qualifying matches against Canada next month.
Miami Provides a Poor Backdrop
The popularity of the Mexican national team in the United States is unquestionable, yet of all the destinations that El Tri have made feel like home during their years of friendlies in America, Miami isn’t one them. Played on the outfield of the ball park of the Florida Marlins with last minute grass laid on the infield. Besides that, the attendance was horrendous with only 16,000 at attendance, about 40 thousand less than their average attendance. It shouldn’t be a surprise considering that Miami isn’t the greatest sports city, plus while Miami is a great Latin American city, it isn’t one known for the high amount of Mexicans. While these friendlies give Mexican fans in the state a chance to see El Tri play in America and leave with their pockets full of money, they need to consider the stadium, and cities they play in to provide a better atmosphere for everyone involved, including players, coaches, and fans.