Alvarez seeks to lead Mexico in Brazil to third U-17 World Cup title
The FIFA Under-17 World Cup is back, and there are many talents to keep an eye on for the Mexico National Team. Brazil is scheduled to host the tournament for the first time, and they, along with Mexico, are among the favorites to lift the cup.
Before we get in-depth, let’s go back to 2005, when Mexico won its very first World Cup title in any category. That was a team filled with technique, passion, and individuality that gave Mexico their first title. Some familiar faces from that team include LAFC star Carlos Vela and Club America’s Giovanni dos Santos.
In 2011, the young Mexican squad was at it again. That year, one of the most entertaining U-17 World Cup games of all time took place in Mexico City between Uruguay and the host nation Mexico in the final match of the tournament. Carlos Fierro and Antonio “Pollo” Briseno led that team victory over the Uruguayans and as Mexico secured their second U-17 title in front 98+ thousand at Estadio Azteca. Effective technique and passion the youngsters showed throughout that tournament allowed them to stand out from the rest.
This current 2019 U-17 Mexico team has much hype. Much of that surrounds one player, LA Galaxy’s Efrain Alvarez. He’s on the radar of every Mexican football fan and pundits following the event. This season, Alvarez has shown flashes of brilliance with the team from Carson and is expected to lead the team in Brazil.
Another set of players to keep an eye on are Luis Puente and Gustavo Martinez, who play for Chivas’ and Atlas’ academies, respectively. These two players have experience winning a title with respective their teams and have the potential to help this team get deep into the tournament.
Ball control, technique, and dynamics are not the only qualities that describe these players, but the team in general. Besides having these three prominent figures, one of the most critical aspects of this youth team and Mexican football is which club each player represents.
Chivas, Atlas, and Pachuca got the most players called up to this youth team. Those teams have a notorious history of having some of the best youth systems in Mexico. Despite being the top Liga MX teams at the moment, America, Monterrey, and Tigres didn’t get as many players from their youth squads called to take the trip to Brazil.
The similarities between 2005, 2011, and 2019 U-17 groups are that most of the players on the final list came from these excellent youth systems. Personality and passion are were also some of the reasons those teams turned out to be unique.
Things look promising for El Tri, but we’ll have to wait and see if this year’s U-17 Mexican team can become World Champions and give the country its third star.
