Mexico vs USA The Aftermath What Went Wrong
The inaugural Concacaf Nations League has come to an end, and unfortunately for El Tri fans, it wasn’t the result that was hoped for. El Tri had to settle for a gut-punch of a second-place finish after a 3-2 loss to their area nemesis. In the aftermath, let’s see what went wrong for El Tri.
Tata Outsmarted Himself
Tata surprised many with his initial lineup going with the 3-4-3 with Lozano playing in the 9 role. Initially, this worked, as Chucky was constantly getting behind the USA’s backline. The speed of Antuna and Tecatito gave Ream and McKenzie fits. Yet, as the game went on he failed to make tactical changes to adapt to the game, and stuck with some players a little too long.
Corner Woes
It seemed like the USA got a shot on goal on every corner kick that they took. Ochoa made at least two amazing saves before he was unable to stop McKennie’s header to tie up the game. While it seems El Tri put in the work on offensive corners running a few prefabricated plays, one of which ended in a disallowed goal, their marking on the defensive end was horrendous.
Some Subs Worked, Some Didn’t
Tata used all six of his subs this match, and only two worked. Obviously, Lainez made an instant impact on the game, and Romo for Charlie Rodriguez helped El Tri regain control of the midfield. However, bringing in Henry Martin for Corona made it easier for the USA to defend a less speedy forward, and the move moved Chucky to the wing where he disappeared for parts of the game. Moreno for Salcedo lead to the penalty call on Salcedo, and Pineda really didn’t have an opportunity to affect the game. As for Guardado, his PK miss sealed the game for the Yankees, but the move should have been made sooner, as Herrera was playing with house money after not being shown his second yellow on multiple occasions.
No #9 in Sight
Again, the inclusion of a 9 in the squad seemed to slow Mexico down more than help. Jimenez has been missed and it’s painfully evident Tata has not found an alternative upfront. This will only put more pressure on Martino to reconsider calling up El Chicarito, who has cooled from his red hot start in MLS or look to Liga MX for alternatives. Santiago Ormeno who had a great season for Puebla and the newly naturalized Funes Mori are awaiting their callup.
Costly Mistakes
All in all, this was one of the sloppiest games El Tri has played under Martino. Regrettably, it was in a final against their archrivals and mistakes cost them the game. Poor marking and Untuna getting caught watching cost El Tri the first goal. A rare misplay from Chaka lead to a corner that ultimately wound up being the equalizer. Salcedo’s reckless play on a two-on-one against Pulisic lead to the penalty call, valid or not, that ended up being the game-winner. At the other end, a rare miss by Guardado let the equalizer slip away.
Now What?
As painful as this loss was, it’s no time to panic. Like was previously stated, this was Mexico’s sloppiest game in the Martino era and even with that, they were a mistake away from winning the game. This is only the third loss for El Tri under El Tata and retribution can be achieved fairly quickly with the Gold Cup on the horizon. This excruciating loss needs to lead to an evaluation of the current roster and where improvements can be made. Set pieces will definitely need to be addressed on both ends of the field. Can Tata right the ship in time for the Gold Cup? Yes, in the words of Aaron Rodgers, everyone needs to R-E-L-A-X.
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