U-17 looking to add to Mexico’s recent success in the category
Mexico is set to face Brazil in the FIFA World Cup U-17 final on Sunday. This game will mark the fourth time Mexico reaches the final of this tournament in the past 14 years. They’ve won two titles and had a second-place finish after losing to Nigeria in the 2013 finale. In recent years Los Aztecas has become a powerhouse in this division. Will the 2019 version give El Tri its third title?
2005 Champions
The squad that started everything for El Tri in this category was relatively unknown but produced some of Mexico’s most exciting prospects in years. That team scored 16 goals in six games and only allowed three goals cruising by the Netherlands 4-0 and beating Brazil 3-0 in that final. The squad was stacked with players like Efrain Juarez, Hector Moreno, Gio Dos Santos, and current MLS MVP Carlos Vela. All four of these players migrated to Europe and played in the best leagues in the world, were also constants with La Mayor.
2011 Champions
This version had the benefit of having the tournament on home soil and tore through the tournament scoring 17 goals while conceding seven. Mexico won the final beating Uruguay 2-0 in the mythical Estadio Azteca. While winning at the Azteca was an amazing, El Mini Tri’s best game was the classic they player in Torreon versus Germany. The postcard of the tournament was Julio Gomez’s 90th-minute bicycle kick to send Mexico to the final. That team had prospects like Gomez, Jonathan Espericuata, Arturo Alfonso Gonzalez, Antonio Briseno, and another current MLSer Carlos Fierro.
2013 Second Place
Coming in as two time and defending champions, a lot was expected from this team. An early 6-1 walloping from eventual champion Nigeria sent El Mini Tri’s momentum crashing down. They would find their footing in the second game and cruised to the final, eliminating Brazil and Argentina on their way to a rematch with Nigeria, which they lost 3-0. That team included Raul Gudiño, who is currently Chivas’ goalkeeper after a brief stint in Portugal with Porto, as well as Omar Govea (Belgium) and Marco Granados (Greece) who are now playing in Europe.
2015 Fourth Place
Qualifying in the first place of the tournament’s Group of Death, Mexico beat Argentina and Germany, allowing only one goal in the group stage. Mexico was a South American killer in the competition eliminating Chile and Ecuador en route to a rematch with Nigeria. El Tri was unable to beat their “coco” as the Eagles beat them 4-2. The loss would demotivate El Mini Tri, and they lost the third-place match to Belgium. This generation included current Mextranjeros Ulises Torres Mendez (Salamanca) and Diego Cortes (Tudelano) as well as Galaxy II keeper Abraham Romero.
2019-???
With exciting players of their own and a solid tactical foundation, this version of El Mini Tri will look to add their names to this categories champions.
