Mexico stayed as the Group A leader with their 2-0 win over Suriname. Let’s dive into the match.
Things I liked
- The midfield duo of Edson Alvarez and Marcel Ruiz. Is the Charly Rodriguez era over? Not only was he not in the starting lineup but he was not even on the bench tonight. Marcel Ruiz continued to pull the strings from the midfield and provided a great safety valve for the team. Edson keeps on doing Edson things and having a Ruiz next to him, allows Edson to focus on what he is great at.
- Set Pieces: Historically, Mexico has struggled to defend them and not made the most of them on offense. But maybe times are changing for El Tri for the better. As the opponents get better, Mexico will continue to be at a talent disadvantage. One way to even the odds is to maximize set pieces.
- Rotaciones: Once Mexico got up 2-0, Vasco took advantage of the lead to rest players. He took out Raul Jimenez and subbed on Santiago Gimenez immediately after Cesar Montes got his brace. Johan Vasquez also got subbed off in his first appearance for Mexico this summer.
Things I didn’t like
- Jesus Gallardo: Just wasn’t his night. Marcel Ruiz gave him a great cut back pass and he did nothing with it. In a game that Mexico was always going to control, maybe this was the game to start Mateo Chavez. I might be harsh on Gallardo as he still kept getting on the ball and appearing in the right positions but just lacked the final ball. Things opened up once Mexico scored but Gallardo failed to capitalized in the first hour of the game. He still has a role on this team going forward as his physicality his something other fullback options lack.
- Scoring Futility: The first 56 minutes were filled with missed opportunities. I think at this point, Vasco needs to keep this starting 11 or the bulk of it to let the players gel. There were sparks and chunks of great movement but these ultimately failed to lead to goals. I was really hoping this game or the one versus the Dominican Republic would act as slump busters but the blow outs never happened.
Overall, Mexico got the job done and that is all that matters in tournaments. It wasn’t a great performance but it clinched a spot in the knockout rounds. All Mexico needs is a draw on Sunday versus Piojo Herrera’s Costa Rica to win the group. El Tri seems to be growing as we get deeper into the summer. Ultimately, the World Cup next summer is all Vasco should care about. This summer is about finding his best lineup and tactics. I think he is slowly doing that. Lets hope this summer still ends with a trophy.