Tijuana debuted in the Leagues Cup with a 2 - 5 loss to the LA Galaxy which complicates their classification to the next round of the tournament. It wasn’t just the result that hurt, but also their play on the field. Tijuana had some bright moments but ultimately, they were unable to capitalize on them and could not stop a Galaxy attack that was relentless at times. Now the Mexican team must pick up the shattered pieces and win the next two games or they will head home in the group stages.
Defensive
Mistake After Defensive Mistake
Early on it was evident the Galaxy attack was too much for Xolos to handle. The defense had multiple Galaxy players make their way into the box and allowed them to take shots at goal. Tijuana defenders were visibly frustrated, and things heated up quickly when in the sixth minute Rafael Fernandez knocked Joseph Paintsil down to the ground for no reason and the referee awarded the home side a free kick for the unnecessary foul. Thankfully the shot went nowhere but it was evident the defenders were going to be in for a long night.
That long night started in the 13th minute when Alan Vega was called for a handball in the box. The referee was quick to call it but VAR took a few minutes to confirm it. Once it was confirmed Matheus Nascimento stepped up to take the penalty and buried it to give the home side an early start. Then in the 25th Paintsil made his way into the box and Ivan Tona had no way to control the player, so he pulled him to the ground and the referee pointed to the spot. Once again Paintsil caused chaos for the Xolos defense. Jose Rodriguez blocked the penalty, but Tijuana was going to need to clean up their defense after two horrible errors. The second goal of the night came from the defense who allowed Gabriel Pec to take a shot at goal without anyone stopping him. The space was just what Pec and the Galaxy needed to retake the lead. The same thing happened in the third goal when the defense allowed Nascimento space to pass the ball to Paintsil who netted the third goal. In the 82nd minute Paintsil was able to easily take on Fernandez to get inside the box and send the ball to Reus who flicked the ball into the back of the net. The final goal of the night came from the man of the match Paintsil who got the ball on a counter and went man to man with Rodriguez, but the Galaxy player had no problem getting the ball past Rodriguez and into the back of the net. The defense had no answers for allowing five goals in and looked lost and ill-equipped to handle the 2024 MLS Champions.
A Bright Light in Youngster
While Tijuana had a terrible night the same could not be said for youngster Gilberto Mora who had one of the best individual performances of the night. He finished the game with a rating of 9.1 compared to his teammates who had performances ranked under a 7.0, aside from Jose Rodriguez who had over an 8. Mora was responsible for the two goals they scored that night. The first one was on a corner where no white jersey marked the teenager which gave him a chance to score the ball when it came to his feet. The second goal Mora was once again not marked and was given space to shoot from outside the area. Even when he wasn’t in front of goal he would set up his teammates who struggled to capitalize on his assists. He controlled the midfield as much as he could, but his teammates offered no relief, and Mora was visibly frustrated when the Galaxy scored.
With this spectacular performance it is normal that many talk about the teenager, but head coach Sebastian Abreu was not so happy with the discussion. In the post-match conference, he stated he did not want to continue solely talking about Mora as “I have 27 players who also deserve respect.” Abreu is correct that everyone should be talked about not just one player since it is a team sport and it is unfair to everyone else who puts in work. Even with his frustration with the question Abreu talked positively about the teenager saying, “what we are seeing we need to try to enjoy because clearly he has been playing for only a short time.”
What’s Next?
After a horrible showing in the Leagues Cup debut Abreu and Tijuana need to look forward as they still have a chance to make it out of the group stage. It’s a small chance but it’s still there. Head coach Sebastian Abreu will need to be honest with himself if he plans on moving forward. However, it doesn’t look like that is the case as he said in the post-match press conference that he felt the team was “within the competitiveness that I want, within our path, within our search and within our intentions.” He may want to look at the film again because the team looked lost on the field with no answers as to how to effectively stop opposing attacks. The LA Galaxy are defending MLS Cup Champions but currently they are dead last in the league with only three wins so far. How does Tijuana not beat a team who is in horrible form? Tijuana’s next two games will be against Colorado and Seattle who won’t be as forgiving as the Galaxy.
More from fmfstateofmind.com:
- Will Carlos Salcedo Fit In At Fiorentina?
- Mexico's making a mistake hosting Honduras at the Estadio Azteca
- Mexicans Abroad Roundup - 8/21
- Chicharito Hurt, Out for September WCQ Games
- Postgame Observations: America lacks play as a unit against Puebla
- Watch: Chicharito opens 2016/2017 campaign with goal in DFB-Pokal
- Puebla 2-2 Club America: Highlights
