Mexico has wrapped up the October FIFA window with a loss and a win against Jamaica. Pedro Lopez was able to tweak things and got a better showing in the second game but there is still a lot of work to be done before the World Cup Qualifiers in November.
Versus Jamaica at Aguascalientes
Lots of questions and doubts were left after this game. Mostly if Mexico was going to qualify for the World Cup or crash out for a third consecutive cycle. Watching this game, it’s no surprise as Mexico was dominated
by Jamaica. From the very beginning the visitors controlled the match as Mexico struggled to keep up with the speed of Jamaica’s players who would catch them off guard during transitions. During a push forward the Tricolor would push their lines high to keep the pressure on their opponents but then they would get burned on the transitions. The defense struggled as full-backs Nicki Hernandez and Reyna Reyes would get caught high up the field and the center-back duo of Kimberly Rodriguez and Aaliyah Farmer would have to pick up their teammates’ absences all by themselves. This struggle led to three goals against them in the run of play. The fourth goal came from miscommunication in the box as they gave up a penalty that was ultimately converted. The defense will have to find a way to replace Greta Espinoza, who recently tore her ACL, as Espinoza was the glue that stuck the defense together and her absence will be sorely missed. Offensively, Mexico struggled to get much going. The Jamaican defense was able to lock-up the Mexican forwards and even Balon d’Or nominee Scarlett Camberos had a difficult time freeing herself from Deneisha Blackwood and it got to the point that both Camberos and Ovalle had to switch sides because neither were seeing the ball. Even though the offense struggled to create chances they were still able to net three goals, two from set-pieces and one in the final moments during the run of play. Ovalle, Rebeca Bernal and Charlyn Corral scored the three goals for Mexico making sure the game wasn’t a complete disaster.
Versus Jamaica at Querétaro
Mexico looked better in the second friendly against Jamaica. It was evident Pedro Lopez and his staff worked hard to tweak the weak moments from the first game. Lopez decided to make only one change in his lineup compared to Jamaica who had four changes. The change that came from Mexico was Maricarmen Reyes replacing Kiana Palacios. This move was not a surprise and was earned after Reyes had an impressive performance in the last game. Reyes was subbed into the match in the second half and she was able to provide a spark Mexico desperately needed. While the scoreline remained the same, Reyes created chances Mexico didn’t have prior to her getting on the field. That was why she started in Tuesday’s match and she was awarded with a goal; A goal that came with tears after being sidelined from the National Team due to an ACL tear. While there are a lot of things Mexico needs to work on before the qualifiers in November, one thing that is certain is that Maricarmen Reyes needs to be part of the squad. She was easily the MVP over both games and it would be crazy not to take her along.
World Cup qualifiers are six weeks away and Mexico will have a lot of things to fix before then. While there were some bright spots, the games over the international window left a lot to be desired. The last time Mexico was in the World Cup was in 2015 so the pressure will be on for the Tricolor to succeed, but that doesn’t mean that fan support won’t be there. Only one game stands between Mexico and a World Cup spot and every Mexican fan will be behind them to get the job done, after all don’t forget: ¿Y si si?
