Even in a friendly there is a lot on the line when Mexico faces off against the United States. Mostly it’s bragging rights and this time the U.S. took those home as they capitalized on Mexico’s defensive errors. With this loss, Rafa Marquez is now 0-2-1 in his first three games as head coach. Now El Tri will travel to Los Angeles where they will close out this international window against Chile.
This time around Marquez opted for a more experienced starting lineup compared to the previous game where
it was made up of mostly youngsters.
XI vs. Peru: O. Garcia; V. Guzman, E. Lopez, M. Chavez, J. Marquez; D. Garcia, A. Fidalgo, O. Vargas; O. Pineda, G. Berterame, I. Violante;
XI vs. U.S.: R. Rangel; J. Gallardo, J. Vasquez, D. Campillo, I. Reyes; E. Lira, L. Romo, O. Pineda, S. Sandoval, R. Alvarado; S. Gimenez;
Early on Mexico had the opportunity to take the lead in the third minute when Roberto Alvarado sent a ball into the box where Santiago Gimenez was waiting in front of an open net yet he missed the ball. It was an open net opportunity that the youngster let slip. By the 20th minute, Mexico was starting to regain control of the game. For a while the United States was able to disrupt their opponents game as they put pressure on the Mexican team who struggled with the intense pressure. By the 27th minute the game had evened out until the U.S. capitalized on the first Mexican error thanks to Raul ‘Tala’ Rangel. Sebastian Berhalter sent a long ball into the midfield that eventually got to the feet of Gio Reyna. Reyna made his way into the box on the right side where he took a shot that Rangel was unable to hang onto. The rebound made its way to Julian Hall who was all alone and pushed the ball into an open net. The youngster Hall was in the exact same position Gimenez was in at the beginning of the game but Hall actually finished his chance. While Mexico was the better of the two teams, the United States was up 1-0 because their players finished their opportunities.
Mexico attempted to equalize immediately but their chances were sniffed out. Diego Campillo had a chance off a corner kick when he received the ball at the edge of the box. He was unmarked and had the chance to strike but he hesitated and that small hesitation allowed the Stars and Stripes to regroup and block off his angle. Mexico then had another golden chance right before the half as Gimenez attempted to capitalize off of Diego Kochen’s error. Kochen couldn’t hang onto the ball and all Gimenez had to do was tap the rebound in but he was unable to do so. That was now two golden opportunities that Gimenez missed and it’s truly sad how a youngster who shows so much potential in club soccer cannot for the life of him excel on the National Team. Mexico went into the half down by only one goal with 45 minutes left to play.
The second half did not get any better for Mexico. The United States was able to put pressure on the Tricolor just like they did in the first half. Mexico did not find a golden opportunity until the 58th minute thanks to a foul by Berhalter on Orbelin Pineda. Luis Chavez was the one who sent the ball into the box where Alvarado volleyed the ball towards the net but Kochen responded by hitting the ball out of play for a corner. Nothing came of the subsequent corner. Minutes later in the 62nd was where disaster struck again for Mexico. The defenders decided to reset the ball as they passed it to Rangel who then passed the ball to Cavan Sullivan instead of his own player. Sullivan then kicked the ball into an empty net to double the lead. It looked like Rangel was attempting to send the ball to Israel Reyes but he didn’t put a lot of power on it and Sullivan was easily able to intercept for the goal.
It was then seven minutes later when the night got worse for Mexico. Frustrations were high for the visitors who now had to climb their way back from a two goal deficit. Mateo Chavez committed a foul on Yunus Musah and his teammate Berhalter went up to Chavez’s face to confront him for the unnecessary foul. Chavez then got angry and slapped Berhakter in the face with both if his hands. The referee saw this slap and did not hesitate to pull out a red card for the youngster. Chavez lost his head and made things worse for his team who now had to play with 10 men for 20 minutes. This loss clearly affected the team as the U.S. took advantage and suffocated Mexico with an extra man on the field. The defense was struggling and it all came to a head in the 84th minute. Alvaro Fidalgo attempted to reset so he sent the ball to Diego Campillo. Campillo was then pressured by Malik Tillman who did not forgive and was able to put the ball into the back of the net despite Campillo on his shoulder.
After this goal all Mexico could do was hold on and not their opponents score another goal, though it almost happened twice. Thankfully they were able to hold on but when the final whistle blew the frustration was evident on the Mexican players and the fans let them hear it and the frustrations by Mexican fans was understandable. While the World Cup ended in defeat, there was a lot of hope moving forward but these results don’t give anyone hope. So far as Mexico’s head coach Rafa Marquez has drawn two games and lost one. It’s not the best start and that is why fans are upset. However fans need to give Marquez a break since these are friendlies and he is just starting his tenure. If he produces lackluster results on the next international window during the Nations League then yes, there can be talks about his resignation. Right now Marquez is rebuilding and fans need to understand that and give him time to work.
