Mexico vs. Honduras: Gold Cup quarterfinal preview
Mexico have been anything but impressive at this Gold Cup. The time is now for El Tri to get serious or it will be forced to go home early.
There are plenty of similarities between Mexico and the United States at this Gold Cup. Neither brought their first-team regulars (Mexico fielded a B team after taking part in the recent Confederations Cup), while both failed to fully dominate opponents during the first round.
While the USMNT bulked up their roster with some experience ahead of this week’s knockout stage, Mexico have made no such changes. Coach Juan Carlos Osorio, currently serving a six-match suspension following his antics at the Confederations Cup, stuck with his Liga MX players.
“I can’t deny the fact that I enjoy very much being by the sideline, next to the players, and the one thing specifically that is very difficult to deal with is the fact that when something happens on the field and I try to make aware of that situation it takes too long and it’s gone, it’s past and it’s basically two or three new plays have happened after that,” Osorio told reporters this past Saturday.
Despite winning Group C, Mexico have lacked sharpness and the type of decisive play that has made them the best team in the region. But the knockout round will be unforgiving. El Tri‘s scoreless draw against Jamaica during the group stage was lackluster and particularly worrisome given how much better Mexico can be. The time is now for them to improve both offensively and defensively. It’s telling that 36-year-old goalkeeper Jesus Corona was Mexico’s best player in their 2-0 victory against Curacao this past Sunday night. As ESPN noted, “Thankfully for El Tri on Sunday, the side had an in-form Corona to back it up, but Mexico will have to improve if it is to win the Gold Cup.”
This unproven squad of young hopefuls has been inconsistent, but nonetheless susceptible to the same scrutiny all Mexican lineups endure during international tournaments. In Mexico’s 3-1 win versus El Salvador in the first game, the team was largely praised but problems persist. The team’s inability to defend directly after losing possession has been their biggest Achilles’ heel. Mexico didn’t concede right after losing the ball versus the Salvadorians, but a lack of concentration leaves them vulnerable to another, potentially catastrophic lapse.
The team’s five goals have come from five different players, no one striker emerging as the offensive force the team needs. This could also be seen as a positive as this team continue to play collectively rather than rely on any one individual. This experimental side may still find that breakout star in the knockout stages. The Houston Dynamo’s Erick “Cubo” Torres, much wanted by the fans, has largely underachieved thus far after a strong start to the MLS season.
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It’s not all gloom and doom for Mexico, coached by Osorio’s assistant assistant Luis Pompilio Paez. Strikers such as Elias Hernandez, known for his dribbling, and Orbelin Pineda, who can be exceptional on the wings, could still come through in the end and have shown glimpses of the superior skill they possess. Another forward, Angel Sepulveda, who scored versus Curacao, is an aerial specialist. He will be the team’s go-to man on set pieces. All of these players are most likely to overwhelm Honduras when the sides meet Thursday night at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., before what is expected to be a very large pro-Mexico crowd.
In fact, Honduras have been so unimpressive it’s surprising they’ve been able to get this far. After finishing as one of the best third-place teams, Honduras got attention for all the wrong reasons. After a poor 0-0 result versus French Guiana in their second Group A match, the result was annulled and replaced with an automatic 3-0 win after the minnows fielded former French international Florent Malouda. He had been deemed cap-tied at the start of the Gold Cup and therefore ineligible to play.
Honduras are a team in free fall. It has not been able to string together positive results recently and can no longer be considered one of the best teams in the region.
Honduras coach Jorge Luis Pinto has rotated only two players for the knockout stage. Out are strikers Anthony Lozano and Rony Martinez, replaced by midfielder Michaell Chirinos and striker Angel Tejeda, who has just seven caps and is still searching for his first national team goal. Both are tasked with improving the team’s fortunes, but that remains an uphill task for a team with a limited talent pool.
Even a poor Mexico side are likely to find a win against Honduras and get through to the semifinals. The reality is that a Honduras upset isn’t likely to happen, no matter how bad the defending Gold Cup champions have been playing at this tournament.