Ok, Mexico has advanced to the Gold Cup finals, which is great! First, let me start by saying I know what I am about to write goes against both my allegiance, instinct, and the popular sentiment regarding Mexico. Secondly, I realize Mexico is an explosive, athletic, and brutal squad to matchup against. By no means am I understating their superiority as a team or saying they are over rated. Rather, El Tri has some weaknesses. Let's look at last night's game to make this point clear.
Passing: In basketball the sure sign of an organized offensive juggernaut is their passing ability. Crisp, clear, and direct placement of the ball positions your teammates in the best situation to score. Well, Mexico's passing looked ugly last night. Many of their passes were hasty and lacked purpose. You could see Chicharito grind his teeth ever time de Nigris or dos Santos blasted an easy runner into the stands. El Tri cannot look this sloppy against a stingy USA defense.
De Nigris seems lost: Yes, De Nigris blasted an absolute brillant header to put Mexico up 1-0 early in extra time. Yes, De Nigris fed Chicharito another perfect header off a corner kick for another score. No, De Nigris seems like he knows what he is doing. At times it seemed like the scrappy De Nigris was flustered and confused when faced with a defensive challenge. I like his agressive style, but De Nigris will have to pull it together to match up against an American squad that prides itself on picking apart pesky defenses.
De la Torre is intense, maybe too intense: As I watched last night's game I couldn't get past the camera shots of De La Torre. Bulging neck vains, red faced, and stares that are usually reserved only for horror films. Why was he screaming at Chicharito, the only player through 40 minutes that seemed to be producing shot opportunities? Understandably De la Torre has a lot on his shoulders, but take it down a peg and focus on the players that need some additional coaching...I am looking at you dos Santos.
Mexico needs to shore up these issues. I love El Tri, but something seems off. Two games now we have seen a few heart attack moments that are leaving us bitting our nails. The Americans seem just a fraction more focused than El Tri, but not by much. Mexico is still a powerhouse with the ability to make you goalkeeper earn his pay. Yet, Saturday's game should give the El Tri faithful a perfect opportunity to see this teams true colors.
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