Mexico destroyed Cuba in their Gold Cup opener, winning 6-0. With so much offense and possession the Mexican team must be filled with a lot of high rated players, right?
GK Guillermo Ochoa: N/A (7.0)
I don't really want to rate Ochoa.
Cuba put one shot on goal, and it was a slow roller from the edge of
the box. He showed some nice reaction to a late free kick from the
right side that he snatched, but otherwise, Ochoa stood twirling his
beautiful hair.
Aguilar saw a lot of action in this
match. Cuba presented no offensive threat so he was able to run up
and down the right side at his leisure. Aguilar finished the match
with an impressive 87% pass percentage. He did well linking up with
Hector Herrera and his strikers on short passes. However, Aguilar
struggled at times with his final ball into the box; they simply
could have been a little more precise. As good as Aguilar was, the
left side of pitch (Layun and Guardado) were a bit more dynamic and
dangerous. Aguilar did not need to do much in defense, but I question
how he will fare in future matches against team's with a more potent
attack. You have to practice like you will play in the “real”
matches, right?
A recurring trend here is going to be
Cuba's lack of offense. Obviously, Rodriguez had little real
responsibility. However, Rodriguez was caught playing a little too
high on an occasion, which led to Cuba playing the ball into open
space at the edge of the box. Fortunately for him Cuba is not a good
enough team to punish him for the mistake. Rodriguez was also late on
a couple of tackles. Rodriguez did stifle Cuba, and prevent them from
crossing the midline for most of the match though.
Despite a couple of defensive lapses,
Rodriguez was very effective in supporting the attack. He was perfect
making passes: thirty-nine for thirty-nine. He was able to complete
long passes to his wingers and strikers in space to help kickstart
the attack.
Reyes gave a dutiful performance. He
did what was necessary. He blocked a few balls when Cuba tried to
play the long ball. He headed the ball out on the rare occasion Cuba
sent the ball in. He was also an effective distributor.
Layun was one of the many stars in
this match for Mexico. He worked excellently with Guardado on the
left side. Layun found success getting the ball into the box, whether
it was working the overlap and crossing the ball, or cutting inside
and drawing defenders out to him. He earned his assist late with a
great pass over the top of the defense to Giovani Dos Santos who was
waiting inside the box. Layun also did a nice job containing
defenders on the left side, when they did happen to cross the midline
(probably on accident).
Hector Herrera played a very active
game. He was deployed by Mexico on the right side, but drifted inside
often as well, especially when Aguilar came forward (which was
often), and he was eventually moved inside when Giovani Dos Santos
came into the match. Herrera excelled cutting inside and engaging in
quick exchanges and short passes. However, this give-and-go style
seemed a little wild at times. Luckily, Herrera did well chasing down
the ball and taking possession back immediately.
Antonio Rios played just above the
two center backs in this match. Mexico announced they were playing a
flat 4-4-2, but Rios positioned himself and played more like a CDM in
a 4-1-3-2. Rios excelled there, halting an Cuban momentum, and also
distributing very well—his passing accuracy was 97%. He earned an
assist in the closing stages of the first half, delivering a
beautiful lobbed through ball to the head of Oribe Peralta.
JDS was fine in this match. In a
match where 2/3 took place in Cuba's half, he was the player with the
most forward role to contribute the least amount to the offense (if
that makes any sense). Again, JDS was fine. His passing accuracy was
80%. He won back the ball several times. He got three shots off, two
of which soared away from goal from beyond the box. JDS is necessary
for this team. He is one of the few box-to-box midfielders on the
Mexican team; he would be replaced by a more attacking player
(Corona, Esquivel, G-Dos Santos), until at least, we see to what
extent Jose Vazquez was injured.
Guardado was everywhere and a part of
every facet of the Mexican attack. It was very evident that Guardado
is the best player on this team. Guardado teamed up with Miguel Layun
very well, and Andres' ability to cut inside and draw defenders to
him really created room for Layun deep on the left side, and the
strikers on the inside. Guardado delivered one of the finest balls in
the match from distance and into the box, which led to a Gio Dos
Santos goal, assisted by Carlos Vela. He earned his own assist when
he settled a header forward in the center of the box into the path of
Oribe Peralta. Guardado became a little trigger happy and fired from
distance with regularity. He co-led the match with four shots off
target (while he only scored one and putting only another one on
goal). He also got a little carried away at times and gave the ball
away while cutting in. He also had the occasion errant pass; his
passing accuracy ended at 69%. Andres was the man behind most of
Mexico's free kicks, and he was just ok in this area; he could have
been much more accurate and created more danger. On defense, when it
was infrequently needed, Guardado was a willing participent to go
back and help win back the ball, assisting Layun on the left (US
wingers should take note).
Vela is finally playing national team
soccer (I'm not going to pretend I'm not American and call it
football.), and he got the start over Gio Dos Santos. Vela was good
in this match. He gave Mexico's attack a varied look. He played all
around the box and was effective when getting to the outside and
delivering the ball into the box (he plays best as a winger). He was
also able to cut in from the right side into the box where he could
make a dangerous pass or shoot. Vela collected his assist after
receiving a long ball from Guardado in the box; he was patient and
drew defenders to him, while giving GDS time to position himself on
the far post before sending him the ball. There were times when Vela
wasted the ball, giving it away or passing it away, but there was
only so much offense Mexico could muster before it became
unsportsmanlike.
It is difficult to argue with three
goals. Even though he sent four off target, and his passing accuracy
was a paltry 41%. Oribe Peralta is excellent at being at the right
place at the right time, and he can finish both with his head, and
his feet. He has a great—nose for goal—as they so often say.
GDS is arguably Mexico's most skilled
player. So, it was surprising to see him sitting on the bench,
especially considering Chicharito's injury. He originally came in for
his brother JDS, and was stationed far to the right (sending Hector
Herrera inside). He was alright from that position, but he was most
effective when drifting inside, which is where he played once Carlos
Vela was subbed from the match fifteen minutes last. GDS did have
good chemistry with Vela when they were on together. Even though they
have a similar style and prefer to play in the same areas. GDS is a
little bit better working through the center. His ability to finish
the ball in the net stands out on this team, and he is not quite as
adept at delivering the ball into the box as Vela is. GDS finished
the match with both a goal and an assist, though he was close to
adding a few more goals that were dismissed.
Corona came in around the
seventy-first minute for Guardado, so he had big shoes to fill. He
was alright, but unspectacular. He struggled getting into the box,
but finished six for seven in passing.
Esquivel did not contribute much during his time in the match. The greatest thing about his arrival is it sent Gio Dos Santos into the middle in place of Vela.
Man of the Match: Oribe Peralta
The hat trick gets the nod from me.
Final Thoughts:
-The FS1 commentators said after the
match that, although Mexico played great, they did not do enough to
make them the Gold Cup favorites in their minds. I disagree. At the
moment, I think Mexico is just a little ahead of the US, although
that could change tonight.
The US and Meixco seem to have the
same fatal flaw: defensive shape. In this match Mexico did not need
much, they were dominating Cuba, and their two center backs, and
sometimes one center back was enough to stop any breaks from coming.
Still, even against better teams, Layun and Aguilar are going to
charge up the pitch—they are offense first full backs, and really
elevate the Mexican attack. This is very similar to the USA's own
fullbacks, and although Fabian Johnson may be the best full back of
the quartet, Timothy Chandler is far and away the worst of the group.
Both sets of center backs are capable of making mistakes as well. The
major difference I see is Antonio Rios. Antonio Rios played a great
game, and despite Mexico carrying a large majority of possession, and
getting ample opportunities to attack, Rios stayed back. He
anchored the midfield, and did not let anyone past; he was Gandalf on
a bridge, if you will. I hope Kyle Beckerman was taking notes. Now, I
will admit this was effective also because the center backs were
playing a very high line, supporting Rios more directly in the
midfield at times. So, while I see how Mexico's performance
translates against better teams, the same cannot be said for the USA.
Can Beckerman commit to the holding role? Will they change shape?
Will they replace Chandler? These are all questions that need to be
answered before they take on Mexico.
Another thing that really affected me
was the amount of pressure Mexico's attackers put on their opponent's
defense. All of Mexico's players work on the defensive end, and help
create errors in the passing game. This is one of the US's biggest
weaknesses, dealing with pressure. The US had a hard enough time
building their attack against Honduras. How much more will the
struggle be against a team as skilled as Mexico, especially when they
are constantly pressuring the man with the ball, disallowing them the
time and space they need to build? It is possible the US commits to
the long ball and counter attack on offense against Mexico. Mexico's
full backs play deep in their opponent's territory and their
attackers can be careless at time with the ball. So, the counter
attack would be a premium weapon at the US's disposal. The long ball
may be tricky though because of A) Alberto Rios, and B) The high line
of the Mexican center backs. If they can beat the offside trap then
there is little stopping them, but it may be tough to do. In this
case, if I were the USA coach (and of course I'm not, no should I
be), I may choose to take out Altidore and replace him with a little
more speed and dribbling ability. I suspect very little of this match
will occur in the US attacking third, which would limit Altidore's
effectiveness. As much as I hate to say it, Chris Wondowlowski could
be an effective replacement. A goal-hawk such as himself would be
useful, and we all know how much he loves to sit back and wait for
the long ball to come to him (it's the way of the MLS...sigh).
All of that said, Mexico is tailor
made to deal with the USA as they are playing right now, and it would
require some significant changes from the Red, White, and Blue , both
in personnel and tactics, to deal with their neighbor to the south.
-Mexico is known to employ three
center backs and a pair of wing backs However, they played a standard
four man back in last night's match. I wonder if that will continue
to be the case as this tournament goes on, or they just saw the
opportunity with a weak Cuba team. It is possible the injury to
Marquez forced Mexico's hand as well. Despite playing a four man
back, Layun and Aguilar continued to play as wing backs. I wonder if
that will continue against stronger teams if Mexico keeps playing
that way. As wing backs Layun and Aguilar can commit to the attack
more, and this is what is familiar to them. However, playing this way
against better teams will leave big holes in the defense.
-Vela and Peralta started at the top for Mexico in this match. Gio Dos Santos also came in and was effective. After his hat-trick Peralta is not going to the bench. So, it is possible GDS and Vela switch places in the next match. I would love to see them play together, because Guardado, Vela and GDS together is a dynamic group. However, that would force either GDS—who suffers offensively out wide, or Vela—who would be forced into more defensive responsibility (Yikes!), to play on the right side of the midfield. I do not think that is possibly for a whole ninety minutes with the way Aguilar is playing. I do think it is possible if Mexico returns to a five man back, maybe a 5-2-3. Until then, Mexico will likely have to choose either Vela or Gio, leaving one of their best creators on the bench.
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