To the extent ways matter when the U.S. performs Mexico, particularly when El Tri has a brand new coach who may import his personal philosophy, ASN’s Liviu Fowl appears to be like on the keys to Tuesday’s sport in Columbus.
BY
Liviu Fowl
Posted
September 09, 2013
1:40 PM
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THE INTRIGUE SURROUNDING the US’ World Cup qualifier in opposition to Mexico on Tuesday is larger than any in current reminiscence. Each groups misplaced vital video games on Friday, Mexico employed a brand new coach in Luis Fernando Tena, and the U.S. misplaced its most vital participant, Michael Bradley, to harm.
Mexico’s 2-1 loss at Azteca Stadium to Honduras sealed Jose Manuel de la Torre’s exit, whereas the U.S.’s 3-1 defeat in Costa Rica knocked the People out of first place within the Hexagonal standings. Nonetheless, with the appropriate outcomes elsewhere, the U.S. is only one win away from clinching a ticket to Brazil.
Each groups will need to bounce again after disappointing showings, and no time is best for a rebound match than in opposition to their largest rivals. So whereas the strain on the groups is totally different, it ought to add one other ingredient to an already deep and fierce rivalry.
Chepo’s Final Stand
In de la Torre’s ultimate match, he continued with a 4-3-3 experiment he utilized in an August pleasant in opposition to the Ivory Coast. Whereas Tena will seemingly import a special philosophy in time, the broad strokes of the system will seemingly stay the identical for a minimum of his first sport in cost.
Mexico is a dynamic crew whose gamers interchange freely. Outdoors backs Carlos Salcido and Severo Meza get ahead persistently, Christian Gimenez and Fernando Arce pull vast from central midfield to open house for Giovani dos Santos and Angel Reyna to examine again, and all people appears to know when to get out of the center to keep away from killing a teammate’s house.
Typically, central gamers find yourself on the wing, and vast gamers find yourself within the center. The one exceptions are goal ahead Oribe Peralta, who usually stays across the center of the sphere to submit up and lay balls off to teammates, and Gerardo Torrado, who stays in entrance of the middle backs.
(Torrado picked up his second yellow card in opposition to Honduras, so he will probably be out in opposition to the U.S., which is a giant blow to an already shaky Mexican protection.)
Once more, whereas precise the formation may change beneath Tena, the instruments at his disposal is not going to, and it’s these instruments that dictate the kind of soccer El Tri performs.
Sharp on the Counter, Boring within the Again
Mexico’s most harmful assaults in opposition to Honduras have been on the counter. On a number of events, Mexico gained the ball and went on to purpose, scoring as soon as and establishing a number of different good alternatives.
Because the title implies, the important thing to Mexico’s counter-attacks is speedy, nearly fully vertical motion. On its opening purpose within the sixth minute, the ball strikes from the line of defense to Reyna to dos Santos in a short time, with vertical passes and runs.
Mexico solely countered with three gamers (generally 4): dos Santos, Peralta, and Reyna. The velocity of their runs and vertical actions created numbers-up conditions on Honduras’ comparatively gradual again line. The one purpose got here from incisive passes and dos Santos’ 60-yard dribble at velocity down the left aspect.
Within the twelfth minute, Honduras middle again Victor Bernardez coughed up a ball inside his personal defensive third, and Mexico once more went rapidly to purpose. This time, Gimenez received concerned to make the benefit 4 on two, relatively than the three on two Mexico had on its goal-scoring play.
Anytime Mexico wins the ball, it needs to get ahead as rapidly as potential. The passes are vertical and sharp, and the ball strikes from north to south, not east to west.
On the opposite finish, every particular person defender confirmed poor one-on-one expertise within the again.
Watch Honduras’ targets and Jerry Bengtson’s wide-open take a look at the top of the sport within the spotlight video above. On Bengtson’s purpose, which tied the sport, he has time to deliver down a ball and activate prime of the penalty space with two defenders on his again.
On Carlo Expensive’s game-winning purpose, he blows by middle again Diego Reyes. On Bengtson’s 86th-minute probability, the Mexican defenders dive into poor tackles on Roger Espinoza, one after the other, till it opens up a niche to slide Bengtson in. One way or the other, he pulls his shot vast from seven yards whereas gazing an open purpose.
Successful the Center
At Azteca in March, the U.S. gained the center of the sphere in its defensive third. Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler held robust in central protection, and Maurice Edu and Michael Bradley swept up properly in entrance of them. That’s the realm Mexico dominated in opposition to Honduras (in pink on the Mexican formation graphic on the prime of the web page), urgent excessive to win the ball and trigger panic.
El Tri’s counterattacks finish with Mexico numbers-up in that space, and Honduras struggled to comprise Mexico’s motion there. Whoever U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann performs subsequent to Jermaine Jones in defensive midfield must be a powerful ball-winner and supply an outlet to alleviate Mexico’s excessive strain in that space.
Bradley failed to attach on only one move in March in Mexico Metropolis, and most of his passes originated in that top attacking house during which Mexico tried to win the ball.
Kyle Beckerman would seemingly be the closest facsimile of Bradley that Klinsmann may look forward to finding. He’s a tenacious tackler and might maintain possession beneath strain within the again half of the sphere. Mixed with Jones’ pit bull mentality, that central pairing turns into tough to interrupt down.
Kick Them Whereas They’re Down
Mexico is weak. It shouldn’t be capable of assault as early or as usually because it did in opposition to Honduras, on account of being on the highway in a hostile atmosphere and the People’ seemingly excessive power at the beginning of the sport.
Nevertheless, it will be harmful to throw numbers ahead proper from the kickoff. If the U.S. falls prey to Mexico’s venomous counterattack and concedes early on, it is going to be exhausting to interrupt down a packed-in protection, no matter particular person errors within the bigger block.
It would take a measured strategy to steadiness assault with the required precautions within the again in opposition to Mexico. If the U.S. scores as soon as, that makes a second purpose extra seemingly as a result of Mexico should stretch itself a bit to push ahead, however till the primary one falls, anticipate a cagey and cussed development.
Liviu Fowl is ASN’s tactical analyst. He’s additionally a contributor to NBC ProSoccerTalk and Cascadia regional editor for SoccerWire.com.
