Predicting El Tri’s Copa America starting 11
A few weeks ago El Tri Head Coach Juan Carlos Osorio announced his 23-man roster that will take part in Copa America Centenario.
As was the case in selecting his best 23 and even the starting 11, Osorio had much to consider for the World Cup qualifying matches against Canada. Now, he has his first real task of putting together the best starting 11 that will battle against South America’s elite.
Osorio in recent matches has gone with the 4-3-3 formation allowing a more fluid attack via the wings with players like Hirving Lozano and Tecatito Corona. Osorio and the Mexican national team will most likely experiment a bit over the next week with friendlies against Paraguay and Chile, but let’s take a stab at what the starting 11 will look like come June 5th against Uruguay.
Goalkeeper
It will be a tough choice to select which goalkeeper will getting the starting job. All three prospects, Jesus Corona, Guillermo Ochoa and Alfredo Talavera deserve a serious look, but I think the slight, and I mean very slight edge will go to Talavera for his great performances in Liga MX. Ochoa has been in good form of late, but Alferdo Talavera should get the nod.
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Defense
Osorio is surely going to play with four in the back, it’s just a matter of who. He has quite a good group of players to pick from, but with the pressure of playing and performing well in this tournament, I would expect to see Paul Aguilar to start along side Miguel Layun, Diego Reyes and Hector Moreno.
Many will think Marquez will get the start, but while he’s well-respected for his leadership, his selection was a bit a bit of a stretch to begin with for the 23-man roster.
Midfield
This is where the selection process for the starting 11 gets interesting for Mexico. Osorio selected a very athletic and dynamic group of players that can play anywhere at anytime. Only three will be able to play based on the formation, so Andres Guardado and Hector Herrera will anchor the midfield with their experience and in the middle, Carlos Pena.
Pena’s addition to the starting 11 is predicated on natural fit. Most of Osorio’s selections for the full roster in the midfield are wing type players.
Forwards
While the legitimate position of forward is really one player, expect Chicharito Hernandez to fill that slot along with two dynamic wingers. It worked against Canada and it’s expected to work again with Hirving Lozano and Jesus Corona playing along the wings.
This trio was dangerous in World Cup qualifying and the expectation is they will make opposing defenses crazy with their speed and athleticism.
With those predictions in place this is what it would look like for Mexico come next week.
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Mexico still has two friendlies against Paraguay and Chile in the coming days that could change the selections based on good and poor play.