El Tri earned a win and a draw in a pair of friendlies Saturday, rather dismal performances, however, as Mexico prepares for two important tournaments this summer.
In Atlanta, El Tri played Honduras to a scoreless draw to close out the team’s schedule ahead of next month’s Concacaf Gold Cup, failing to get a single shot on goal (Charlie Rodríguez did hit the crossbar in minute 29 though).
In Marbella, Spain, Mexico’s Olympic squad twice erased one-goal deficits before edging past Australia’s Olympic team thanks to a late Eduardo Aguirre header. El Mini Tri completed its 12-day training camp abroad with a 2-1-0 record as coach Jaime Lozano prepares to finalize his roster for the Tokyo Games.
In addition to 15 players in the under-24 age group, “Jimmy” will also select three “overage” players. The latest reports suggest those three “veterans” will be senior team goalie Memo Ochoa, his América teammate Henry Martín, a striker, and Cruz Azul midfielder Luis Romo.
Punchless El Tri plays out the string
Coach Gerardo Martino was left with a depleted squad after granting time off to several players including Ochoa, Hirving Lozano, Héctor Herrera and Andrés Guardado. The game was the first since El Tri lost the Concacaf Nations League final to Team USA last weekend, but the lack of spark was a bit unsettling since some of these players are fighting for spots on the Gold Cup roster.
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The lack of scoring punch is a real concern, yet none of the forwards on the roster put their best foot forward. Alan Pulido got the start, and Henry Martín spelled him for the final 21 minutes, but neither was terribly convincing.
Liga MX champ Luis Romo looked strong in midfield while his Cruz Azul teammate Orbelín Pineda was inconsistent. Romo is bidding for a starting spot with El Tri, but Pineda is a noticeable drop-off from “Tecatito” Corona and “Chucky” Lozano.
Young fullbacks Jorge Sánchez (América) and Gerardo Arteaga (Genk) could have given Martino second thoughts about his wide starters on the back line, but neither closed the deal. Sánchez looked dangerous going forward, but was wildly ineffective with crossing attempts. Arteaga also showed skill getting up and down the left flank, but did not produce a single moment of inspiration.
León defender Oswaldo Rodríguez made his debut with El Tri, looking reliable while playing the entire 90 minutes. His Liga MX mate, Rodolfo Cota, was sure-handed in goal, making 4 saves, including a spectacular block (with his neck and chin) on a Honduras breakaway.
All in all, Mexico was crisp and certain (70 percent possession), but could not figure out what to do in the final third. That will be Martino’s primary concern and he has one more friendly (July 1 vs. Panama) to tinker with his line-up before the Gold Cup begins for El Tri on July 15.
Across the pond, El Tri Olímpico help up against a physical Aussie side but suffered several lapses that must be cleaned up before taking on France in Tokyo on July 22.
Lozano did not have a full squad either (some indisputable “starters” for El Mini Tri were with the senior team) and he substituted freely to help finalize his cut-down decisions. As such, several players on the bubble – particularly Chivas teammates J.J. Macías and Fernando Beltrán – did not help their chances with blasé performances.
One kid who brought attention to himself is Alex Zendejas. The Necaxa midfielder continued to impress, hustling on defense, pressing effectively and displaying skill with the ball. The 23-year-old provided the game-winning assist against Australia, concluding his three-game “tryout” with a goal and two assists.
Others who put on a star turn Saturday were “Canelo” Angulo (he scored minutes after Australia had taken a 1-0 lead on a penalty; it was his second goal of the training camp), “Mudo” Aguirre (in addition to his game-winner, he was active at the point of attack after coming on in minute 68) and fullback Kevin Alvárez (his 2-2 equalizer was a tribute to persistence and awareness and likely moved him ahead of Alan Mozo and Vladimir Loroña).