Analyzing El Tri's projected XI for Thursday night
A quick analysis on what's good, and what's bad
So it’s looking like Sebastián Córdova and Alexis Vega will not be available for Thursday’s match. Vega was a frontrunner to start the match, but the injury that prevented him to shine in the Liguilla continues to bother him. At this hour, his absence from both the Nations League and Gold Cup is likely.
As noted in last week’s Resortera Wave episode, the key player will have to be Orbelin Pineda. How much offense can he create, and how his association with Santi Giménez or Henry Martín will allow El Tri to get on the scoresheet?
Uriel Antuna’s presence in the XI just goes to show that there’s an apparent drought of offensive options for El Tri. One thing is for sure, Antuna needs to give a better performance than the one he gave against Cameroon.
If Vega isn’t able to participate in the Gold Cup, that means that Roberto Alvarado or Diego Lainez will take his place.
Also I’m unsure if it’s a good move to start both Israel Reyes and Edson Álvarez, when it’s likely that the USMNT will play with one striker. That extra CB could easily be used to add another midfielder into the mix.
My suggestion several days ago was to plug Jesús Gallardo in the midfield, and really ask him to become an offensive threat, especially in those first 45 minutes of the game.
In my opinion, the fact that Luis Chávez couldn’t make a move abroad after the World Cup really hurt his motivation and confidence. I’m not entirely convinced we’ll see his World Cup version this summer, but Thursday will be a good starting point. Even with him not being at the highest of his potential, he still has what it takes to be a national team starter.
The game is looking like one that could end with a 1-0 or 2-1 win for either side, but it’s important to see how El Tri reacts against adversity. How strong is it mentally? This roster includes 14 players that took part in last year’s World Cup, so there’s a mixture of old and new.
One thing is for sure, looking at this XI right now, screams for a player like Julián Quiñones.