Wtih Sinha out, Giovani Dos Santos will get a chance to shine for El Tri tonight against the All Whites. Winston Reid and Shane Smeltz are among the stars that have made the trip to Denver for New Zealand.
Mexico Vs. New Zealand, 2011 International Friendly: Lineups
New Zealand is just looking for a good match. While often overlooked and/or mocked, the Kiwis were actually the only team to go undefeated at last summer’s World Cup where they drew all three of their matches. Even so, this is a match Mexico should win and head into the Gold Cup full of confidence.
For all of the coverage of Mexican football, including in-depth analysis of the national team in this summer’s Gold Cup and Copa America, check out FMF State of Mind.
Read Article >Mexico Vs. New Zealand, 2011 International Friendly: El Tri’s Final Tune-Up Before Gold Cup
This match may be just an international friendly, but one game before Mexico kicks off their 2011 Gold Cup (or Copa Oro) campaign, Jose Manuel ‘Chepo’ de la Torre is still searching for answers when it comes to his depth. His starting XI is more or less set in stone at this point, but many of his bench options have looked questionable. The continuity is there with his starting XI, and at the same time, a couple of those players will be unavailable to start. As a result, Chepo will probably mix it up a bit tonight. Possibly the biggest benefactor of this will be Giovani Dos Santos.
Unfortunately, Sinha is not with the team, as he has traveled back to Brazil following the death of his father. It is unknown whether or not he will be available for Mexico’s opening Gold Cup match against El Salvador on Sunday, but that seems highly unlikely at the moment. The man who will take his place is almost certainly Giovani Dos Santos, an incredible young talent who is still miles away from reaching his ceiling. Tonight and on Sunday, he will likely get a chance to show that he deserves the No. 10 shirt and No. 10 position in the starting lineup when the 35-year-old Sinha retires.
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