Mexico looked to be suffering from a spate of injuries at just the wrong time. With the Gold Cup final against the United States coming up, José Manuel de la Torre looked like he'd be without the services of left back Carlos Salcido and left winger Andres Guardado, which would have badly exposed El Tri to the threat of Landon Donovan at right wing for the USA. Fortunately (for Mexico) both turn out to be fit enough to start. Whether they'll be able to finish is another story entirely.
USA Vs. Mexico, 2011 Gold Cup Final: El Tri Lineup
El Tri are lining up in a 4-2-3-1 with Israel Castro and Garardo Torrado holding in front of Rafael Marquez and Hector Moreno. Manchester United star Javier Hernandez is the lone man up front, but he'll be ably supported by the likes of Pablo Barrea, Giovani dos Santos and Guardado. Realistically, this team will score goals against the USA. How many might depend on just how much work Salcido and Guardado are capable of doing on the left.
Mexico (4-2-3-1): Alfredo Talavera; Carlos Salcido, Rafael Marquez, Hector Moreno, Efrain Juarez; Israel Castro, Gerardo Torrado; Andres Guardado, Giovani dos Santos, Pablo Barrera; Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez.
For more on how the two teams got to this point, check out our USA vs. Panama stream and our Mexico vs. Honduras stream. For more updates leading up to USA vs. Mexico, bookmark this StoryStream. For all of our previous Gold Cup coverage, check out the Gold Cup 2011 section. For more on Mexican football, including the Mexican national team, the Mexico vs. USA game, and the Mexican Primera, check out SB Nation’s Mexican football blog FMF State Of Mind.
See More:
