Following the doping scandal that sent five players home, along with Ricardo Osorio's injury, Mexico only have 17 players available tonight. None of those players is a central midfielder, but that hasn't stopped Jose Manuel de la Torre from benching a couple of them anyway. He's showing Cuba absolutely no respect, starting only one central midfielder - Gerardo Torrado - and two strikers. Here are the starting lineups for tonight's Gold Cup matchup.
Mexico Vs. Cuba, Gold Cup (Copa Oro) 2011: Lineups
Mexico lineup (4-1-3-2): Talavera; Salcido, Moreno, Marquez (C), Juarez; Torrado; Guardado, Dos Santos, Barrera; Reyna, Chicharito.
Cuba lineup: Molina, Dranguet, Fernandez, Marquez, Joel Colome, Francisco, Hernandez, Jaine Colome (C), Cervantes, Gomez, Linares.
Many thought that Javier Hernandez would rest ahead of the Costa Rica match, but Chicharito is in the starting lineup. Giovani dos Santos might have been set to rest, but the expulsion of Sinha and Christian Bermudez from the team meant there were no other options. Angel Reyna is a surprise starter, as most people expected Jesus Zavala to start in midfield as Mexico kept the same formation.
For more information on the Mexico Vs. Cuba game, the 2011 Gold Cup (Copa Oro), and Mexican football in general, check out SB Nation’s Mexican football blog FMF State Of Mind.
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