Mexico's new starters looked overmatched on Wednesday night, while Giovani dos Santos looked very much like a player who has not played regular club football in quite some time. El Tri were very poor through the center and debutant Enrique Pérez was badly exposed in one instance, as Colombia defeated them 2-0 in Miami.
Mexico Vs. Colombia: El Tri’s New Faces Struggle In Defeat
While Mexico looked good in the early going, they weren't able to make the most of their early chances with Colombia keeper David Ospina bravely coming off his like to deny opportunities on multiple occasions. Colombia scored the opening goal in the 36th minute on a free kick, and El Tri's poor marking was to blame. After Jesús Zavala headed away the initial free kick, he forgot about the man he was initially marking. That man just happened to be Atlético Madrid's top scorer, Radamel Falcao. "Memo" Guillermo Ochoa saved a shot by Dorlan Pabón after the clearance, but the ball deflected right to the unmarked Falcao, who had an easy finish.
From then until the end of the match, Mexico looked very sloppy. The second goal came in the second half from some wonderful combination play down Colombia’s left flank, where James Rodríguez hooked up with Pablo Armero. Rodríguez held up the ball after receiving a switch pass and gave Armero a pass onto which he could run. He easily sped around Pérez like he was standing still before putting in a cross, which a poorly marked Juan Cuadrado finished easily.
Mexico’s middle three and right back were a serious issue on Wednesday, and they will need to get those positions sorted before heading to World Cup qualifying. Even against second-tier CONCACAF opposition, they will struggle if their center of midfield plays like Zavala and the dos Santos brothers played against Colombia.
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