McCarthy's Musings: Mexican Misadventures

By Kyle McCarthy

A checkered past follows any Mexican player who tries his luck in MLS. For every Cuauhtemoc Blanco or Francisco Mendoza who finds success in the league, there are multiple examples of players who washed out amidst crippling expectations (Luis Hernandez and Jorge Campos) or insufficient talent (nearly everyone who played in the first season for Chivas USA).

Duilio Davino and Roberto Nurse won't join that first group after leaving the league this week. The Friday Five helps us to break down where it all went wrong.

1. Expectations kill

FC Dallas signed Davino, 32, to provide the calming presence in a three-man backline. For the former Mexican national team star, anything less than a Best XI season and an attendance bump represented a disappointment. Davino looked like an ill fit from the beginning and it didn't get better as Steve Morrow and Schellas Hyndman chopped and changed the formation and defensive approach countless times. Davino never had time to get settled and never had time to figure out a way to meet those lofty goals. On a different team, he may have filled a more defined and limited role adequately, but the substantial and indeterminate role assigned to him in Dallas just didn't mesh with his present capabilities.

2. Patience is a virtue...and a necessity

The adjustment to MLS isn't an easy one for Central and South American players. The play is more physical and more direct than most players realize. FCD gave Davino 23 appearances to figure it out, which should be more than enough time for a Mexican international to adjust to the level of play. Chivas USA gave Nurse 241 minutes and 2 starts in league play. That clearly isn't enough. Justin Braun's intermittent promise isn't enough of an excuse to keep Nurse, even if a tad out of shape, from the run of games he needed to establish himself as a key player or earn himself a spot on the bench.

3. Style matters with aging players

Chivas USA defender Claudio Suarez is far older and far slower than Davino, yet he succeeds on the field – when he isn't injured – through superior positioning and acute tactical sense. Davino tried to rely more on his physical gifts than his footballing nous and couldn't keep up with the combination of speed and power displayed by MLS strikers.

4. Mediocrity isn't enough anymore

Nurse couldn't find a home in the Mexican First Division despite scoring 17 goals in the Second Division during the 2007 Apertura and 2008 Clausura seasons. At first glance, it appears ridiculous that Nurse ended up with Chivas USA instead of one of the goal hungry Mexican First Division teams. Further examination of Nurse's spotty goal scoring record in the Mexican top flight provides the answer. Perhaps the lack of interest had to do with Nurse's lackluster return of one goal in 19 First Division matches during the 2006 Apertura and 2007 Clausura seasons. Given those additional facts, it shouldn't be a surprise that Nurse didn't make much of an impact. While the top players in the MFL could walk into any MLS side and play a starring role, the bottom players persistently struggle.

5. Pass the blame around

Davino wasn't the only reason to blame for FCD's often substandard defending this season. There simply wasn't much defensive talent surrounding him as the Hoops felt the blow of Clarence Goodson's departure last off-season. Nurse never really got a chance to show what he could do and didn't see the type of service he appeared to need when he did take the field. Some of the blame must fall on those who didn't provide the best possible platform for success for either Nurse or Davino.

Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and blogs frequently during the week for Goal.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kylemccarthy@gmail.com.