Mexico

Goal.commentary: A Closer Look At Mexico's Performance

Mexico lost it late on Saturday when El Salvador scored deep in their World Cup qualifying match. Here's how Goal.com's Joel Aceves saw the Mexicans' individual performances.

Jun 7, 2009 4:59:20 PM

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Guillermo Franco - Mexico (Tomás Fregoso)

By Joel Aceves

Mexico didn't have enough in the tank overall to beat El Salvador. But how did the individual players do?

Oscar Perez: (5) shaky first half almost gave away an easy goal. Not much he could do on Martinez shot or Quintanilla’s penalty kick. Still, el “Conejo” has yet to show why he was chosen over the on-form Corona or high-flying Memo Ochoa.

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Ricardo Osorio (5) had a regular performance but struggled to contain a feisty Zelaya. The Stuttgart defender proved to be ineffective when linking up to the attack.

Francisco Javier Rodríguez (5) the towering defender proved to be solid in the air. Maza managed to keep up with the dribbling antics of Zelaya and co. All in all an average performance from the PSV reserve who made his return to the national team after a long absence.

Aarón Galindo (5) Although shaky at times, with a few bad clearances, managed to hold his own. The Chivas defender was avarage at best. Still, not a bad performance considering that he was paired up with Maza; the duo had not played together since the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Oscar Rojas (4) regular performance defending, however, his horrible crossing ruined many plays. Rojas could have made a bigger difference in the game if he could connect a cross to Castillo or Franco instead of the ball boys. Late tackle, turned into a handball, awarded ES their match winning penalty kick shot.

Pável Pardo (5) was not able to get involved in the match, showed why he lost the captains arm band. Very little aggression in the pitch led to getting subbed out at half-time which rarely happens to a player of his caliber.

Gerardo Torrado (4) His job as midfield destroyer left much to be desired. Poor marking of Ricardo Zelaya led to ES early goal. Captain’s armband seems to heavily weigh on him.

Andrés Guardado (5) was Mexico’s most dangerous player but that is not saying much. The Deportivo La Coruna midfielder has yet to find his form when playing with the Tricolor and in this match could have been a contributing factor.

Fernando Arce (4) aside from one good cross to Guardado at the start of the match; became very imprecise as the match progressed. Ruined one of Mexico’s best scoring opportunities with a weak shot and from there on seemed to have lost his confidence.

Nery Castillo (5) The Shacktar striker combined well with Franco, at times, but seemed isolated from the match for large periods of time. Castillo’s once dangerous run’s were no where to be seen. Did well to contain the ball but never managed to get a shot on goal.

Guillermo Franco (6) “Guille” was a handful for the Salvadorian defense, not much for his scoring threat, but for his rough-housing. Still, the veteran striker managed to win his fare share of elbows and earn a penalty kick.

Israel Castro (5) replaced Arce on the field. Did enough to not be as bad as Arce but disappeared from the attack. Overall, Castro’s presence on the field was never felt.

Alberto Medina (5) replaced Guardado in the field but had very little playing minutes.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco (7) restored order to a Tricolor squad that appeared to have very little idea of how to play the Salvadorians. Temoc leveled the match with his no nonsense penalty kick shot. Should have started the match and with the captain's armband.

Joel Aceves covers Mexican football for Goal.com.

For more coverage on the Mexican national team, visit Goal.com's Mexican football section.

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