Mexico

Mexico Set For Gold Cup Dress Rehearsal

Mexico will play Guatemala on Sunday in San Diego and will use the match as their final tune-up before the Gold Cup, which starts July 5 against Nicaragua.

Jun 28, 2009 12:07:23 AM

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Mexico will hold their final dress rehearsal for the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Sunday when El Tri plays Guatemala in San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium and will have one last chance to see if their young and inexperienced side can continue to grow before the games begin to count.

El Tri will face a Guatemalan side who did not qualify for the biennial regional tournament but should give Mexico a taste of what to expect nevertheless. Mexico will play Nicaragua, Panama and Guadeloupe in the group stage of the Gold Cup, which begins July 5 in Oakland against Nicaragua.

Don't Miss

Although Mexico showed plenty in their first Gold Cup tune-up, there are many questions to be answered in Sunday.

Goals To Continue?

Under Sven-Goran Eriksson, one of Mexico's biggest problems was scoring goals and being consistent with their attack. Mexico had 12 goals in Eriksson's final 10 games, but five of those came in one match. Under Aguirre, Mexico showed signs of life on Wednesday as Mexico beat Venezuela 4-0. More important than the goal total, though, was the goal scorers as Carlos Vela and Giovani Dos Santos combined for three goals. The two youngsters have long been pegged as the future of the Mexican national team, and the duo's future needs to come now if Mexico is to compete for a Gold Cup title and show well during World Cup qualifying. Vela may not start the match but he is likely to see some playing time and will be counted on heavily during the Gold Cup.

Manning The Net

Guillermo Ochoa came up with a solid performance against Venezuela but Javier Aguirre will turn to another goalkeeper as Jesus Corona will get his shot with El Tri. Aguirre confirmed the move in goal as Corona is set for some game time. Corona had a spectacular season with Tecos and led the club to the Clausura 2009 quarterfinals. In the offseason, he turned this excellent season into a new deal with Cruz Azul, but Corona's stellar play has not earned him any playing with with Mexico until now. Oscar Perez remains the frontrunner to continue playing with El Tri during qualifying but Corona could show that he's worthy of a Gold Cup starting spot.

Defense Taking Shape

Mexico's defense pitched a shutout against Venezuela and will try and do the same against Guatemala. A solid showing could give Mexico hope that their defense could be a strength in the Gold Cup. Right back Jose Antonio Castro may be enjoying a resurgence as the once-rising star had fallen on tough times but his incorporation in the squad and return to form could solidify the right back spot. Fausto Pinto is solid on the left but the biggest question marks fall to central defense pairing Juan Carlos Valenzuela and Edgar Dueñas as the defenders could do well to give Mexico the depth they need in that critical position during qualifying and beyond.

Probable lineups

Mexico: Jesus Corona; Fausto Pinto, Juan Carlos Valenzuela, Edgar Dueñas, Jose Antonio Castro; Israel Martinez, Gerardo Torrado, Israel Castro, Giovani Dos Santos; Omar Arellano, Miguel Sabah.

Guatemala: Ricardo Trigueño; Gustavo Cabrera, Luis Rodriguez, Yoni Flores, Carlos Gallardo; Luis Bradley, Fredy Thompson, Miguel Fernandez, Mynor Davila, Jose Contreras; Transito Montepeque.

Goal.com prediction: Mexico 3, Guatemala 0.

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