Taking the risk of leaving their comfort zone will be key if they’re going to help advance the senior national team squad
Whether you believe that “no era penal” once again or if you feel that Mexico was fairly beaten, there’s no debating that Mexico’s U-17 squad had a fantastic showing at the U-17 World Cup.
The young group made the final and fell 2-1 to Brazil, with a penalty in the 84th minute shuffling loose feelings about dubious calls in World Cups taking place in Brazil that Mexicans thought they had buried deeper.
Yet, there were so many positives to take from the tournament. There was the fight the team displayed during the entire campaign, especially in Sunday’s final in front of a hostile crowd hoping to see the home side lift silverware. There were strong individual performances as well.
“We’re leaving with our head held very high,” Mexico coach Marco Antonio Ruiz said after the match. “I think my team showed a lot of character, a lot of personality. The scenario wasn’t easy, and I’m satisfied and really proud of my players.”
The thing is, Mexico’s young players have gotten back to home soil proud of their efforts at a World Cup many times before. The senior team has done the same much less frequently.
El Tri have been able to celebrate two U-17 titles in the past. They wore the gold medals around their necks in 2012 after beating Brazil at Wembley Stadium. They’ve has taken third at the U-20 level (though this year’s group-stage exit was a disappointment).
That success at the youth level hasn’t filtered up.
That can be said of nearly any team. Players who look like the next big thing don’t work out, or they get injured. But the best teams overcome. Mexico is trending dangerously close to other nations who excel in the youth levels but fail to produce notable triumphs at the senior level – at least beyond regional titles.
So what does Mexico need to do?
First of all, they need to leave.
As we watch the coaching carousel spin around and the same faces pass by again and again (Chepo de la Torre just replaced Ricardo La Volpe as Toluca manager), it’s clear that while there are good coaches working in Mexican soccer, there still aren’t enough. Players need to seize opportunities to go to Europe and enhance their sporting education as quickly as possible.
That hasn’t always happened in Mexico, with many players staying for economic or personal reasons as Liga MX clubs splash out big cash on current and (they hope) future stars of the Mexico national team.
The chisme is that there already are opportunities for several players on the team to move to Europe. Players like Pachuca midfielder Eugenio Pizzuto, Atlas defender Alejandro Gomez and Santos Laguna forward Santiago Munoz need to find the right fit, of course, but they should pursue their dreams across the Atlantic as soon as they’re able to do so.
Diego Lainez is struggling at the moment, but the only member of the U-20 team based abroad still is getting valuable experience with Real Betis. Ideally, he can find another club in Europe where he actually can get minutes. The path was carved out by those before him like Jesus “Tecatito” Corona, who struggled for time at Twente but later was able to climb the depth chart. Raul Jimenez, the most in-form Mexico international, couldn’t get consistent time at Atletico Madrid, became something of a supersub at Benfica and only now as he enters the prime years of his career is living up to his full potential.
Some players still won’t make it. That’s fine. Ulises Davila never played for Chelsea after he signed with the Blues, and he probably won’t ever be back in the national team setup. He’s still enjoying his life in New Zealand, happy he took the risk of moving abroad. Players often leave it too late. There will be late bloomers, but many jump after the time has passed. Nestor Araujo went to Europe too late to become a center back good enough to consistently shut down the world’s best attackers.
Others are not ready for the pressures put upon them by a society desperately hoping for World Cup glory. The average Mexican fan is not kind to their players. It’s rarely helpful. We’ve seen players like Carlos Vela and Giovani dos Santos – and recently even Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez – react to the pressure in various ways but rarely has it made them better players. Fans already are giving Lainez up for dead, calling him overrated and saying he made the wrong choice going to Betis – forgetting that he’s only 19.
Mexico national team manager Tata Martino is particularly involved in the youth ranks for a senior coach, and already you see the integration of Olympic-eligible players into the top team as he looks to strengthen Mexico’s chances not only of once again having gold hanging around their neck but of those players becoming contributing members of the top team in Qatar and four years later in North America.
The talent is there. It was on display in Brazil and has been on display at so many tournaments in years gone by. It’s about refining that raw talent and making it so that Mexico is impossible for other teams to catch up to. For that to happen, a different tact will be needed with this generation than has been utilized in the past.