In a game which overcomplicated itself out of nowhere, Mexico managed to steal a win against Jamaica. In a span of 2-3 minutes, El Tri went from being 1-0 down to being 1-2 up. This result has Mexico fans all over the place. Many will criticize the way they played against Jamaica, claiming that Tata Martino needs to leave. Others will say that the important thing happened, which was securing the 3 points in Kingston.

Here’s 4 things that we learned from Mexico’s performance against Jamaica:

4. A Goal Scoring Striker Is Needed

One thing that EVERYONE continues to mention is that Mexico are missing a killer up top. They’re missing a stiker who will find a way to score no matter what. A player like prime Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez. Unfortunately, Chicharito is now 33 years old and won’t get called up by Tata Martino.

Many say that Raul Jimenez is the solution, but is he really? Raul Jimenez was at the peak of career until a head injury left him off the pitch for nearly a year. Tata has turned to Rogelio Funes Mori and Henry Martin as alternatives, but they haven’t delivered. Funes Mori continues to disappear in ‘la seleccion’ as he’s only scored 1 goal in the WCQs. Henry Martin scored last night, but he tends to only work as a substitute.

If Tata wants to keep his job and perform in Qatar, he needs to find a striker ASAP. There’s young players like Santi Gimenez (20) from Cruz Azul and ‘Mudo’ Aguirre (23) from Santos that have caught Tata’s eye, but their inexperience is what may be stopping them from being called up (which is hypocritical as they won’t get that experience if they don’t play).

My bold take is that Tata is hoping for J.J. Macias to get back in form so he can call him up. This seems unlikely as Macias hasn’t played much with Getafe. But when Macias was in the Liga MX, he tore it up with Leon and was the reason (aside from Alexis Vega) that Chivas weren’t at the bottom of the table. If Macias somehow finds a team in Europe that will give him playing time, he will be the second option under Raul Jimenez.

3. Generation Change Is Needed

Many Mexican fans were in disbelief once they saw the starting line for the game yesterday. Despite having a disastrous 2021, Gerardo Martino still continues to start the same players. Players like Guardado, Herrera, and Moreno aren’t what they used to be 4 years ago. Their age was playing a factor last night as they were unable to set the tone against an athletic Jamaican team.

It wasn’t a surprise as once these older players came off that Mexico began playing more offensive. Once Lainez and Arteaga came on, El Tri was quicker on the ball and in transition. This was shown in the score as the substitutes were in involved in the 2- minute comeback.

2. Set Pieces Continue To Haunt Mexico

This is something that everyone has pointed out for the past year. Mexico’s defense tends to concede from errors and set pieces. For example, in both finals against the USMNT, 3 out of the 4 goals that Mexico conceded were from set pieces. Canada ultimately secured their historical victory on a freekick. And last night, a 10-man Jamaica put themselves ahead on a poorly defended corner kick.

The biggest factors in this trend is the fact that Mexico has an aging, out of form back line. Today’s back four has an age average of 30.5, and three of those players play in the Liga MX. Nestor Araujo was the only starting defender playing abroad, but even then, he is on the wrong side of 30. When you’re trying to defend against young, fast attacking teams with backline aged 30.5, your backline will get beaten 9 out of 10 times.

Another key factor in these set pieces is the goalkeeper, Guillermo Ochoa. Although many can’t seem to admit it, Memo Ochoa is a very limited goalkeeper. Ochoa is (or was) a goalkeeper with great shot-stopping ability and great reach, but take that away from him and he’ll do you more harm than good.

Memo Ochoa is a goalkeeper that doesn’t know how to come out and play his area, which results in him hoping that his players clear the ball out on a set piece. If you can’t trust your defenders to clear out the ball, why don’t start a goalkeeper who knows how to play his area and come out? Tata has a goalkeeper like Rodolfo Cota (who’s expertise is in cutting off attacks and playing his area) on the bench, but doesn’t utilize him. Maybe it’s time another player gets in goal to help solve that set pieces problem.

1. Mexico’s Young Players Need A Chance

In the summer, Mexico played in two competitions at the same time. Mexico’s u24 squad played in the Summer Olympics while Mexico’s older squad played in the Gold Cup. Moreover, there was a contrast in the respective teams performances. The Olympic team won the bronze medal while the ‘senior’ squad lost to the USMNT’s B team in the Gold Cup final.

After this summer, El Tri fans were asking for the inclusion of the younger players in the senior squad. Nevertheless, Tata Martino continues to start the same players. But if it wasn’t until these Olympic players that came on later in the game, Mexico would’ve lost to a 10-man Jamaica. Mexico’s two goals came from two Olympic-squad players: Alexis Vega and Henry Martin. Diego Lainez and Gerardo Arteaga were constantly helping the attack in the last 20 minutes.

Alexis Vega and Henry Martin continue to bail out Tata with last minute goals. Arteaga, Julian Araujo, and Johan Vasquez offer a faster defensive line. Diego Lainez and Charly Rodriguez are able to step up when the veterans are having a bad game.

The point is, Mexico’s short-term and long-term answers are in the young players.

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