While the team hasn’t had huge success at the World Cup, it has successfully qualified for every competition since 1986 (barring 1990 when the country was banned). Furthermore the team nearly always makes it out of the group stage and has reached the quarter-finals on a few occasions. With multiple successes at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico is certainly not a team to be dismissed out of hand.
Style
Under the new manager Pablo Herrera the team generally play in the 3-5-2 formation. It results in the players having space to attack and fans can expect to see plenty of movement on the pitch. It also favours the team’s fluid attacking style.
Strengths
During qualification for the World Cup it became apparent that Mexico is excellent at attacking right until the very end of a match. They scored over a third of their goals in the last 15 minutes of matches. Furthermore, the team proved excellent at defending long-range shots and only allowed one goal to be scored that way.
The team’s midfield is particularly strong with players such as Carlos Pena and Luis Montes playing excellently during qualifying matches.
Weaknesses
The team isn’t among the heaviest scorers out there. They failed to score in a third of qualifying matches and never managed to win a match once they’d fallen behind.
While the team attacks well in the later stages of a match, it seems to do so at the expense of defence. All but two of the goals conceded occurred in the closing half an hour of a match. This may also be a result of the team’s ageing defenders, most of whom are older than 30.
World Cup Group Stage
- Mexico vs Cameroon – Friday, 13 June 2014, Match Preview
- Brazil vs. Mexico – Tuesday, 17 June 2014 Match Preview
- Croatia vs Mexico – Monday, 23 June 2014, Match Preview
