Mexico finished their participation in the Qatar 2022 World Cup with an epic 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia. What could have been one of the greatest miracles in soccer history must not be enough to cover this disaster. The Mexican National team have just signed their worst performance in more than four decades. Let’s just that sink in.
When you leave everything until your last match, the consequences can catch up very quickly. That’s what happened to Gerardo Martino and their players. A conservative tie with Poland, a defensive lineup ‘not to lose’ with Argentina and then a disorganized last effort to save a four-year process in 45 minutes against Saudi Arabia. That’s not how World Cups are played or won.
Mexico didn’t score a single goal in two matches and couldn’t beat Saudi Arabia with a big differential. The Arabs were absolutely gassed with half an hour to go, but, as usual, the famous Tri failed. It’s just Mexico’s soccer never ending story. They played like never before, but are eliminated from the World Cup as always.
Mexico are eliminated from Qatar 2022: Who’s the one to blame?
In this case, the first answer has to be the Mexican Federation. The lack of opportunities for young players in the league (Liga MX), abolishing the relegation-promotion system and opening wide doors for foreign players are just some of the ingredients for this disaster’s recipe. For the executives, it doesn’t matter if Mexico win or not in the World Cup, because the important thing is just the revenue of participating in it.
Then, it’s time to get serious about the players. For example, if Raul Jimenez was injured, he had to be honest and leave his spot for someone else. What about Hector Herrera? He sacrificed European competitiveness for economic success in the MLS and that’s why he failed to catch Lionel Messi in the goal which cost Mexico the World Cup against Argentina.
Last, but not least, Gerardo Martino. A coach with all that experience, including Messi and FC Barcelona, just cannot play a World Cup point by point. Tie against Poland, don’t get smashed by Argentina and perform a miracle with Saudi Arabia was his World Cup plan. Maybe he did it with Paraguay, but those long shots don’t happen very often in this type of tournaments.
By the way, the lack of goals in Mexico is entirely his fault by leaving Santiago Gimenez in the Netherlands after spectacular performances with Feyenoord. He’s also the one who punished Chicharito Hernandez to keep ‘peace’ inside the group. All that is on Martino.
What’s next for Mexico?
There are good and bad news. The positive side is that Mexico are already qualified for the 2026 World Cup as host nation with the United States and Canada. The problem is, without qualifiers, there will almost be no decent rivals to play with as a proper preparation.
Hector Moreno, Andres Guardado, Hector Herrera, Jesus Gallardo and all the veterans have to be out as soon as possible. They just keep failing over and over again. Guillermo Ochoa and Hirving Lozano are the only pieces who might be rescued from the Old Guard.
Mexico’s hopes in four years have to rely in a younger generation of players. It’s now or never for Kevin Alvarez, Gerardo Arteaga, Edson Alvarez, Luis Chavezand the names who emerge from this point on. In the last eight World Cups, Mexico have failed with the same formula. In 2026, if they’re gonna fail again, at least theyhave to do it trying something new.