It was a night to forget for the Mexican National Team as they lost 4:2 to Switzerland at the Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City Utah. Mexico’s defense was exposed multiple times throughout the match, and their European rivals took full advantage by bagging four goals against the Giants of Concacaf.
Match Synopsis:
Switzerland opened the scoring in the twentieth minute when a through ball cut the Mexican defense to pieces, finding AS Monaco forward Breel Embolo who beat the Mexican defense with ease to mark the first goal of the night.
Mexico rallied in the fifty-first minute when a ball fortuitously fell to AC Milan forward Santi Gimenez, who then scored to tie the game.
Club America defender Ramon Juarez fouled his mark in the sixty-third minute and received a yellow for his actions. Switzerland then scored from the subsequent free kick as Benfica attacker Zeki Amdouni received the ball from what appeared to be an offside position and slotted it past Mexican keeper Tala Rangel to make it 2:1 for Switzerland.
Switzerland later made it 3:1 in the seventy-first minute when Bologna attacker Dan Ndoye beat his mark and the Mexican keeper to his front post, taking full advantage of Mexico’s bad defending.
Mexico clawed their way back into the game in the seventy-fifth minute when substitute winger Alexis Vega found Cruz Azul striker Angel Sepulveda with a beautiful through ball, and Sepulveda blasted into the back of the net with conviction, breathing life back into Mexico.
Switzerland however dashed all hopes for Mexico in the 90th minute when Stuttgart attacker Fabien Rieder broke free of his defenders and ricocheted his shot over the Mexican keeper in mesmerizing fashion to make it 4:2 for the Swiss side.
Post-Match Analysis:
Mexican coach Javier Aguirre opted for an experimental lineup for this match against a good Swiss side in preparation for the upcoming Gold Cup. Twenty-one-year-old left back Mateo Chavez made his debut for the senior national team, while twenty-three-year-old right back Emilio Lara made only his second appearance. Fringe players like goalkeeper Tala Rangel and center back Jesus Orozco were given the chance to start, but convinced few with their contributions as Mexico’s defense let in chance after chance throughout the match.
When asked about his team’s defensive woes during Mexico’s post-match press conference, coach Javier Aguirre tore into his players, criticizing the little personality the team showed in the first half and lamenting how, “the Mexican team cannot operate like this, not under my tutelage.”
In spite of the loss, there were some bright spots for Mexico. Toluca talisman Alexis Vega came on in the second half and looked dangerous as he provided an assist in Mexico’s second goal of the night. Young debutante Mateo Chavez of Dutch side AZ Alkmaar had a good showing, winning a plethora of duels and creating dangerous chances for his teammates. Angel Sepulveda had a great showing in this game, making a case for himself as an option off the bench for Mexico with his wonderful goal today.
Players like Emilio Lara and Cesar Montes had an awful showing and were directly at fault for some of Mexico’s worst moments in this match. Santi Gimenez was frustrating to watch in spite of his goal, as he scuffed multiple chances throughout the game, leaving many wondering if he should be Mexico’s main striker going forward.
Many will be disappointed in Mexico’s performance tonight, but the fact of the matter is that this was an experimental side dotted with fringe players and pit against a worthy European rival in Switzerland. Vasco Aguirre and his team come away with a long list of things they need to work on as the 2026 World Cup looms cloer with every passing day, but will have a shot at redemption this Tuesday as Mexico faces Turkey in North Carolina at 5:30pm PST. Will Mexico redeem themselves this Tuesday? Or is this the beginning of the end of Aguirre’s third reign with El Tri? Only time will tell.
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