With a 5-1 trouncing of New Zealand in the first leg of this World Cup Qualifying playoff, Mexico has little to worry about in terms of advancing to the 2014 World Cup. However, that fact does not limit the importance of Mexico's performance, as it travels to take on New Zealand on Nov. 20.
El Tri's woeful summer is the kind of thing that can cast a long shadow over a team.
Avoiding a $600 million disaster by advancing to the World Cup is a nice start at removing that shadow, but heading into the World Cup with a sense of positive momentum will do even more to get this team back on track.
To say that Mexico struggled in CONCACAF hexagonal play would be an understatement.
El Tri hasn't failed to qualify for a World Cup since 1982 (they were banned in 1990). On top of that, in the last five World Cups, Mexico has made it to the final 16. There was no reason to think this version of El Tri was not ready to carry on that tradition.
However, this team didn't even grab a spot in the playoff until the Americans saved their bacon with a late goal against Panama.
At the root of the problem was that this team forgot how to score. In 10 hexagonal matches, Mexico netted just seven goals.
That included ugly shutouts against the likes of Panama and Costa Rica.
This certainly took a toll on the collective psyche of Mexican soccer and that turned into a revolving door at coach. Jose Manuel de la Torre was shown the door in favor of Luis Fernando. He lasted just one game before being replaced by Victory Manuel Vucetich. Vucetich lasted longer than Tena, but he was still on the job for less than two months, as he was replaced by current coach, Miguel Herrera.
After playing in mostly a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-4-2, Herrera shifted Mexico to a 5-3-2 look.
In the first leg against New Zealand, Herrera ran that attack with solely domestic-based players—leaving stars like Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and Giovani dos Santos behind.
As you can tell, it worked alright for Herrera and his team.
Not that the 5-1 victory is an undeniable sign that Mexico is back. After all, the All Whites entered that match ranked 79th in the world. El Tri should handle them.
Still, a five-goal outburst was a great sign, and El Tri must now press to keep that offensive prowess rolling.
This will help inspire confidence in Herrera and his system.
Herrera will undoubtedly incorporate his stars back into the fold as the team prepares itself for the World Cup. It is going to be a lot easier to have these guys and all other players buying into Herrera's message and style of play with a fresh offensive awakening in the books.
Mexico could focus on controlling the ball and playing solid defense against the Kiwis and coast to Brazil. However, that won't do the team much good in the long run. El Tri will be better served to stay aggressive and look to pile in as many goals as possible.
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