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Mexico continued their journey in the Concacaf W Qualifiers with a thumping over St. Lucia. This win places them at the top of their group as they get closer and closer to qualifying for the Concacaf W Championship. While the team put up seven goals, the team looked in bad shape and many wonder if Pedro Lopez has any idea as to what he is trying to accomplish with Mexico.
Going into today’s match, many knew this game was going to be an experimental game. This was evident the moment the lineup was released as multiple players were played out of their normal positions. If Lopez wanted to try some new things this was the game to do it. Historically, Mexico has steamrolled past St. Lucia so it wasn’t going to be a difficult game to put to bed. However, no one expected Mexico to play the way they did. Simply put, Mexico played badly and were lucky they did not face a high caliber team.
The first goal by Mexico did not come until the 18th minute thanks to a header by Rebeca Bernal on a corner kick. It was a bit of a surprise the ball wasn’t stopped before it went into the back of the net since it was a shot from far back and it was in the air too long. Regardless, the team was happy to open the score as they needed a large win if they wanted to top their group.
Before the goal came it was evident that Lopez and Mexico had a game plan to stick with the wings. Players would make their way up the flanks and send in crosses to players that were not open. This happened multiple times and every time it would end with a missed opportunity. Mexico was more threatening when they created plays up the middle of the field. It didn’t take long for the second goal to come when Charlyn Corral scored in the 26th minute. A ball went into the box but Corral was unable to head it towards the direction of the net. St. Lucia players tried to get the ball out but they couldn’t get their feet on the rebound that made its way back to Corral who put the ball into the back of the net.
Mexico attempted to add a third to their tally but had trouble doing so. This was due to goalkeeper Renala Francis who was able to make some incredible saves and kept the first half 2-0. At the half, it was evident that Mexico was frustrated from their lack of goals. However, it wasn’t a surprise with how they were playing. They had possession of the ball but they lacked any creativity with it. All they did was play on the flanks and send crosses in. Any type of creativity was stifled by their own game plan, not the opponent.
The second half started with changes from Pedro Lopez. He subbed out Fatima Servin, Rebeca Bernal and Lizbeth Ovalle for Diana Ordoñez, Alexia Delgado and Monsterrat Saldivar. Subbing out both Bernal and Ovalle was a head scratcher. Even though she was in defense, Bernal was creating chances going up the middle and Ovalle was causing her own trouble in the midfield and the wings. The first goal of the second half did not take long to come after a defensive mistake by the home side. Mexico won a corner that Saldivar sent into the box. Ellaisa Marquis attempted to clear the ball but in doing so she headed the ball towards the back of the net instead.
By the 60th minute of the game there was an interesting conversation had between the commentators on the broadcast that many Mexican fans could agree with. While Mexico was up by three goals that did not mean they had exceptional play. In fact, it was the opposite. Mexico had no creativity on the ball and had no order on the field either. Substitutions were made but it didn’t look like they were certain in their roles. Yes they stuck to their coach’s game plan but it didn’t look like they were sure it was for the best yet they followed it because their coach told them to. They eventually got their fourth goal in the 64th minute after a mistake from the defense. The St. Lucia players tried to block shots going into their box but that also blocked the view of their goalkeeper who was unable to see the direction of the shot Corral took which ended in the back of the net for the fourth of the night and Corral’s brace.
The fifth goal for Mexico came in the 69th minute this time for Alexia Delgado. The home side defense attempted to get the ball out of danger when it made its way inside their box. They kicked the ball out of the area but it didn’t go far, instead going to the feet of Delgado who kicked the ball towards the net to go up by five goals.
The last two goals of the game for Mexico arrived in the 97th and 95th minute thanks to Nikki Hernandez and Diana Ordoñez. The sixth goal was due to a mistake from goalkeeper Francis. Kiana Palacios took a shot from distance that Francis initially stopped but she was unable to hold onto the rebound and none of her defenders were quick to kick the ball out. Hernandez saw the ball at her feet and did not hesitate to kick the ball into the back of the net.
The final goal of the game was the last play of the match which was similar to the sixth one by Hernandez. Once again Francis stopped a shot from distance by Saldivar but she was unable to hold onto the ball and Ordoñez pounced on the free ball to give Mexico their seventh goal of the night. With this result Mexico took the top spot in their group as the Concacaf W Qualifiers gets closer to the end of the competition.
While Mexico won by seven goals tonight, their play was abysmal. It was evident that Pedro Lopez had a game plan but said plan did not make sense. It did not pull at the strengths of his players. Fans have seen what these players have done with their club teams so to see how stifled they were tonight left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouths. If Mexico plays like this against Brasil on Sunday, it is going to be a long 90 minutes. More specifically, Mexico’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup might dwindle.