Mexico had to keep pushing for another goal because of the fair play and got caught out because of all the players pushing up. It still played a big part.
I'm in the minority, but I'm sorry you guys (and Canada) are out. I'm hoping Costa Rica can make it through next, but they have a tough match ahead of them with Germany fighting for their lives. I cheer for all the CONCACAF teams in the WC because a rising tide lifts all CONCACAF boats.
Today was always going to be a good day. I only truly hate Mexico when they play us, outside of that I find them fun to watch (most of the time). If they had succeeded "huzzah CONCACAF bros, we're all under-respected on the global stage" and such, when they lost "lmao L-Tri" and all that. But I really really wanted them to go out on Fair Play points. It would've been so hilariously cruel. I was always going to get joy from this match, but I could've maximized my joy if KSA hadn't scored.
US is the shark among minnows right now and it won't change soon. Why pretend? I too wanted El Tri to go down for 'fair play' if they were going to go out. Fitting tribute to them.
Hope Mexico knows there is still World Cup games to be played. I know there are games this weekend. Just don't know who is playing. But I do know who ISN'T playing hahahahaha
Mexico had the easiest CONCACAF group, and I think we went through versus them mostly on the strength of our midfield, but I do think a non-zero % reason for the difference was the England won their opener 6-2 and Argentina lost theirs to the one of the presumptive easier teams. England could manage through at that point, but Argentina needed the W badly. This game ... I am shocked Mexico didn't get the third goal. Two called back for offside. A great save on a free kick. Saudi Arabia was collapsing.
Yea, it was a win-win for me. I'd have started to unequivocally root against them in the KO's so they wouldn't get further and for the lol's they always get bounced at that point.
Again, this proves how big a deal what the final standings of CONCACAF qualifying is and how indicative it is of how a team will do in the World Cup. Oh wait.
This passion won't happen after globalization is achieved, when we have Petrobras playing Apple in a semi, and Alpha Romero playing Bayer Pharmaceuticals in the other.
Just like we needed Couva to get our heads out of our rear ends, El Tri probably needed this to better take seriously the degradation of the program. It sucks and it hurts for them, but they'll have 6 months shorter wait for the next world cup and they get to co-host it. Hopefully they do at least some of the work necessary to stem the rot because they've definitely fallen off as a program since the middle chunk of the last decade (feels like '15), and it clearly started to hit the senior team by '21 after hitting the youth teams a good five or so years earlier. It sounds like what matters most is figuring out how to stop development blockages at the biggest clubs. Maybe import our salary cap lol, though I doubt they do that. But they definitely need to fix it at the club level, and in fairness to them, a few changes w/call ups and that conservative approach and they're through, only to get smashed by France. Maybe this way, the changes happen. They have more than enough ammo to build themselves back into a world power in no time, just need the reformative will.
He coached and behaved like he was 100% out. There was a lot of full scale DGAF to the last 8 months of his regime.
I've been saying this for a while: football is evolving into a more physical game, a less "intellectual" one, so countries with less physical people will be at a serious disadvantage. Brains could compensate for it back when you didn't have all games widely available to all kids through the Internet, and to coaches. But now everybody can do the "brains" part. What you cannot get is an extensive pool of 6'4" strong defenders, when the genetics of your people have a median size of 5'7" instead of 5'10". PS: Italy in Europe has been the first casualty of the trend, IMO. Top footballers in Italy came from less affluent classes, and tended to be shorter than the average Italian, who is still fairly short in Europe.
Federation coaching hires are like rebound partners. After years of domestic hires who focused on work and grinding, US Soccer went and got the shiny penny visionary in Jurgen. After Jurgen, they went after someone who focuses on preparation, is even keeled, and will work with the organization instead of against it. Mexico had a string of domestic coaches but couldn't break through, so they went for the brilliant mind in Osorio. Then they got sick of the tinkering and went with the consistent and established but still big named Tata. Now all the talk is that they need a Mexican because foreigners just don't understand Mexico/don't care, etc. All these things may or may not be true, but there's always tendency to see saw. Berhalter is the literal definition of a rebound chick from Jurgen, for example.
Right. The goal of qualifying is just that...to qualify. In the end, it's a binary, all-or-nothing thing. The USA was always the best team in this cycle. Canada finishing higher didn't disprove that. Look at UEFA. Serbia finished ahead of Portugal. Who would you rather play tomorrow in a knockout? It was fun to see Canada make a WC, but some of their fans got carried away. They were always likely to be humbled at the WC. On the other hand, Mexico just bottled it while Costa Rica have a low ceiling due to pool limitations. They never had a deep talent pool in the first place, and their best guys are generally past-it (Ruiz, Borges, Bolanos, etc).
This is the fourth time Mexico has been held to 4 points since 1994, but the first time they didn't advance. That sounds mathematically about right, that 4 points gives you a 75% chance to advance.
I read that he tried to quit and they wouldn't let him? BTW, I somewhat called that. This is only the second time Tata has lasted in any job for four years, and it's clear he wanted out earlier. He doesn't like staying put, even in good situations.
back to a world power? hahaha when has mexico ever been considered a world power?? concacaf i'll give you that on the world stage? hahaha, that's a hard no
Yes, but I believe CAF didn't have anyone go through in 2018 and AFC in 2014, so at least we've got us (and like a Keylor Navas-sized shot at Costa Rica).
Italy won the Euro Cup as recently as last summer, and went out in the World Cup in a one game playoff. I put that more on the format where it put the whole qualification campaign on a one game scenario.