Analyzing the Impact of Real Sociedad Forward Carlos Vela in Mexico Win

Welcome back, Carlos Vela!

Mexico's win over the Netherlands meant a lot more than just their first win against the Oranje in 53 years. It was immensely important for Vela.

The Real Sociedad forward made his first appearance with El Tri after a three-year hiatus, and he made it worthwhile.

Vela proved that he can give Mexico new attacking options, which Miguel Herrera's squad lack. Despite having lethal footballers, the squad lacked the finishing touch.

The last time a Mexican footballer scored a brace was last May, when America defender Miguel Layun put the ball away versus Israel. The last time a forward accomplished that feat was in January, when Alan Pulido secured a hat-trick against South Korea.

Between January and October 2014, El Tri scored 21 goals, the forwards netted only 11 of them.

Player	Position	Goals
Alan Pulido	Forward	4
Miguel Layun	Left-back	3
Giovani dos Santos	Forward	2
Marco Fabian	Midfielder	2
Javier Hernandez	Forward	2
Rafael Marquez	Centre-back	2
Oribe Peralta	Forward	2
Oswaldo Alanis	Centre-back	1
Andres Guardado	Midfielder	1
Luis Montes	Midfielder	1
Erick Torres	Forward	1

Javier Hernandez is getting back to his old self little by little. He has a total tally of two goals in his last three appearances, proving that the time he has spent on the pitch with Real Madrid is paying off.

But Chicharito is your regular fox in the box. He takes advantage of his speed and ability to surprise the defenders and the goalkeeper.

Giovani dos Santos has also been a key element in Herrera's system, but the Villarreal footballer has taken a more creative role, feeding balls to his teammates, unbalancing the rivals' defense and shooting from outside the box.

Oribe Peralta has had a less spectacular year. After being Mexico's hero in the two-legged playoff against New Zealand, El Hermoso has only put the ball away twice in 2014.

Vela's addition to El Tri was refreshing.

After a shaky start with Real Sociedad, mainly due to injuries, he has managed to score twice and create 12 goal opportunities—as a result of two assists and 10 key passes.

Vela's mobility in the last third of the pitch has been instrumental in making a difference with his club. Although he crafted 50 percent of those chances from the center, he also created opportunities through the flanks.

He brought those same assets to the national team. He fed balls, crafted plays and showed his fine touch with two great goals.

More importantly, Vela teamed up with Chicharito in style, which resulted in a lethal duo. Usually Hernandez has to leave the box to fight for the ball and have goal chances.

But with Vela next to him, the Real Madrid forward moved freely, he went back to playing either inside or close to the box.

This new partnership is just what El Piojo needed. Hernandez's surprising skills seemed to collide with Peralta's fierceness and Dos Santos' individualities.

In Vela, Chicharito has found the partner in crime he hadn't had in the past year. The timing couldn't have been better.

Vela played for the team, he shared his skills with his teammates, but he was also useful because Mexico coach Herrera changed his usual 5-3-2 formation for a 4-4-2.

With this system, Vela was able to focus on attacking and generating plays, which meant more verticality for El Tri.

There is no question that Vela was a fantastic addition to the team. If he would have been the changing factor in the 2014 World Cup is not only something we will never know, but also something that should be left in the past.

Vela came to the team in good spirits and totally committed. That's what should be highlighted.

All stats appear courtesy of Squawka and Mi Seleccion Gamecast (Spanish), unless otherwise noted.

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