Brazil vs. Mexico: Friendly Will Prove Gap Is Widening Between El Tri and USMNT

Mexico will face Brazil in an international friendly on June 3. Expect El Tri to do much better than the U.S. men’s national team did against the Seleção.

The Americans struggled to keep pace with the Brazilians in their recent friendly, losing 4-1. The defense looked out of sorts, and the attack simply wasn’t sharp enough to really scare the No. 6-ranked national team in the world.

If the Mexicans challenge Brazil, it will be evident that El Tri is pulling away from the United States.

Both teams were eliminated in the first knockout stage of the 2010 World Cup, but since then, the Mexicans have been much more impressive on the international stage. In the last four meetings between the two teams, there has been one draw and three victories for Mexico. The one tie came in a friendly, whereas the three defeats for the U.S. came in competitions with something on the line.

Two of them were particularly painful losses that came in successive Gold Cup finals. In 2009, the U.S. lost in a 5-0 drubbing. In 2011, they were defeated 4-2 after taking a 2-0 lead in the first 23 minutes.

These results are due to one simple fact: Mexico has better players than the U.S.

This is a recent development that wasn’t true just a couple years ago. Players like Landon Donavon and Clint Dempsey were still young, and they were supported by up-and-comers like Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley. But Donavon will be 32 when the next World Cup starts, and Dempsey will be 31. Altidore is not the player many hoped he would be, and while Bradley is very solid, he is not the type of player who can take the U.S. to the next level by himself.

There has not been a wave of talented newcomers providing much hope for the Americans going forward. 

The Mexicans, on the other hand, have players who are young and far more talented than their American counterparts.

The first player to note is Javier Hernandez, as he is far and away the best player on both squads. Hernandez gets regular playing time at Manchester United. The U.S. does not have a player like this, and they never have.

Giovanni Dos Santos is supremely gifted as well, and if not for discipline problems, his career in Europe likely would be going better than it is now. However, he tends to give his best games to El Tri, as the U.S. found out in the 2011 Gold Cup final.

Pablo Barrera is also very solid, and he helps provide the Mexicans form a potent attack.

A huge advantage for Mexico is that all three of these players are 24 years old or younger. 

El Tri is younger and more talented. This looks to be the start of a period where the Mexicans are superior to their biggest rival, and they will prove that by giving Brazil a tough match on June 3.