Mexico vs. Trinidad and Tobago: Stars Who Will Push El Tri into Gold Cup Semis

It is no secret that the Mexican national team didn't bring its best squad to the United States for the Gold Cup, but most expected El Tri to reach the final without much resistance. Although Panama hit Mexico with a reality check in the opening match of the tournament by upsetting the favored side, Mexico has rebounded and will face Trinidad and Tobago in the quarterfinals.

Although the Soca Warriors are a dangerous team with some strong offensive players, Mexico should be able to get past them and into the semis. In order for that to happen, though, El Tri's best players must show up and dominate. That wasn't the case against Panama, but Mexico did improve against Canada and Martinique, so things are looking up.

Here are three Mexican stars who will come up big on Saturday, and allow El Tri to advance to the semifinals as most pundits expected heading into the Gold Cup.

Marco Fabian

There is a true lack of experience and national team success on Mexico's Gold Cup squad, but the best player for El Tri in this tournament has unquestionably been forward Marco Fabian. He leads Mexico with three goals, and is tied for second in overall Gold Cup scoring behind Team USA's Chris Wondolowski. Mexico has struggled mightily to score at the national team level this season, so it can be argued that Fabian's play has been the first offensive spark for Mexico all year.

Fabian has managed one goal in each of Mexico's three matches, so head coach Jose Manuel de la Torre will certainly lean on him and expect him to score another on Saturday. Fabian has managed to put the ball in the back of the net in a number of different ways, which makes him a very dangerous player. He even displayed great confidence on a penalty kick against Canada, as seen in this video courtesy of FOX Soccer.

Trinidad and Tobago hasn't exactly been stingy defensively with four goals allowed in three matches, so Fabian should have his fair share of opportunities. He has already scored half of Mexico's goals in this tournament, so winning the quarterfinal match may be contingent upon his play. If Fabian scores, than Mexico will be in great position to move on.

Jonathan Orozco

Perhaps the most difficult decision for de la Torre ahead of the quarterfinals relates to which player will start in goal. Jonathan Orozco started against Panama and Canada, while Moises Munoz manned the net against Martinique. Although Orozco allowed two goals in a losing effort against Panama, he also registered Mexico's only clean sheet of the tournament thus far against Canada, so look for him to play on Saturday.

The 27-year-old veteran has notched 208 career appearances for Monterrey of the Mexican league, but he is a relative newbie to the international scene. Orozco has earned just four caps for the senior national team, and half of them have come during this year's Gold Cup.

Despite his relative lack of experience in playing for Mexico, de la Torre seems to have some confidence in Orozco. In all likelihood, Orozco's stint on the bench against Martinique had more to do with getting Munoz a game of experience than anything.

If that is the case, then Orozco should be in between the pipes on Saturday. His result may not have been ideal against Panama, but he bounced back impressively in the Canada match, and he certainly earned another start. With Kenwyne Jones running wild uptop for Trinidad and Tobago, goalkeeping will be key for Mexico in the quarterfinals. Orozco simply gives El Tri the best chance to win.

Luis Montes

Aside from Fabian, no other player on the Mexican Gold Cup roster has more than one goal for the national team, but midfielder Luis Montes has shown flashes of brilliance through just three appearances. Even though El Tri was heavily favored to beat Martinique, it was a must-win game in order to ensure that Mexico moved on to the quarters. Montes showed up to play, scoring in the 33rd minute to give Mexico a 2-0 lead; that goal ultimately became the game-winner.

In addition to his goal-scoring prowess, Montes is perfectly capable of setting up his teammates. With Fabian playing so well, the synergy between them will be a huge deciding factor in whether or not Mexico is able to beat Trinidad and Tobago. Much like most of his teammates, Montes is a veteran of the Mexican league who is getting his first taste of the national team, so he'll be a wild card of sorts moving forward.

The fact of the matter is that Mexico may be able to get past Trinidad and Tobago with Fabian as its only offensive threat, but someone else must emerge in order for Mexico to beat Panama and ultimately hang with the United States. Based on the way he played against Martinique, it looks like Montes is most likely to step into that role.

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