Mexico vs. Trinidad and Tobago: Why El Tri Will Dominate

Mexico will take on Trinidad and Tobago in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup on Saturday evening. While Mexico has certainly had its struggles in international play of late, they have started to round into form and are a better squad than the Soca Warriors. They should take this one pretty easily. 

Mexico lost its first Gold Cup match to Panama in stunning fashion, by a score of 2-1. This was after bad losses to Italy and Brazil in the Confederations Cup.

El Tri rebounded against Canada, winning 2-0 and controlling 57 percent of the possession. An easy win against Martinique means that Mexico is back on track.

That said, Trinidad and Tobago is not a bad team. They had an impressive 2-0 win over Honduras, and feature exciting offensive players like Kenwyne Jones and Keon Daniel. In addition, they held Honduras to just one shot on goal. 

Of course, Honduras doesn't have anyone like Marco Fabian, who may very well be the best player in this tournament. He has three goals and is tied for second in overall scoring. 

He should have a chance to have a big game against Trinidad and Tobago. Despite the clean sheet against Honduras, the Soca Warriors have given up four goals in three games. They are vulnerable against good offensive teams. Fabian's skill is evidenced by this nifty penalty kick against Canada, as seen in this video courtesy of Fox Sports:

In addition, Luis Montes, who scored the game-winning goal against Martinique, could cause the Soca Warriors some trouble. He's only scored once, but he's been active in every game and could play a vital role in beating Trinidad and Tobago.

El Tri is better than Trinidad and Tobago on paper, and they should win. Still, El Tri has been wildly inconsistent and incredibly disappointing. They struggled mightily against the world's best in the Confederations Cup. They are a better team than Panama, but still lost.

Trinidad and Tobago will have a chance to pull off the upset. They are an athletic team with some good goal scorers.

But an upset will only happen if Mexico plays well under its capability. Other than the United States, Mexico is the best team in this tournament, and they should blow teams like Trinidad and Tobago out of the water.

Trinidad and Tobago will not have an answer for Fabian. He could have a few goals in this contest.

Mexico is just too talented to lose. While Trinidad and Tobago does have talent, they are simply not on the same level as El Tri. Mexico has rebounded from a disastrous open to the Gold Cup and are starting to play up to their immense talent. They have some dazzling offensive players who could do some real damage.

Look for El Tri to win this one by a few goals.