5 Realistic Targets for Miguel Herrera and Mexico in 2015
Mexico will have a heavy schedule in 2015. The Copa America and the Gold Cup take place in the summer, and Miguel Herrera needs to address several matters before and after both competitions.
El Piojo has been in charge of El Tri for the past year, and the results he has delivered so far have been very good, considering he took over the squad when it was on the verge of missing the 2014 World Cup.
Herrera's ultimate goal is to take Mexico to Russia in 2018, but he must take some intermediate steps before thinking of the next World Cup.
Let's take a look at what he should accomplish this year if he wants to consider 2015 a success.
Making the Copa America Top 4
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Mexico were drawn in Copa America's Group A. That means facing Chile, the host.
But fear not. The team will also meet Bolivia and Ecuador, two squads that haven't posed much of a threat for Mexico before.
Numbers don't lie. El Tri have a 13-3-9 record against Chile. Versus Ecuador, they have won 11 times out of 18 games (with only two defeats). In Bolivia's case, Mexico have lost once, but they have nine victories and one draw.
El Tri should qualify to the knockout stage, and here are the scenarios for that matter:
- 1. If they win their group, they will face the best third-place of the competition.
- 2. If they are second, then they'll meet the runner-up of Group C, which will most definitely be Brazil or Colombia (the other teams are Peru and Venezuela).
- 3. If they finish as one of the two best third-places of the event, they would face the winner of one of the groups, depending on the points they have.
Finishing runner-up of their group seems like the most probable option. Not everything is lost for Herrera, as Mexico have always been a tough opponent for Brazil and Colombia.
Winning the Gold Cup
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There's absolutely no doubt that winning the Gold Cup is Miguel Herrera's priority.
Mexico had a terrible performance in the 2013 edition, when they lost for the first time in history against Panama, in the group stage, and left the tournament in the semi-finals, also versus Los Canaleros.
Two years ago, El Tri didn't travel to the United States with an alternate roster. Instead, then-coach Jose Manuel de la Torre took a B-team, as the first squad was getting ready for the Confederations Cup.
In contrast, El Piojo will have a full side in his quest to secure El Tri's first title since 2011, when they defeated USA 2-4 in the final showdown.
Qualifying for the 2017 Confederations Cup
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This is the reason why Miguel Herrera is obliged to win the 2015 Gold Cup.
Since Mexico had a disappointing performance in the 2013 edition, they couldn't defend their title. Instead, the United States took advantage of playing on home soil and hoisted the trophy.
This gave the USA half-ticket for the 2017 Confederations Cup, and in order to get the other half, they have to win this year’s Gold Cup edition or face whoever takes the trophy home in a playoff to be held later this year.
It is crucial for Mexico to secure the title if they want to have a shot at representing CONCACAF in Russia.
Securing Competitive Preparation Games
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Mexico need to find good rivals for the preparation matches. Miguel Herrera has to make the most out of them because he has to prepare two squads.
According to FIFA, there will 10 international friendlies, but Mexico will only play eight of them (two of them overlap with the Copa America).
For El Tri, this means appearing in two games before the Gold Cup (March and June) and six after that tournament (September, October and November).
Breaking the Top 15 in the FIFA Rankings
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Mexico started 2015 in the 20th place of the FIFA World Ranking. It's been two years since they made the top 15 for the last time.
In 2012, still under Jose Manuel de la Torre's command, they finished the year inside the 15 best teams of the world. The following 12 months were far from successful, and they sat at 21st.
Despite their good performance in the past World Cup, El Tri only improved one spot throughout the same period.
With two continental competitions in the near future, this is the perfect opportunity for El Piojo to lead Mexico back to the top 15.
Having a good performance in the Copa America will be instrumental, as these games will give more points, since it is the strongest Confederation right now, according to FIFA.com.
All stats appear courtesy of FEMEXFUT, unless otherwise noted.
