Andres Guardado, Jesus Corona Star as Mexico Claim 7th Gold Cup Title
Mexico lifted the CONCACAF Gold Cup for a record seventh time on Sunday after outclassing Jamaica with a 3-1 victory in the final at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. Captain Andres Guardado and young striker Jesus "Tecatito" Corona starred for El Tri, and coach Miguel Herrera shrugged off intense pressure by making all the right decisions ahead of kickoff.
Any assessment of Mexico at this Gold Cup must begin with Guardado. The 28-year-old midfielder was his team's best player throughout the tournament, and in fact he was by far the best performer at the Gold Cup.
In the group stage, the PSV Eindhoven man inspired his side with both goals and incisive passing that led to numerous chances. He consistently posed El Tri's most dangerous attacking threat and finished the Gold Cup with six goals, just one behind Golden Boot winner Clint Dempsey.
In every other facet of the game, however, Guardado outperformed Dempsey. It was little surprise, then, that Guardado won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. In the end, it was an easy decision. No player meant anywhere near as much to his team as Guardado meant to Mexico.
Even more impressive was the fact that the captain was carrying a minor injury into the final. It hardly showed as Guardado completed more than 60 minutes and scored a golazo with an expert volley in the first half.
Corona scored a fine goal as well, a lethal, opportunistic strike that turned out to be the match-winner. In the 47th minute, with the score 1-0, Corona won possession off Jamaican defender Michael Hector in midfield and immediately set out to attack the goal. Nearing the edge of the area, Tecatito unleashed a low shot that beat Ryan Thompson comfortably and nestled into the bottom corner.
Based on his previous club- and international-level performances, Corona had generated a large amount of hype. Sunday's goal suggested he has the substance to back it up. At 22, Tecatito has the skills to become a massive star.
In four previous appearances at this Gold Cup—all as a substitute—Corona had given Mexico a spark late in matches with his dazzling dribbling and eye-catching attacking skills. Given his first chance to start, Tecatito staked a strong claim to further consideration for the first XI.
That final point should represent a victory for Herrera, who managed Mexico deftly on Sunday. With starting forward Carlos Vela suspended, Herrera selected Corona and watched on as the youngster scored an outstanding goal. And with star midfielder Hector Herrera struggling for form throughout the tournament, El Piojo instead handed a starting berth to Jesus Duenas, who kept El Tri ticking all night in a holding role.
Before and during the tournament, Herrera faced intense pressure to deliver a Gold Cup title. If Mexico had failed to win the tournament—or even performed badly in winning the final—he likely would have lost his job. ESPN Tri provided Herrera's comments regarding Mexico's tournament play:
Mexico did not always play up to their ability this summer. Notably, El Tri needed questionable refereeing decisions to beat Costa Rica in the quarterfinals, and Panama in the semifinals.
But in their biggest and most important match of the summer, El Tri thoroughly outclassed Jamaica and claimed their seventh Gold Cup title. What more could the fans ask of Herrera and the team?
At ESPN FC, Tom Marshall noted:
""El Piojo" had come out of the tunnel before the match ahead of the players and purposely, it seemed, walked onto the pitch and in front of the goal. He was greeted by cheers from the Mexico fans inside the stadium and raised his arm, clenching his fist in a show of confidence.
It seemed to set the tone as Herrera's players showed on the field that they want him to continue. After all the talk, Mexico finally produced this Gold Cup and no-one will be more relieved than Herrera, who had stressed that his side was "obligated" to win it.
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Mexico's next big match will come in October. In following with CONCACAF's sometimes odd decision-making, El Tri will have to play the 2013 Gold Cup champions—the United States—in a one-game playoff to determine who will represent CONCACAF in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Lose that match and Herrera might find himself immediately back on the hot seat. For now, though, the Mexican manager should take pride from his team's strong performance in the final.
Follow @MiguelCominguez
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