Mexico vs. El Salvador: Date, Time, Live Stream for 2018 World Cup Qualifier
Newly installed Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio will make his debut on the Mexico sideline when El Tri host El Salvador on Friday, their first 2018 World Cup qualifier in Round 4.
Osorio replaced former boss Miguel Herrera in October and is expected to build the squad into one that can challenge for silverware at the highest level. World Cup qualification is also a must, however.
El Salvador have struggled of late, suffering a 3-1 loss against Haiti and playing out a 1-1 draw with Guatemala in their last two friendlies. On paper, El Tri should win this match comfortably, but with a new manager at the helm, El Salvador will like their chances of pulling off an upset.
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Date: Friday, Nov. 13
Time: 9 p.m. ET/2 a.m. GMT (next day)
Venue: Estadio Azteca, Coyoacan, Mexico City
Live Stream: The match will be broadcast on Univision Deportes USA. To access the live stream service, click here.
Preview
It's not often managers get sacked after winning a major international competition, but that's exactly what happened to Herrera, who was let go just after winning the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
El Tri have gone through a series of managers in the past couple of years as the team is desperate to convert their strong generation of players into success at the World Cup. Whether Osorio is the man to finally do so remains to be seen, and he knows he won't have much time to work on his project if it suffers a false start.
Former manager Manuel Lapuente hopes he can find success, although he believes the current crop of players will make it hard, via ESPN FC's Tom Marshall:
"This [generation] hasn't done anything. It didn't do anything in the World Cup, or in recent tournaments like the Copa America in Chile or the Gold Cup.
We'll see what happens in the Confederations Cup and qualifying [for Russia 2018].
I hope [Osorio] does well, is successful and shows and proves that this generation is the best. [I hope he] proves it in the individual and collective [sense]; as a collective they haven't done anything.
"
Osorio decided against calling up star forward Giovani dos Santos, who has struggled with injuries of late. The LA Galaxy man also wasn't called up for a series of friendlies in September, but he's fully expected to be a part of the squad once he returns to full health.
One man who will undoubtedly feature heavily is Javier Hernandez, who has been in sensational form of late playing for Bayer Leverkusen. According to WhoScored.com, he has scored six goals in his last five matches.
He's likely to team up with Real Sociedad's Carlos Vela in the near future to give El Tri an attack that could blow any defence in CONCACAF out of the water. Osorio confirmed Vela's injury worries are minor, per ESPN FC Mexico:
He also weighed in on the goalkeeper situation:
World Cup hero Guillermo Ochoa has barely played any club football since boosting his value in Brazil and completing a move to Malaga. It's becoming increasingly difficult to justify his position as automatic starter given his severe lack of match rhythm and the solid form of Alfredo Talavera and Moises Munoz, both proven veterans.
El Salvador will travel to Mexico City with just one international who plies his trade in Europe―Pablo Punyed of IBV, from Iceland―and will likely look toward veteran striker Rafael Burgos to provide the danger against a Mexico defence that is still finding its identity.
Under Herrera, El Tri often played in exotic formations that included three centre-backs and flying wing-backs. Osorio will likely revert back to more conventional formations, so he'll have to look for the best combinations along the back line once again.
