When Juan Carlos Osorio was named to take over the Seleccion Mexicana after Miguel Herrera was fired, there were many doubts about him. There was talk that his resume wasn’t all that impressive and that he didn’t know Mexican football well enough to lead El Tri into their upcoming games. Ricardo ‘El Tuca’ Ferreti, who was the team’s interim coach, gave the Mexican fans something to be happy about; a win over the United States that also crowned them as the best CONCACAF nation and earned them a spot at the Confederations Cup in Russia 2017.
His first game at the head of the Mexican National team was against El Salvador. It was a game played at the Estadio Azteca, Mexico’s home and El Tri were superior over a weakened El Salvador. Though people were pleased with Osorio after having won his first game, there was mild speculation as to how he would do against Honduras, where Mexico would be playing as visitors.
For this upcoming game, it is expected that he will likely rotate some of the players. This is the possible line-up:
Goalkeeper
The man guarding Mexico’s net during the game against El Salvador was Moises Munoz, but Osorio might decide on Alfredo Talavera for this game. Though Memo Ochoa was called up and was likely a surprise to everyone, it is unlikely that he will see much action since he hadn’t played as much as he’d like to in his club team Malaga.
Defense
In the position of left back will possibly be Miguel Layun. Osorio had tried to change him positions, testing it out during the game against El Salvador, but it didn’t turn out the way he would have hoped. Layun continuously made mistakes, and seemed uncomfortable in his new position. Due to this, it is possible that Osorio will change Layun back to his preferred position.
The two center backs could be Diego Reyes and Hector Moreno. Reyes could be replacing Ayala on the field in order to rotate the players. This will also give Osorio the chance to see how each of them works.
Taking over the right back position could be Raul ‘Dedos’ Lopez. Though he is very young, he had proven to be a valuable player. In Chivas de Guadalajara, his current club team, he has managed to earn himself a spot in the starting eleven. If he continues to develop his skills, he could even earn himself a spot in the starting eleven of the national team.
Midfield
Playing as a defensive midfield will probably be Andres Guardado. He has been having a great season with PSV Eindhoven and has proven to be valuable to El tri.
In the center midfield would be Jonathan dos Santos. He will likely be placed in the starting line-up in place of Hector Herrera.
The other man in the midfield would be Jesus Manuel ‘Tecatito’ Corona who would likely be playing as an attacking midfield. In the recent months, this youngster has developed skills that have gotten him called up to the national team. He is one of Mexico’s young promises and will likely be someone to keep an eye on during the game.
Attack
Mexico’s attacking force may be led by three men at the top.
Carlos Vela, one of Mexico’s golden boys, will likely take the right wing, as it is one of his preferred positions on the pitch. He may also be substituted by Jurgen Damm who is very fast and can outrun opponents to make center passes.
On the left wing could be Oribe Peralta. It was said that Raul Jimenez would be playing the game against Honduras, and he might have taken Peralta’s spot on the pitch. But he was injured during practice and it is still unsure whether he will be well enough to play the game.
Mexico’s center forward would be another of the country’s golden boys. Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez has had a renaissance in his career after joining Bayer Leverkusen of the German bundesliga. Though he has been having some difficulty scoring goals for Mexico, as shown at the game against El Salvador, it is likely that Osorio will give him another opportunity to be in the starting eleven.
Osorio claims that the team will play offensively against La H. But will that be enough to defeat the rival in their home?
(4-3-3)
