This Sunday, July 9, 2017 (6:00 PM Pacific) Mexico will play El Salvador at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California for a group stage match in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. While Mexico is the clear favorite to take the three points from this game and the Gold Cup trophy, the game should still be an intriguing affair.
Mexico is coming off a disappointing showing in the 2017 Confederations Cup, even struggling against New Zealand in the competition. The squad used in this tournament will be completely different than the one used in the Confederations Cup but the objective is still very clear.
Manager, Juan Carlos Osorio will not be on the sidelines due to a suspension in the Confederations Cup and it is unclear if his controversial tactics will still be in effect for this tournament, specifically squad rotations.
The Colombian skipper is not said to be in the hot seat but a poor performance in this competition could easily change that, coming up against inferior sides like El Salvador, Jamaica and Curacao in the group stage. El Tri does not have its best players in this competition with almost a full Liga MX side, Erick Torres from the Houston Dynamo being the only player who does not play in Mexico on the squad.
“El Cubo” was a late addition to the squad as Alan Pulido of Chivas suffered an injury that kept him out of the squad. The midfield is a rigid force with players like Jesus Molina, Jesus Duenas, Orbelin Pineda, Rodolfo Pizarro and Erick Gutierrez.
The defense is also very solid but the attack does seem to be lacking and it will be interesting to see who will play at the striker spot for the game between Martin Barragan, Angel Sepulveda and Erick Torres. Mexico should easily win this game and should do it comfortably to avoid criticism from the fan base and the media.
El Salvador should not be able to compete in this game and in this Group C with Mexico and Jamaica being the favorites to get out of the group. The Central American side is comprised mostly of players who play in El Salvador but does have a couple of key players who play in Europe.
The 21-year-old, Denis Pineda of Portuguese side, Santa Clara and Nelson Bonilla who plays in Turkey, in addition to these players another key player is Darwin Ceren who plays with the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS. The level of talent on El Salvador is miles away from what Mexico has to offer but the game could still be an interesting one in San Diego this Sunday.
How to Watch Mexico vs El Salvador
The Mexico vs El Salvador match will be broadcast this Sunday, July 9 at 6:00 PM Pacific:
TV Schedule: Fox Sports 1, Univision Deportes
Watch Live Online: Sling TV (Watch 7 Days Free), Fubo TV (Watch 7 Days Free)
