The Mexico vs Panama Gold Cup 2013 match ended with a final score of 1-2 in favor of Panama, adding yet another disappointing result for Chepo de la Torre’s El Tri. Mexico simply had an awful match, bad on defense, terrible on offense, and never looked even close to winning the match. Panama did its part, scored twice, created several scoring opportunities, and truly deserve the historic victory.
There is something seriously wrong with Mexico, it appears Chepo de La Torres has lost control of his squad. Mexico keeps struggling against opponents it has historically been able to defeat without much problems. Now, with a completely different roster than we saw in the Confederations Cup and Hexagonal matches, the same issues remain. I say Chepo’s days as Mexico’s head coach are numbered.
Gabriel Torres opened up the score for Panama with a 7th minute penalty kick. The ref correctly called the foul inside the box. Panama played better in the first half, but allowed a fantastic goal in the 45th minute by Marco Fabian.
Early in the second half (48th minute), Torres scored his second of the night, a great goal scored inside the box from a cross off the left flank. The rest of the second half had Mexico control the ball and Panama defend, but Mexico never came close to scoring. The match ended in a 2-1 victory for Panama.
Even with the historic loss against Panama, Mexico can still move on to the quarterfinals. Wins over Canada and Martinique would prove to be enough (or a win and a draw), whether Mexico can do that is another question. The true question is, with Mexico’s awful performance in 2013, is keeping Chepo as the head coach the best option?
The loss against Panama is the first time Mexico lost against the Canaleros in the Gold Cup. The fans at the Rose Bowl ended the match chanting “Fuera Chepo” (out with Chepo), a sentiment shared by Mexican fans across the world.
