The Mexico vs Argentina U-17 FIFA World Cup semifinal match will take place this Tuesday, November 5, 2013 (5:00 AM Pacific) at the Mohammed Bin Zayid Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The defending U-17 World Cup champion will face one of the best teams in the tournament, an Argentinian squad looking to go to a U-17 final for the first time in its history.
[divider]Highlights[/divider]
Click here to view highlights of Mexico’s 3-0 victory over Argentina.
[divider] [/divider]
Mexico is a team that has improved match after match. After a disastrous 6-1 loss against Nigeria in the opening game of the group stage, Mexico has consistently gotten better. In the round of 16, Mexico cruised past Italy 2-0. In a heart-attack inducing quarterfinal, Mexico was able to defeat what had so far been the best squad in the tournament: Brazil. Now, they face Argentina, another world power.
Nonetheless, Mexico has proven that it can take on any team, regardless of its cachet. Coach Raul ‘Potro’ Gutierrez has done a great job at motivating this squad, which struggled badly early in the tournament. Now, he has the opportunity to win back-to-back titles for the Mexican U-17 side.
A key player to look for Mexico will be goalkeeper Raul Gudino, which has shown great maturity throughout the tournament. Gudino proved to be an instrumental part of Mexico’s win over Brazil, saving the Mexican net on more than one occasion.
The player Mexico needs to watch is Joaquin Ibanez, the Argentinian has scored 4 goals so far in this tournament. Overall, the Argentinian squad has scored 12 goals in 5 matches, proving that Mexico will have to focus on defense if it wants to defend its World Cup title. This is a typical Argentinian squad, blessed with many talented attackers.
Mexico vs Argentina U-17 Prediction
The Mexico vs Argentina U-17 match will be intense, these two nations have a rivalry that spans throughout all age ranges. Argentina has shown over the course of this World Cup that it has a powerful offense that can generate scoring opportunities seemingly without much trouble. On the other hand, Mexico has demonstrated to be a master at counterattacking, strong on defense and lethal on the scoring opportunities they generate.
The Mexico vs Argentina match will be a close encounter, don’t expect either team to win this without a tough fight. In the end, I believe the Argentinian offense will be too much for the Mexican defense, which will ultimately succumb to their South American rivals. The Mexico vs Argentina U-17 semifinal match will end in a 2-1 victory for Argentina.
Mexico vs Argentina U-17 TV Schedule
The Mexico vs Argentina U-17 match will be televised this Tuesday, November 5, 2013 on Univision Deportes & ESPN 3 at 5:00 AM Pacific.
Mexico vs Argentina U-17 Highlights
The Mexico vs Argentina U-17 highlights will be available on FutnSoccer soon after the conclusion of this match.
