Where El Tri Goes From Here

Soccer’s a strange game. Mexico entered its final World Cup group fixture against Saudi Arabia on the back of two underwhelming results—a goalless stalemate with Poland and a 2-0 reverse against Argentina. More pressingly, it hadn’t even found its way onto the scoresheet. The fact it was still alive, stepping out into an electric atmosphere inside the Lusail stadium in Qatar—a massive shiny bowl of an arena that will host the final—was something in itself.

For all its problems, lacking dynamism up front and with a largely unpopular coach in ex-Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino, there was a sense this could still be the moment. Mexico’s roster is not the best. But with Napoli’s €45 million ($47 million) purchase Hirving Lozano primed, and 37-year-old veteran stopper Guillermo Ochoa an inspiration between the posts, you felt it was saving itself for a goal rush that would seal its advance to the knockout stages.

With the crowd setting the tone and the team needing a convincing performance, Mexico began to look a little more like Mexico. The shots, so rare against Argentina, gradually flooded in. And then, after no concrete progress in the first half, something happened two minutes into the second. A corner came in, the tall Monterrey defender César Montes balletically flicked a ball on, and striker Henry Martín swept in from close range. The unthinkable, Mexico not scoring at a World Cup, was extinguished after four hours of action. A thumping, arcing Luis Chávez free-kick—a contender for goal of the tournament—soon followed.

They were five whirlwind minutes with relentless momentum and only one outcome. Surely. Mexico needed more goals, just one even, and a convincing victory for Argentina or Poland in the other Group C encounter to help its cause. But just as Mexico thought it had turned a corner, its familiar struggles resurfaced. Saudi Arabia responded with a late consolation strike. It was all a little too late, and the boss was on his way out.

“I’m responsible for the disappointment today,” said a humble Martino following the game, bearing the weight of a nation of around 130 million people. “We shoulder the failure we had in this World Cup. My contract ended when the referee blew the final whistle. There is nothing else to do,” he added.

“It’s a hard blow. There are no words,” reflected Ajax regular Edson Alvarez as relayed by ESPN. “The team came out fighting from the first minute. We had a lot of openings and opportunities to create goals, but we couldn’t finish them. It leaves a bitter taste.”

True, Mexico isn’t used to going far in this tournament. The team is seemingly cursed, advancing from the group stage before bowing out in the first knockout game in seven consecutive appearances. Failing to make it past the first hurdle makes for undeniable underachievement, however.

El Tri usually delivers something at the World Cup. Apart from a brief spell on this occasion, it couldn’t. That falls at the feet of Martino, who hasn’t been able to get the best from his players. This year, the team has failed to beat the likes of Guatemala and Jamaica and has not defeated Concacaf rival United States in four consecutive encounters.

A new coach is the first step. And whoever comes in will have to reshape the squad. Ochoa has been a virtually irreplaceable presence for his country, while 36-year-old captain and Real Betis midfielder Andrés Guardado has provided balance and composure in the center for some time. Unfortunately, this has almost certainly been their last World Cup, and Mexico must look forward under an evolved setup.

A strong domestic league is a steady base to build on, especially if few internationals are making their way in Europe and developing more locally. Incidentally, 2022 is the first year a non-Mexican club won the Concacaf Champions League, with Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders taking the accolade, which suggests Mexican soccer needs to strengthen more across the board first.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Chávez’s heroics against Saudi Arabia shows there is the talent to unlock. Meanwhile, Lozano is excelling in a thriving Napoli squad which, alongside Bayern Munich in Germany, is the only team to amass over 40 league points this season in Europe’s top leagues. With capable players, Mexico will return.

For now, exiting the biggest stage of all will sting. But perhaps it can use this as added motivation to rebuild ahead of the next World Cup, which will—in part—take place in its homeland in 2026. By then, the tears will have dried.