Photo by Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
By SBI SOCCER
Mexico will officially head into October’s crucial CONCACAF Cup without one of their most important players.
PSV Eindhoven announced Monday that El Tri star Andres Guardado will miss four-to-six weeks due to an ankle injury. The Mexico midfielder underwent an ultrasound and MRI Monday, revealing damage to Guardado’s ankle ligaments.
The injury was suffered in PSV’s Champions League victory over Manchester United last week, a game that saw the Mexican midfielder’s left ankle twisted following a challenge from defender Chris Smalling.
As a result, Guardado will be forced to miss out on the crucial CONCACAF Cup, which will see El Tri battle the U.S. Men’s National Team for a berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.
Guardado, who has earned 119 career caps for El Tri, scored six goals at this summer’s Gold Cup, including both goals in Mexico’s controversial semifinal win over Jamaica. The 28-year-old midfielder was recognized with the tournament’s Golden Ball for his performance, which earned Guardado his second career Gold Cup triumph.
What do you think of the latest Guardado news? Who do you expect to fill in for Mexico? How much does Guardado’s absence help the U.S.?
Share your thoughts below.
guardado is one of the top three player in the eredivisie (according to dutch people). In my opinion guardado and marquez are still the most important players in mexicos startin 11. When either of them is out the team lacks composure. Anyhow, i think corona (if mexico wants to be offensive), jonathan (if he improves his game at villareal), or even rubens (if the federation sorts out the external issues) can be good enough substitutes.
The rest of the team seams fine and hopefully there will not be any more injuries. Layun, Marquez, Moreno, Reyes, Hernandez, Vela, Corona are all playing regularly in europe. Only, Jimenez, Jonathan and herrera are struggling. For mexicos standards, thats a good stat.
The Yanks job just got a little easier. Now if this coaching staff can just get out of the way.
This game will tell us if Jurgen should stay on for this next cycle. I say should because what the fans want and what US Soccer do are two different things. Still without any fan backing (if the US lose) Gulati might be forced to make a change even though his soccer administration is out whole lot of money.
Neruda, they are not out of money. They chose not to invest it in coaching and player development. Great soccer nations invest their money in getting the top coaches working to develop youth players AND they have a plan. Great soccer nations also have MANY coaches of top quality working to develop youth. Germany, for example, have an incredible number of full time youth coaches in their system. We have in the neighborhood of 17-20 and I will not comment on whether they are top quality or not.
The problem is that the one coach at the top receives over half of the total salary for full time coaches.
It is a pathetically planned out system that needs vision and much change. I know all too well because I worked in the system for many years.
Guardado was the most dangerous player during the Gold Cup. Just for that reason the USMNT will have a somewhat easier time defending and also their counter attack should be more efficient. It would be too much to say the team can breathe a sigh of relief, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have such an effective player be out of the competition.
Next Chicharito!
pshhh, Chicharito can’t finish at the moment, so he can stay! did you see his two misses for Bayer this weekend? 🙂
He was in on goal with that second opportunity, think he would have scored if it wasn’t for that shove. The USMNT has no defenders even close to the quality of Dortmund.
You mean aside from Brooks, who plays CB for Hertha (also in the B1), and Cameron, who now plays CB for Stoke in the EPL, or Alvarado, who plays CB for America, or even Omar Gonzalez, who has faced and shut down Chicharito repeatedly in I don’t know how many 2-0 wins for the USA?
Yeah, we got a bunch of chumps. You can stare hard at Klinsmann for flipping them around so much they have no idea at times how to play together, but the individual quality of the players isn’t an issue at CB.
You really can’t compare any of those defenders to someone like Mat Hummels. How many of those friendlies/ official games in that past 4 years did Hernandez play in? 2/5?
Mexico played the entire Gold Cup without CHicharito, Hector Moreno, and an out of form Hector Herrera. I’m sure they’ll be fine with Jonathan Dos santos filling Guardado’s role.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine with Jonathan Dos santos filling Guardado’s role.”
The best games I’ve seen Mexico play recently have featured both players.
I’m certain Mexico would rather have Guardado than not.
Jonathan Dos Santos did not receive a call up to the Argentina and Trinidad games. If you don’t recall Jonathan actually had a pretty solid GC.
My eyes aren’t real good, but isn’t that a Golden Ball that Guardado’s holding? If so, I have trouble understanding how this doesn’t make things at least a little more difficult for El Tri.