Gearing up for Saturday's massive CONCACAF Cup game between the US and Mexico? As part of our coverage to get you ready for the game, here are 10 things about the Mexican national team.
- Who’s the boss? Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti was interim coach for Mexico’s friendlies last month, and will remain at the helm for the massive CONCACAF Cup clash. Though he is not expected to become the full-time head coach, Ferretti is not a divisive figure, despite holding the interim tag.
- Tuca’s Longevity: Part of the reason Ferretti is widely respected is his longevity and success with Liga MX side UANL Tigres. He’s won the league title, Copa MX title, and has reached the Copa Libertadores final in his current stint in charge. And he’s by far the longest-serving head coach currently in Liga MX, being on the job since July 2010--practically an eternity in that league.
- Mexico merry-go-round: In contrast, Ferretti’s current run with Tigres has coincided with the tenures of six other managers of the Mexican national team: Javier Aguirre, Efrain Flores, Jose Manuel de la Torre, Luis Fernando Tena, Victor Manuel Vucetich and Miguel Herrera.
- The stakes: If USMNT fans were hoping Mexico wouldn’t be interested in going to the Confederations Cup, they would be wrong. Not only does Mexico take the tournament very seriously, they’ve actually won it once, back in 1999. (Former New York Red Bull Rafa Marquez was part of that squad). To be fair, that edition was hosted in Mexico, but they’ve been to six Confederations Cup tournaments, and also have third-place (1995) and fourth-place (2005) finishes to their credit.
- Form goes to US: For all the passion in the US-Mexico rivalry, the record in recent years is fairly lopsided, with Mexico going 5-13-5 since 2000 against the US. On top of that, Mexico have gone 0-3-3 against the US since Jurgen Klinsmann became US manager.
- Gio Dos Santos almost came back: Ferretti did not call up LA Galaxy star Giovani Dos Santos for his first two games in charge, leading many to wonder if the U-17 World Cup winner and 2012 Olympics gold medalist would be left off the CONCACAF Cup squad. But Dos Santos got recalled for the big game--only for fans to find out on Monday that an injury will, after all, keep him out.
- What a goal: Perhaps the most memorable moment of Dos Santos’ El Tri senior career came in 2011 in the Gold Cup final against the US. Also held in the Rose Bowl, Dos Santos scored the final goal in a 4-2 comeback victory for Mexico, but it was an absolute beauty. Watch it above!
- Injury watch: Recent injuries to current captain Andres Guardado and mainstay Rafa Marquez appeared to leave both outside of the CONCACAF Cup clash, but Ferretti included both on his final roster (Mexico named a 25-man roster instead of the regulation 23). So there is, presumably, a chance one or both could suit up on Saturday for El Tri.
- Should US take a page out of T&T’s book? Trinidad & Tobago, believe it or not, have played Mexico twice this year and scored a total of seven goals on them. Of course, they’ve also conceded seven goals to El Tri, but given the free-scoring ways between these teams, once in the Gold Cup and again in a September friendly, maybe Klinsmann should give T&T coach Stephen Hart a call before the big game.
- Tuca’s stealth game: Finally, let’s end on a silly note. Ferretti is known as a no-nonsense type of manager, in a country where colorful coaches are not unusual. But when he was ejected from a game in 2014, he tried – unsuccessfully – to hide behind the bench, away from the officials’ sight. Now that’s dedication.
