Mexico’s hopes for Women’s World Cup spot look shaky after CONCACAF W loss. Can El Tri Feminil get back on track? – Ghana Latest Football News, Live Scores, Results

Mexico’s hopes for a 2023 World Cup spot have already gone awry on the CONCACAF W Championship. Can defender Kenti Robles and coach Monica Vergara proper the ship? Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Photographs

Initially seen as among the many favorites to earn one of many 4 direct tickets to the 2023 Ladies’s World Cup, Mexico have instantly put themselves in an unexpectedly troublesome scenario after kicking off the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship with a 1-0 loss to Jamaica on Monday.

The event, within the northern Mexican metropolis of Monterrey, was set to be a showcase of the progress made by a nationwide staff program that has not solely lived within the shadows of america and Canada, but additionally had did not qualify for the 2019 Ladies’s World Cup.

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Coupled with a younger however flourishing girls’s prime flight via Liga MX Femenil, and a brand new technology of expertise that was guided by nationwide staff supervisor Monica Vergara — who coached Mexico of their run to 2nd place on the 2018 U17 Ladies’s World Cup — El Tri Femenil had been able to step out and turn out to be a powerhouse within the CONCACAF area.

Or, as goalkeeper Itzel Gonzalez put it in an interview with ESPN earlier this 12 months: “Not solely a way [to be able to reach the next level], however a accountability.”

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With a 10-game undefeated streak heading into Monday’s match, which included 9 wins and 52 targets scored, Mexico had excessive hopes of their opener towards Jamaica.

That’s till eight minutes into the sport on the Estadio Universitario.

Leaping actually and metaphorically larger than Mexico was Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, who surprised the house staff with an ideal header to place Jamaica up early on. The hosts pushed ahead however nearly regarded dazed as they stored operating right into a sea of yellow jerseys that did effectively to soak up stress, minimize out midfield choices, and hit Mexico on counters.

Late into the primary half, Jamaica would then win a penalty within the fortieth minute. Luckily for Mexico, Havana Solaun launched the ball over the online to maintain the scoreline the identical at halftime.

Desperation started to kick in in the course of the second half. Numerous crosses — 25 of 34 off-target — had been catapulted as Hail Marys into Jamaica’s 18-yard field. Strive as Mexico might, it was their rivals with fewer possession who regarded extra harmful when the ball was at their toes.

Led by Lorne Donaldson, a former assistant coach in Main League Soccer who has given the nationwide staff gig simply final month, Jamaica had been environment friendly when pouncing on alternatives to counter. In actual fact, they had been unfortunate to solely rating as soon as after Solaun missed the penalty and Shaw hit the woodwork within the second. Nonetheless, as soon as the ultimate whistle was blown, it was Jamaica who proudly celebrated the three factors whereas Mexico slowly made their manner off the pitch.

“Nightmare,” famous one Mexican sports activities paper the following morning in all caps. “Horrible debut,” said one other.

“I am accountable for this outcome. Any criticism you might have, I am going to take it and I am going to admire it as a result of it helps me develop. I take full accountability,” Vergara mentioned after the match.

Jamaica are on strong floor after Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw’s stellar objective gave them the win. Jaime Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Photographs

The lesson shall be an vital one for the supervisor who has thus far gone via only a few missteps since taking cost in January 2021. Vergara has completed a implausible job of bringing in new faces and making an attempt out totally different choices in her call-ups, however that additionally appeared to go one step too far when using an XI that was lower than ideally suited towards Jamaica.

Up prime, she went with the promising but additionally inexperienced Diana Ordoñez as an alternative of certainly one of her two finest strikers in Alicia Cervantes and Katty Martinez. Defensively, there have been query marks over the shocking backline partnership of Casandra Montero with Rebeca Bernal as an alternative of Bernal with Cristina Ferral. The absence of Diana Garcia from the midfield was additionally a head-scratcher.

It was nearly as if Vergara underestimated Jamaica. The identical might be mentioned for the noticeable lack of Mexico supporters in attendance who most likely anticipated a simple win and had different video games — together with an upcoming showdown towards america — and future knockout spherical fixtures circled on their calendars.

Now, relying on how issues go, Mexico might not even qualify for the knockout spherical, which might thereby not earn them a direct spot for the 2023 Ladies’s World Cup both.

In a event that may also have the highest two groups from every group qualifying for the World Cup (third within the group will enter a 10-team inter-confederation playoff in 2023), El Tri Feminil at the moment are at a heavy drawback with a loss. With the USWNT beating Haiti earlier within the day, it’s Jamaica who’re sitting in second place of Group A.

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It is nonetheless too early to do totally different permutations for match outcomes and factors, nevertheless it may come right down to Mexico presumably needing not less than some extent or even perhaps a win towards the USWNT to immediately qualify for the World Cup. That and/or for Haiti, the bottom FIFA-ranked staff within the group, to not less than maintain Jamaica to a draw on the ultimate matchday.

As talked about although, regardless of how dire issues appear, followers and media should not hit the panic button simply but — and for what it is price, Vergara and her gamers have not.

“[The loss] would not outline us. We’ll proceed our course of,” Vergara added. “It is merely a stumble in our path and we’ll work on our upcoming video games.”

Defender Kenti Robles was extra candid on whether or not it is a disaster but for her staff.

“Whoever throws within the towel, they will get off the boat,” mentioned Robles after the defeat. “We’ve got two video games left and we’ll battle till the final minute.”

Wanting ahead, no matter room for errors that Mexico had accessible, they’ve all however vanished. If they’d gained towards Jamaica, all that the staff would have wanted was one other three factors towards Haiti on Thursday whatever the outcome towards the USWNT subsequent Monday.

Now, they can not afford to make many errors, if any in any respect within the group stage. In the event that they do as soon as once more, they will probably return to the shadows figuring out that they missed out on a useful alternative to achieve that subsequent stage.

Supply: espn.co.uk