Crisis For Mexico: Chepo Dismissed And The US Awaits




Beyond The Pitch show

Summary: Within hours after dropping yet more points at Estadio Azteca on Saturday against Honduras, the Mexican federation wasted little time in finally removing Jose Manuel De la Torre as its first team manager with seven rounds completed in 2014 World Cup qualification, and replacing him with Luis Fernando Tena who took the U23s to a gold medal in London just over a year ago. That speaks to the cause and effect of an embarrassing home loss, but helping us breakdown some of the timing, root causes and factors is Mexican and World Sport commentator Martha Guerra who offers us her perspective on an underperforming team that now finds itself fourth in a six-team CONCACAF final qualifying group and dangerously close to a playoff slot with Oceania champion New Zealand for what should have been a secured passage to Brazil. We also look at the two players who have dogged Chepo throughout this process in Real Sociedad forward Carlos Vela and goalkeeper Memo Ochoa, whether the bigger narrative being missed is how the smaller regional teams have finally begun to narrow the gap with the Mexicans and Americans or if these two super powers have taken them too lightly, and then ask the big question as to whether three matches and 72 hours before a gripping match with the United States is enough time for Luis Fernando Tena. We also take a deeper look at the de-evolution of Javier Hernandez since 2010 to observe whether Chepo was denied not just some important goals from what should be his superstar goalscorer, but also a leader who was lost given his lack of productivity and playing time. Martha Guerra has been a contributor to ESPNdeportes.com and a sports commentator for over two decades. She has experience in television and radio and on ESPN Radio Formula since 1993 as an analyst for tennis and golf, as well as special coverage of France 98, and as a magazine and newspaper columnist specializing in Mexican and world sport.