Friday’s Group A opener between Mexico and Cameroon marks the first time in World Cup history that the two countries have met and only the second time ever (the first was an international friendly in 1993).
For the underdogs of Group A, the winner of this match will take a very important step in competing with Croatia for the 2nd spot out of the Group and into the round of sixteen. For Mexico it is a matter of which team will show up to compete. Will it be the team that lost more games in qualifying for the World Cup than any other team? Or it will be the El Tri team that before back to back 1-0 losses had racked off six matches in a row without a defeat?
If Mexico wants to advance into the second round, it is absolutely imperative that they beat Cameroon. El Tri was the 2012 London Olympics Gold Medal winner. Since that victory however, and last year’s Confederations Cup, only four players still remain. With seven new home grown players on the team, newly implemented coach, Miguel Herrera will seek to surprise Cameroon with his new 5-3-2 system that focuses heavily on defense. To run his defense, Herrera brought back 35-year-old veteran defenseman, Rafael Marquez.
Marquez will be supported by Olympic gold medal heroes, Oribe Peralta and Giovani Dos Santos. Both players have tremendous talent and have experience in big games at the highest level. Coming off the bench will be Manchester United’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, who expressed his discontent earlier in the week saying he is “sick and tired of being on the bench” and adding that he is “tired of so many people seeing me as a super substitute, I’m a player who scores.” Regardless of whether or not he starts or sits, Chicharito is known for late game heroics coming from the bench and he will be sure to be a difference maker in all of El Tri’s matches.
Coach Miguel Herrera believes Chicharito and his players are set to make history saying earlier this week, “After every training session finishes I feel reassured that every single one of the players is going to help us get through this group and go on to make history.” His captain, Marquez is taking it one game at a time saying simply, “It’s crucial we start well, take the three points and build momentum for the big challenges that lie ahead.”
As for Cameroon, like Mexico, they too found themselves needing a miracle to simply make the World Cup. Sitting at home thinking they were out of the World Cup, Cameroon needed an overturned call because of Togo’s fielding of an ineligible player to make it to the World Cup. They are led by German coach, Volker Finke who is implementing many facets of the German team’s style of play including the very compact 4-3-3 formation. This formation seemed to work against the German foes in a recent friendly when Cameroon tied the Germans 2-2.
Cameroon will look for its offense from veteran player and captain, Samuel Eto’o. Although lacking creativity on the offensive attack, he is a true striker. He will be surrounded on the wings by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Benjamin Moukandjo. Both wing players will need to play excellent and give Eto’o plenty of chances at the goal if Cameroon is to have a chance of winning the match.
Mexico will be without starters, Juan Carlos Medina and Luis Montes whom they lost to brutal injuries in the weeks prior to the World Cup. Cameroon should be at full strength for the match.
As earlier stated this game will all come down to which team shows up for the match. Mexico is capable of playing great, but also playing poorly. Cameroon is not expected to win a game in this tournament, but if they can play like they did against Germany they stand a good chance of not only winning a game, but making it out of group play. The game is set to kick off at 12 p.m. (EST) at the Estadio das Dunas in Brazil. It can be seen on ESPN and in Spanish on Univision. For live streaming, go to ESPN3.com and Univision.com
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