Mexican football has been in intensive care for years

I write these lines just unpacked from Dallas, where the Mexican national team once again failed in its attempt to reclaim the top spot in CONCACAF.

Time flies, and it’s been five years since Mexico last defeated the United States in an official tournament. And although we recently won the Gold Cup, today more than ever it’s clear to us that the absence of the top teams from the USA and Canada made our task easier.

This time everything was so, so predictable that I can assure you that days before, I was discussing with some colleagues about the conversation that would be taking place during this week. Unfortunately, I was not wrong. At this hour, André Jardine and Guillermo Almada are trending. Yes… once again, social media is looking for a new coach for the tricolor ship.

Really?

Hasn’t the history of the last 30 years (from what I’ve experienced) been enough, where the solution always seems to lie on the bench? Miguel Mejía Barón, Lapuente, Ojitos Meza, Aguirre, Erikson, Chepo de la Torre, Miguel Herrera, Juan Carlos Osorio, Tata Martino, Diego Cocca, and Jaime Lozano. (This without counting the recurrent interim appointments of Tuca Ferretti, Luis Fernando Tena, Vucetich, etc.)

That’s right, Mexico has tried all kinds of strategies, and the result remains the same. Well, actually, the results have been worse now.

Enough with believing that the solution lies in a specific coach or player. And by this, I don’t mean to say that we should stop questioning Jimmy Lozano and his choice of certain players. Of course, criticism should come when the results don’t come, especially in the way we fell to the United States without hardly competing.

However, this kind of criticism doesn’t benefit the true problem that our football is going through at all. To put it in other words, this kind of criticism would be similar to prescribing an aspirin to a patient in intensive care. And Mexican football is a patient in critical condition, which, if not given a prompt and efficient treatment, could die.

Let’s start with the fact that the cure will take a long time. And by ‘long,’ I mean years. And by years, I mean SEVERAL YEARS.

I’ll be very brief and basic. What does Mexican football need? Better players. That simple to mention, but quite difficult to solve.

How is it possible that, among millions of lovers of this sport in our country, we are not capable of generating hundreds and hundreds of talents? Not to go too far, it seems that we haven’t managed to gather 11 good footballers

Who is responsible for shaping, teaching, and preparing all those children who aspire to become professional footballers? Let’s start there. Who is responsible for finding those talents playing in the neighborhoods or local schools of their town or city?

The malaise of Mexican football starts from the deepest roots of the sport, even outside professionalism. That coach who trains the future footballers is probably not adequately trained. Perhaps they have another job and dedicate their remaining time to coaching children to earn some extra income, as the salaries are far from adequate.

That child who could significantly develop their talent will be hindered in their process for this simple yet at the same time complicated reason.

It is urgent that experts from other countries come in and that ours are trained and prepared better. Otherwise, it will be impossible to form good footballers.

By the time some of them reach professional stages like a second division or U-20 team of a professional club, the damage is already done, and it’s very difficult to fix.

What is the next step? If you are in the second division, you are left to pray and hope for a miracle, as unbelievably our football has no promotion system, and it is highly likely that you will remain stagnant.

If you are in the U-20 team, you also have to pray. Because opportunities are minimal, and the first team is filled with mediocre foreign players (for the most part) who don’t make a difference and occupy 80% of the usual squads.

To add to this, the coach’s job is on the line every week because patience and long-term projects do not exist for most executives, and that same coach won’t risk their job by giving you a chance. At least by fielding the foreign player their sporting director bought, they can keep their job for a few more weeks.

Despite all these difficulties, there are Mexican footballers who manage to find a place in the first division. And now, welcome to the most mediocre format you can find.

How to acquire a competitive culture if your league is not competitive? How to deal with pressure if there is no pressure in your league to avoid relegation or being eliminated prematurely? How to become a better player if you don’t face the best players?

More than half the teams are fighting for the title, and absolutely no one is at risk of losing their job (relegation). It’s impossible for Mexican footballers to respond when faced with a challenging environment. Competitions at the national team and club levels never go beyond Central America, where the opponents are infinitely inferior (with some exceptions).

And finally, we have reached the last step. Although it may seem like a miracle, after all that was mentioned before, there are indeed Mexican footballers (counted on one hand) who will be ready to take the next step and find an opportunity in Europe.

And what do you think?… now we have to deal with the exorbitant prices (almost unaffordable) that Mexican executives demand for a certain player.

All this so that, upon arrival, it will be shown that they are still not entirely ready to compete at the elite level. And most of them return after a few seasons.

Only a few manage to establish themselves at a club, or in their absence, endure against all odds and secure a place more through conviction and courage than quality.

And it will be a mix of these same players who will represent the Mexican national team, and the result will be as we already know.

And then?… Do we still think that the problem is the coach? That if Guillermo Ochoa doesn’t play, the problems will be solved? That if Santi Giménez is a starter, everything will improve?

Unfortunately, the illness of Mexican football is far from being cured with these kinds of solutions. It’s years and years of not prioritizing sports that have brought the national soccer to such a serious condition today.

Where to start?… a great question.

For now, the Mexican League returns with matches this weekend. Remember that at mexplay.mx you can bet on your favorite team and have maximum fun during these vacations with their welcome bonuses.

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