March 14 – Next Thursday, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA plays hosts to an intriguing semifinal in the Concacaf Nations Leagues between the spiritual big boy of the region, Mexico, and the relatively new upstart, Canada.
Each team is coached by former midfielders, turned highly respected coaches in the form of Mexico’s, Javier Aguirre, and Canada’s Jesse Marsch.
Aguirre cut his teeth as a player with spells at Club America, and their fiercest rivals, Chivas of Guadalajara, as well as a couple of years in Spain and a season with the famed Los Angeles Aztecs in the old North American Soccer League (NASL). He also represented his country during the World Cup in 1986 played in his home country and was well known for his tactical awareness on the field.
As a manager he has traveled the globe coaching the national teams of Japan, Egypt, and now the Tricolor for the third time. His club career was also as varied and included a three-year stint with Atletico Madrid.
Staring across the technical area, is the American, Jesse Marsch. Marsch played in Major League Soccer (MLS) for 14 seasons winning three MLS Cups and four U.S. Open Cups while playing for the Chicago Fire and DC United. He also captained Chivas USA. As an international player he only won two caps, however, he was always considered a reliable, solid player who relished the dirty work.
Marsch’s managerial career has seen him coach in MLS with the Montreal Impact, NY Red Bulls, leading to a move across the pond to remain in the Red Bull family with Salzburg and then RB Leipzig, before a spell in the Premier League with Leeds United. The Canadian national team job is his first in international football.
Their coaching styles could not be more different.
Marsch favors a high-intensity pressing system that focuses on central overloads, and lightning-quick transitions after winning possession. Marsch is coming up on a year in the job and in that time his team has adapted well to the way of playing. It is high-octane stuff with risk and reward.
Aguirre on the other hand prioritises defensive solidity. His teams follow a structured pattern of play, that minimizes risk, however, on the counter they are quick, precise, and have the ability to create quality chances.
While his squad contains some familiar faces, Aguirre dropped a bombshell by leaving out Guillermo Ochoa who has been the undisputed number one goalkeeper since 2005, earning 151 caps. The majority of the squad plays domestically in Liga MX, however, he has some international star power in the guise of Raul Jimenez and Edson Alvarez who play for Fulham and West Ham in the English Premier League respectively.
Marsch like his American counterpart, Mauricio Pochettino has not been shy about dipping into MLS for eight of his 23-man squad, however all eyes will be on Alphonso Davies who has been nothing short of spectacular for German Bundesliga league leaders, Bayern Munich. Joining Davies from Europe will be Jonathan David who has scored a goal every other match since joining Ligue 1 club, Lille, and Stephen Eustaquio from FC Porto in Portugal.
These three players are considered the bedrock of Canada’s ‘Golden Generation’ and have been largely responsible for the resurgence of the Maple Leafs on the world stage.
According to the Concacaf seeding permutation, Canada comes into the 4-team tournament as the number one seed, while Mexico is ranked fourth, however, Mexico can expect raucous support at SoFi stadium, which if they are playing well will turbo-charge them to victory. If on the other hand they struggle, expect a capacity crowd to turn on them and create an atmosphere that in the past has caused them to turn in some disjointed performances.
The last five matches between these two nations has seen Canada win once, Mexico twice while there have been two draws. The bookmakers are currently making the Canadian favourites at around +130, with the Mexicans at +200
Writers Prediction: Canada 2-1 Mexico.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1741970680labto1741970680ofdlr1741970680owedi1741970680sni@o1741970680fni1741970680