HOUSTON, Tex. -- Mexico's national team started off its road to the Gold Cup with a 1-0 win over Ghana. Here are five things we learned from El Tri's friendly at NRG Stadium.
1. Jesus Duenas will be El Tri's secret weapon
After giving formidable performances in the Liguilla with Tigres in the 2017 Clausura, Jesus Duenas went through a tumultuous spell. Juan Carlos Osorio and his coaching staff saw Duenas as a versatile midfielder who could turn into an important part of the Confederations Cup squad but the Tigres midfielder had to take care of family issues, which prevented him from participating in the friendlies Mexico had against Croatia and Ireland before taking on Honduras and the U.S. in Hexagonal play.
The fact that Duenas missed that mini-camp in the U.S. hurt his chances of making Mexico's final Confederations Cup roster, but the Gold Cup suddenly turns into a significant opportunity for him to show how far he's come as a midfielder.
Duenas shines because of the way he reads the game in the center of the field. His movements are always calculated and his leadership will be key for players like Erick Gutierrez and Rodolfo Pizarro, who will have to be clinical in the final third. Against Ghana, Duenas began to show signs that he will convince Osorio that he's ready to be part of next year's World Cup team.
2. Jesus Molina, Edson Alvarez and Jorge "Burrito" Hernandez to battle for starting defensive midfield role
It's ironic that Mexico's team in Russia only has one natural defensive midfielder like Rafael Marquez (who has only played 44 minutes since Mar. 25) while the Gold Cup team has three options with Alvarez, Molina and Hernandez. Although the FC Porto midfielder has looked sharp as El Tri's defensive midfielder, it's well-known that he's not totally comfortable in the position. Molina and Burrito had minutes against Ghana and will continue to do so because Alvarez is still in Russia.
The 19-year-old Alvarez, who was once described by Argentine manager Ricardo La Volpe as a player with similar qualities to that of Franz Beckenbauer, will not have an easy time getting a starting spot with Hernandez and Molina also looking to impress.
3. A healthy Alan Pulido will create a lot of danger up front
One of the aspects that stood out Wednesday night was El Tri's lack of a finisher. Mexico didn't have a killer inside the box. Even though Angel Sepulveda and Martin Barragan tried, their intentions were futile. El Tri only had three shots on goal against Ghana's nine.
Pulido, who didn't play against Ghana, will need to shine in the Gold Cup for Mexico, but for these friendly games, the coaching staff wants to take him step by step. They don't want to rush Pulido as he recovers from a minor knee injury he suffered in the past weeks training for the national team. It'll be interesting to see if he gets minutes against Paraguay at CenturyLink Field.
4. Defensive issues will decrease as the team gains more minutes
An argument can be made that El Tri was lucky to leave Houston with a 1-0 win. Moises Munoz and Jose de Jesus Corona, both of whom saw playing time in goal, made important saves to allow Mexico to walk away with the victory. It's still up in the air how El Tri's defense will look but the coaching staff will have plenty of options at each position. The mix of youth and experience is appropriate in an area of the field where the team will need a lot of authority and balance.
5. Elias Hernandez keeps impressing with goals
The Leon winger scored the only goal of the night and even though it came from the penalty spot, he's currently this Gold Cup squad's leading scorer. Last Friday, El Tri had a preparation game against Ascenso MX side Zacatepec in which Hernandez scored twice. In the past week, he has scored three goals and will be looking to increase his tally against Paraguay in Seattle on Saturday.
Since his performance against Croatia on May 27, Hernandez has proven that he can go shoulder-to-shoulder with several of the players in Mexico's squad currently in Russia. Like Duenas, Hernandez is another player who counts with the Liga MX experience and maturity to make a statement in this Gold Cup.