Mexico struggles in scoreless draw with Jamaica

Jamaica holds off Mexico for a draw. Both sides sit at the top of Group C.

Heading into the game against Jamaica, Mexico looked like one of the best sides in the cup. Against El Salvador, El Tri played aggressively and created plenty of scoring opportunities. However, this was not the case against Jamaica.

From the start, Mexico controlled possession of the ball. The Jamaicans gave them plenty of space in the midfield.

However, once Mexico got near Jamaica’s side of the field, the Reggae Boyz swarmed the ball. They pressured well, forcing Mexico to move the ball back to the middle of the field.

Mexican strikers Erick “Cubo” Torres (Houston) and Rodolfo Pizarro (Chivas) never found clear space to shoot. They did not look comfortable.

The best scoring opportunity for Mexico in the first half came from Torres. After a solid pass from Pizarro, Torres got a piece of it with his head and hit the right post.

Elias Hernandez also never found his rhythm on the wings. He had a great game against El Salvador, but was pretty invisible against Jamaica.

The Reggae Boyz barely gave him any space to create. There were always two players marking him. El Tri just could not get anything going.

In the second half, the story was basically the same. Mexico continued to move the ball well in the midfield and the Jamaicans just sat back waiting to pressure.

As Mexico tried to push for a goal they got sloppy. Torres and Hernandez stopped chasing the ball. They often lost passes on the wings that could have led to something.

Jamaica never got risky and were able to hold off Mexico for a scoreless draw. The thousands of Mexican fans at the game were certainly unhappy with the result. They booed the team mercilessly near the end of the half.

Analysis for Jamaica

The Reggae Boyz never really looked threatening against Mexico. They had no shots on goal and only kept a single striker up top for most of the game.

The game plan for Jamaica was to sit back and wait for a mistake. With speedy players like Jermaine Taylor and Je-Vaughn Watson, Jamaica wanted to catch Mexico on the counter. This plan didn’t work though.

Jamaica played conservatively with ball and focused more on defending. It worked in their favor, Mexico could not break through. The Reggae Boyz were well-organized in the back.

They barely fouled Mexico’s players on their end of the field. Without allowing many set pieces, Jamaica kept Mexico at bay.

With this kind of defensive discipline, Jamaica should do well against El Salvador.

Analysis for Mexico

Few things went well for Mexico against Jamaica. Torres was poor up top. In the second half he was practically invisible.

Hernandez also never found his rhythm. When Mexico needed him to create passes, he never found the space. Defensive midfielder Jesus Gallardo and striker Rodolfo Pizarro also had forgettable games.

The only bright spot for Mexico in this game was the backline. Defenders Hedgardo Marin and Edson Alvarez put on solid performances. Captain Hugo Ayala also looked better against Jamaica than he did against El Salvador.

It’s clear the problem for Mexico is not its defense. It’s the offense. There’s a lack of chemistry up top.

El Tri really need a playmaker to create scoring opportunities in the opponent’s side of the field. Someone like Pizarro or Orbelin Pineda will have to step up and help Hernandez.

Next: USMNT struggles but beats Martinique 3-2

Mexico should do well against Curaçao, but the team’s performance against Jamaica should raise some concerns moving forward.