BRENT LATHAM – There’s an ironic twist to the rivalry between the Mexican and American soccer communities that has become ever more apparent in recent weeks.
In the U.S. a large portion of the population, present company included, is constantly agitating for change and risk taking, from personnel to formations to coaching choices. In Mexico, they’ve had far too much of such nonsense, and long for the stability of the American system – something the Mexican media seems to generally see as very positive for the program.
Mexico has now been through four coaches in a couple years – they have burned through a few Fed presidents of late as well. But those who decide these things seem to have taken a step back from the brink with the latest appointment, even if it did come after a Bob Bradley-esque campaign in which several managers apparently turned down the thankless job of coaching El Tri.
Now they’ve got Jose Manuel De la Torre, not exactly a big name – and that’s just the thing. In taking this decision, Mexico may have never so resembled the U.S.
Just as Nery Castillo is the Mexican Freddy Adu – sorry Fire fans – De La Torre (this version, not the now ex-federation prez) is in some ways the Mexican Bob Bradley. A conservative-minded local coach with decent experience if not Bradley’s long resume, De La Torre hopes to bring the understanding of the Mexican system and players to stabilize a teetering national team program with big ambitions.
Only time will tell if he is given the room he needs to work at it. Like Bradley, De La Torre would seem to be a organized, tactical thinker, but few others connected to the Mexican national team – the fans, media – despite the praise of the U.S. program, or the directors – are.
Like the U.S.’ Project 2010, the Mexicans have seen fit to set a date – 2018 – by which they hope to compete in earnest for the World Cup. IF De La Torre can make it even half way to that date, then change in earnest may have come to Mexico.
But those chances seem slim.
Mexico has produced some excellent young talent of late, but that talent level seems to get overrated in Mexico, largely because the starting point, for example of Mexicans playing in Europe, was so low.
Though most Mexican fans will argue incessantly to the contrary, the exploits of Javier Hernandez at Man U and occasional PT for Vela and Dos Santos in the Premiership put Mexico’s exports a little closer to even footing with the U.S., rather than light years ahead. Still, expectations for El Tri, based in the dozen or so Europe-based players, now far outstrip reality.
But that’s a discussion for another day. The point is that the quantity of soccer resources needed to consistently compete at a top five world class level still don’t exist in Mexico, just as they don’t exist in the U.S.
Will expectations come back into line with reality anytime soon? Probably not. So we may not have a Mexican Bob Bradley on our hands after all. De La Torre will never last that long.
And the debate over whether that’s a good or bad thing will go on – with likely differing opinions on the north and south sides of the border.
Like most things, the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. But don’t expect either Fed to find that middle ground anytime soon.