By Rafael

1) A lack of depth in the Mexico midfield proved costly.

In truth, Mexico’s midfield call-up for this game was nothing to brag about. On paper it was not very encouraging, and their deficiencies were on portrayal on Wednesday. The U.S.’s Michael Bradley pulled the strings for the entirety of the match, and there was neither substance nor creativity from Mexico’s midfield.

At first glance, Mario Osuna’s call-up made little sense, but perhaps it was the fact the he is used to playing in a system similar to Herrera’s at Queretaro that attracted the El Tri manager. However, Osuna looked out of place, and Michael Bradley took special advantage of that in the first 20 minutes.

In addition, Luis Montes was barred from being the creative player that he is, and Carlos Esquivel only showed glimpses at times. El Tri fans can get some satisfaction in knowing that this midfield combination won’t set foot together on a field again.

2) Erick “Cubo” Torres failed to step up to the occasion.

For more than one reason, Erick “Cubo” Torres was on the eyes of many today. The young Chivas forward is headed to Houston Dynamo in a few months, and this game was the perfect setting for him to gain even more admirers north of the Mexican border.

Nonetheless, Cubo was woeful on Wednesday. His nutmeg on Omar Gonzalez will live on forever through vines on social media, but that was about the only thing he got right.

On the other hand, Eduardo Herrera looked like the livelier of the two starting Mexican strikers, and at least for today, Herrera was the better of the two.

3) Mexico’s first-half center-backs the only positive from Wednesday.

It may seem like an unwonted complement for Mexico’s first-half center-backs, but the instant they were substituted out for the second-half, Mexico completely fell apart. Carlos Salcedo, who made his debut with the senior side on Wednesday, looked solid, and Hiram Mier looked better than some of his past colleagues like Hugo Ayala. Moreover, Francisco “Maza” Rodriguez didn’t look too bad playing the sweeper position.

In contrast, Julio Cesar Dominguez and Oswaldo Alanis continued to create a feeling of uneasiness at the back. Tonight’s performance may have swayed Miguel Herrera’s attention away from both.

4) Miguel Herrera’s selection process for this game should be questioned.

Miguel Herrera shouldn’t be very happy with what he saw today. Prior to the game, Herrera admitted that he has 90% of his squads determined for this summer’s competitions. This came before a number of players in Wednesday’s match showcased their talents under Herrera for the first time. One wonders, why Herrera didn’t just use this game to give some deserving Liga MX youngsters a chance instead of players who likely won’t wear the El Tri jersey again.

In Marco Bueno’s case, Herrera made it very clear he was only with the senior national team due to necessity. Carlos Salcedo was one exception for Herrera, but there are a handful of youth players who could have had a similar impact with this national team. Why not Erick Gutterrez instead of Mario Osuna? Hirving Lozano?

5) Mexico fans can take solace that they will never see this same team again.

The terrible pitch was always going to be a topic of discussion, but it shouldn’t be the focus of anybody’s excuses. The USMNT won fair and square, and it was a terrible performance for El Tri. Nevertheless, Mexico fans can rest assured they will never see this same team ever again. Mexico have a big summer ahead, and things promise to get better.