The last time the Mexican Soccer Team played at Levi’s Stadium, they lost 7-0 to Chile. Last night (March 23), however, they defeated Iceland 3-0. If there were any doubts about Coach Juan Carlos Osorio’s recruitment skills, Friday’s game confirmed his technique. Reports by the Los Angeles Times provided a lot of information used in this article.

Mexico coach Osorio’s unique strategy

At this point, Osorio has more than enough players to take the field at this summer’s World Cup. So many, in fact, that he’ll have to cut the number down before the event.

But Osorio explained that he wants to give every player an opportunity to prove themselves.

And it’s not just about soccer.

Osorio told the media that letting people show they have talent is “a principle of life,” and he wants to give that chance to as many players as possible. That could explain why he had spent so much time tracking down potential players to fill his ranks for the World Cup.

That strategy rewarded the team in Mexico’s game against Iceland, however, as midfielder Marco Fabian secured the team’s first hard-earned goal of the game. Last summer, Fabian underwent back surgery after an injury. This summer, it looks like he’s ready to prove himself.

Mexico national team gears up for World Cup

Although the Mexican national team took home gold at the 2012 Olympics and had a decent record of making it into the running for the Gold Cup (and winning three times in the last decade), they’ve never won the World Cup.

That said, Iceland didn’t quite stack up as competition, according to its stats.

The country’s small population and “underdog status” didn’t help its outlook on Friday’s game, but for Mexico, the comeback felt real.

Coach Osorio maintained that his team learned from their defeat at Levi’s Stadium in 2016, telling the press that recreating “the accident” was crucial in understanding it. Only then, he noted, could the team learn from it.

He said he’s glad it happened, and that he and the team learned from the experience. Whether or not the team pulls it together to rank in the World Cup, it sounds like Osorio’s proud of his team’s impressive work so far.

While at least four players were sidelined by injuries, including Jonathan and Gio dos Santos, that hasn’t stopped Mexico’s coaches from plotting their win this summer in Russia. The opening match will take place in Moscow, pitting Russia against Saudi Arabia.

Regardless of the World Cup outcome, Mexico’s fans at Levi’s Stadium- nearly 69,000 of them- saw impressive performances from Jesus Corona, Marco Fabian, and Miguel Layan. Hopefully, their success is an indication of Mexico’s willingness to ramp it up for the World Cup.
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