Another Concacaf Tournament is nearing its end, and again the final comes down to The Yankees vs Los Azteca’s. El Tri and the USA will add another chapter to their rivalry this Sunday in the final of the Concacaf Nations League. Here’s a look at which matchups will be crucial in crowning a champion.
Tata vs Berhalter
This game may come down to each team’s tactical set up. Both Tata and Berhalter have experimented with a 3-4-3 recently, but Berhalter has reverted back to his traditional 4-3-3 in crunch time, while Martino stuck with his 3-4-3 formation the past two games. Why is this important? Well both teams have fairly stationary CB’s and quick attacking players, meaning that the wrong formation can spell a long night for the back lines. Matchups to keep an out for will be whether Chucky will line up
Wing Play
While Tata has been experimenting with a 3-4-3 recently with his two left backs playing higher up the pitch, I’m assuming he’ll go back to his trusted 4-3-3 for the final. As such, wing play will be crucial in the game. For the USA, Sergino Dest is a constant attacking threat playing down the whichever wing he’s on, while either Robinson or Cannon are more defensive, but will overlap the top line when necessary. It will be interesting to see on which side Tata lines up Chucky Lozano to combat the USA’s backs from moving up.
On the other end, if Tata decides to go with the 3-4-3, he may expose his back line to the flurry of Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic, two speedy wings that can give the more stationary Mexican backline fits.
Battle For The Midfield
Again, assuming both managers go with a three man midfield, this battle will be key in keeping ball control. The Matchup of Romo, Herrera, and Guardado against Adams, McKennie, and Lletget is intriguing to say the least. Both teams like to dominate ball control and whoever wins this battle may take the advantage.
While both teams have had no issues scoring impervious games, recently goals have been difficult to come by. Mexico is struggling to replace Raul Jimenez up front, while the USA hasn’t found its starting forward yet. With that said, both teams XG and XGA are eerily similar. El Tri boasts a XG of 1.57 to the USA’s 1.55 and an XGA of .74 to the Americans .72. With two evenly matched squads, Memo Ochoa and Zack Steffen will have to bring their A game.
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