Many of Mexico's veterans showed their experience during the team's run to the Concacaf championship, but other Europe-based stars fell flat
Everyone's a winner. That's a fact. At least, it is for the Mexico national team after its 1-0 victory Sunday over the United States in the Gold Cup final.
But did everyone pull their weight for the national team? Goal graded every Mexico player who played at least 90 minutes during the six-match tournament. Scroll down to see how your favorite players measured up…
GK – Guillermo Ochoa – AThe goalkeeper was everything Mexico needed at the Gold Cup. He was strong at the back when commanding his line and alert even during the group phase when he had little to do. El Tri may not even have made it all the way were it not for Ochoa's penalty stop in the quarterfinal against Costa Rica.AdvertisementGrant HalversonGK – Jonathan Orozco – BOrozco made a single save in his one start – a 3-2 win in the final group match against Martinique. He couldn't do much about the free kick and eventually El Tri got out of the game. The Santos Laguna goalkeeper likely doesn't have much future with the national team, with Ochoa as a strong No. 1 and younger shot-stoppers rising through the ranks. Yet, he did his job in this tournament, giving Ochoa a rest when needed.Getty ImagesRB – Chaka Rodriguez – B-Chaka had some ups and down this tournament, and right back may be an area of concern going forward for Tata Martino. At this tournament, though, the manager had no doubt he would turn to the Tigres defender.
Defensively, there are questions, but Rodriguez got into the attack well and closed out the tournament tied for third in most minutes played.Jim WatsonRB – Fernando Navarro – B+Navarro played just one match, but he scored in that contest and gave Rodriguez a break. It's a bit of a feel-good story that a 30-year-old right back won his first cap and scored in his first-ever official match. At the back, he was not as strong as he could've been.