A 3-1 win over Jamaica in the 2015 Gold Cup final pushed Mexico through to a one-game playoff to determine CONCACAF’s representative in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup (that match scheduled for October 9th). Before we get to that all-important playoff, let’s look back at that Gold Cup and breakdown the biggest winners and losers.
Winner: Andres Guardado
Mexico
For all of the talk about the officiating and controversy surrounding how Mexico reached the final, the truth is that at any point along the way Guardado could have blown the opportunity to push his team forward. However, he was outstanding when the stakes were at their absolute highest. Guardado scored some crucial penalty kick goals in high-pressure situations and his six goals in the tournament fell one short of tying Clint Dempsey for most at the Gold Cup. No other player had more than four tallies and only four players had more than two goals, so it shows just how valuable he was.
Mexico will need its top players at their absolute best when they play the United States. If Guardado continues to step up, they’ll have a chance to win that matchup.
Loser: Mark Geiger
CONCACAF
If you haven’t heard the name by now, you will remember Mark Geiger as the official whose “human error” likely cost Panama a spot in the Gold Cup final. The president of CONCACAF acknowledged that mistakes were made during the semifinal between Panama and Mexico with two particular calls that nearly led to Panama players leaving the pitch. The first was a disputed red card that left Panama with 10 men in only the 25th minute while the second was the hand ball in the box that led to the tying goal on a penalty kick in second half added time.
Mexico scored the late penalty and then won the game off another penalty kick in the extra period to advance. Geiger had to be escorted off the field by security in order to keep him safe as the majority of people in the stadium wanted to rip him to parts. The Panama team posed with a banner after the game that called CONCACAF corrupt thieves and while they issued an apology, both Geiger and the governing body as a whole have to be considered losers after what happened in those games.
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Loser: Miguel Herrera
Mexico
Herrera entered the tournament on a bit of a hot seat. His future as manager of the Mexican team came down to whether or not his team beat Jamaica in the final as he probably would have been fired if they lost. As it turns out, they won and he got fired anyways. Even though it was the country’s first major title since 2011 and deemed to be Herrera’s saving grace, he actually punched a reporter on Monday in the Philadelphia International Airport. The issue is that airport officials said that no such incident was captured on security cameras. After taking a closer look at the facts, the Mexico Football Federation decided to put it to a vote. Unfortunately for Herrera, the numbers were not in his favor. As a result, he was sacked on Tuesday and even though he led his team to victory, he ends up being one of the biggest losers of the tournament.
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Loser: Michael Hector
Jamaica
It’s hard to rip on any one player that helped Jamaica reach the final of the Gold Cup but the center back Hector had a final he will want to forget. It was Hector that conceded the turnover that led to the eventual game-winning goal in the 47th minute and he was at fault again 14 minutes later when he gave the ball away on Mexico’s third goal. Hector played an integral role in helping Jamaica reach the final but it’s clear that he struggled in the ultimate game. It’s too bad that this will be the most vivid memory but that’s just the reality. He let them down when they needed him most.
