Mexican national team head coach Miguel Herrera made it abundantly clear that he would show his World Cup hand in the international friendly against Portugal on June 6. While the speculation and prognostication continues to run rampant, the anticipation for the team's first XI—at least against Israel on Wednesday—is already known.
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Fox Deportes' Ruben Rodriguez announced the team's starting lineup for Wednesday's friendly at the Estadio Azteca, with one glaring omission stealing the narrative. Not only is Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez starting the match on the bench, but he's starting on the bench in favor for Cuauhtémoc Blanco.
The starting XI is as follows: Corona, Salcido, Maza, Layún, Paul, Reyes, Fabián, Herrera, Brizuela, Cuauhtémoc, Peralta
Mexico To Feature World Cup Starting XI Against Portugal
That's right. Rather than remain focused three weeks before the most important tournament in world football, Mexico is spending its time paying tribute to a 41-year-old striker.
Herrera, however, is at least choosing to experiment with a 4-3-3 instead of his favored 5-3-2 system (h/t to Medio Tiempo). "This is only the third day we've had to play football and we continue to work. We're preparing in other ways," Herrera said.
"We're going to try and see if we have the personnel to play a 4-3-3 and we're going to try all the alternatives we have available," he added.
Despite paying tribute to Blanco, Herrera vehemently denied Wednesday's match losing importance.
"[The match] is not going to lose its essence because we have to remember that Cuauhtémoc is going to be signed to the first division [with Puebla] and today we saw him train for 30 minutes."
The question is: How many minutes did he see Hernandez train?
Would've liked to have seen Chicharito get a start vs. Israel and bang in a couple of goals for his confidence.
— Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup) May 27, 2014
The 25-year-old, in desperate need of playing time, could've used every second against Israel to boost his confidence and his form. Unfortunately, he'll spend a portion of that time watching a 41-year-old take his role as he prepares for the most important stage of his career.
Is Miguel Herrera making a mistake paying tribute to Cuauhtémoc Blanco three weeks before the World Cup? Tell us @SportsWN
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