With three-consecutive draws in World Cup qualifying, the Mexican national team's biggest and most important match will be their next contest Tuesday night against the Jamaican nationals. Playing in a six-team hexagonal qualification round, El Tri has only accumulated 3 points through their qualifying games and although they haven't lost a match as a team since falling to the United States last August, Mexico is in danger of missing out on the 2014 World Cup.
Currently sitting fifth in a six-team pool, Mexico needs to solidify a top 3 spot to get an automatic bid to the Brazil tournament next year while a fourth place finish would set up a playoff series against New Zealand to determine who advances to the World Cup.
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When and Where to Watch Mexico vs. Jamaica Match
After three-consecutive draws, El Tri looks to get back to winning ways when they match up against Jamaica on Tuesday, June 4th. The game will be played at the Kingston National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica and is set to begin at 9:30pm, EDT.
Television coverage will be provided by the Telemundo network starting at 8:30pm, EDT.
Preview - El Tri
Following a 2-2 draw with Nigeria, Mexico hopes to continue their strong offensive performance when they take to the pitch Tuesday night in Jamaica. Struggling mightily on offense throughout most of the qualifying matches, the Mexican nationals looked solid last week, posting 23 shots on net and connecting on two of those attempts.
El Tri's offense starts and ends with Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez. One of the best scoring threats on the planet, Chicharito will continue to be the focal point of Mexico's offense and if they're to have any chance of advancing to Brazil next season for the World Cup and competing on the grandest stage, Chicharito needs to have opportunities but he'll also need increased help from a supporting cast that's struggled as of late.
The consistency between the pipes with Jose Corona is there but Mexico still needs added output on the offensive end. Aldo de Nigris, Giovanni dos Santos, Javier Hernandez and Oribe Peralta are all capable of providing the national team with consistency but if the contests leading up to the Nigeria game are any indication, Mexico may be in a world of trouble if they can't duplicate the offensive performance from last Friday.
De Nigris has a total of 36 goals over the last 3 seasons playing for Monterrey in the Liga MX while dos Santos, Hernandez and Peralta have combined for over 40 goals the last 3 seasons playing with their respective clubs. In order to be successful in World Cup competition, this core group will need to provide their offensive leader some much-needed support starting Tuesday night against Jamaica.
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Preview - Jamaica
While there is a significant amount of talent on the Jamaican national roster, the country hasn't enjoyed a World Cup berth since 1998. Although they currently sit in last place in the six-team hexagonal, Jamaica can do themselves some justice if they're able to defeat Mexico Tuesday night.
Much like their opponents, Jamaica relies predominantly on one player for most of their offense. As one of the finest goal-scorers in the game, Jermaine Beckford may not be as popular as El Tri's Chicharito but he is certainly worthy of defensive attention and you can be sure the Mexican nationals will know where the 29-year-old star is at all times.
With a high level of anticipation following Beckford entering the qualifying rounds however, the Jamaican star hasn't recorded a goal with the team, something that will undoubtedly need to change if Jamaica is to succeed moving forward.
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Wrap-Up
With plenty on the line when Mexico and Jamaica hit the pitch Tuesday night, the atmosphere and intensity level is expected to be tremendous as both squads know how important the next 90-plus minutes of soccer is.
Be sure to catch this World Cup qualifying match between Mexico El Tri and Jamaica on Tuesday, June 4th at 9:30pm, EDT.
Television coverage is set to begin at 8:30pm, EDT on the Telemundo network.
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