The pressure is mounting on Mexican national team coach Bora Milutinovic.
After a string of lackluster performances, Milutinovic recalled several veterans, including MLS-bound Jorge Campos, for Mexico’s friendly against Slovenia’s under-23 team Dec. 6 in Hermosillo.
Unfortunately, with a strengthened squad, Mexico fell 2-1 before 20,000 stunned fans.
Besides Campos, who started in goal, Milutinovic also recalled midfielder Joaquin Del Olmo, who came on as a second-half substitute, and strikers Zaguinho and Ricardo Pelaez.
Fielding a largely untested team in friendly matches earlier this fall, Mexico had a 1-1-1 record. The indifferent form prompted Milutinovic to bring back the veterans.
Mexico’s Tricolores took the lead against the Slovenia U-23s, last-minute replacements for Hungary, on a goal by Luis Hernandez in the fourth minute, but their rivals from the former Yugoslav republic scored in the eighth and 17th minutes on goals by Ales Ceh and Hermin Silhak.
“El Tri … un desastre” (“the Tri … a disaster”) was the headline in the sports daily Ovaciones. The newspaper Heraldo wasn’t any kinder: “Mal, no … horribles!” (“Bad, no … horrible!”).
Luis Garcia — one of the few Mexican stars Milutinovic has used since the beginning of his second reign as Mexico’s national team coach — insisted that Mexico was unlucky in the second half.
Milutinovic, for his part, says the friendly games are needed to give his young players experience.
Mexico’s last scheduled game before the Gold Cup (Jan. 10-21) is against Jamaica Dec. 20 in Kingston.