The Mexico national team produced a lackluster performance and could only muster a 1–1 draw with Peru at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Tuesday night.

Rafael Márquez’s decided to deploy a completely different lineup to the one that performed well against Colombia last time out. The result? Mexico played its worst 45 minutes of the entire calendar year in the first half against Peru.

El Tri struggled to create much of anything in attack, and although it had more of the ball, Peru looked the more menacing side. In the 27th minute, a dreadful defensive effort from Jeremy Márquez allowed Jairo Vélez to go through on goal and curl a shot to the far post to give Peru the lead heading into half time.

But Mexico responded immediately after the restart when Denzell García floated a perfect cross for an unmarked Víctor Guzmán to equalize with a precisely placed header into the top corner. El Tri was better overall in the second half but struggled to create chances and never truly had a clear opportunity to score a winner before the final whistle blew.

The Márquez era at the helm has started with back-to-back draws and mixed performances. Failing to defeat an inferior side like Peru, even with a completely rotated side, is disappointing and only adds more pressure on the new manager to secure his maiden win when Mexico face arch-rivals the USMNT on Saturday—presumably with its strongest lineup on the pitch.

Mexico Player Ratings vs. Peru (4-3-3)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Óscar García—6.2: The debutant was powerless to prevent the opener, which is tough considering that was the only dangerous shot he faced all game. Outside of a clumsy error that could’ve been costly, his distribution was better than expected.

RB: Jeremy Márquez—6.8: Inexplicably opted not to play the ball despite being well-positioned and, instead, softly fell to the ground pleading for a non-existent foul, which led to Peru’s opener. Although he improved in the second half, that was an egregious mistake on a night he needed to impress.

CB: Víctor Guzmán—7.8: A poor clearance attempt unfortunately led to Márquez’s mistake in Peru’s opener, but he was otherwise staut. Wonderful header to bring Mexico level from a set-piece.

CB: Everardo López—6.8: Solid all game, particularly in the air. Was in charge of Mexico’s possessions from deep and did well even if he was rather cautious.

LB: Mateo Chávez—7.2: The fullback continues to be a menace whenever he gets the space to float crosses from the wing. For a while, it looked like he was the only player capable of manufacturing any danger, not exactly encouraging for El Tri considering he’s a fullback.

CM: Denzell García—7.4: Had a poor game anchoring Mexico’s midfield, slow in his distribution and struggled defensively, often late in his attempt to intercept passes. Improved in the second half after a beautiful delivery for Guzmán’s equalizer.

CM: Obed Vargas—6.8: Abandoning the midfield and making deep runs in the left half space led to some relatively dangerous actions. He wasn’t brilliant but was effective and at least he was solid defensively.

CM: Álvaro Fidalgo—6.8: The most advanced of Mexico’s midfielders was barely involved and often had to settle for a backwards pass whenever he did. Had a few flashes with some nice back-heels, but he struggled to overcome the context of his head-scratching positioning on the pitch.

RW: Isaías Violante—6.6: Mixed results whenever he tried to take on his man, but given how unadventurous and tight Mexico looked overall, Violante routinely taking risks to try to make something happen was a welcomed sight.

ST: Germán Berterame—6.2: A victim of Mexico’s poor overall attacking display, but he did little to make his case for more playing time. He never had a sniff of goal and was constantly double-teamed whenever he received the ball, finding it hard to play with his back toward goal.

LW: Orbelín Pineda—6.4: Played a nice through-ball that led to El Tri’s most dangerous action of the first half but was in and out of the game. Uncomfortably isolated in the wing, Mexico’s captain on the night eventually decided to leave that area to Chávez and drifted centrally where he improved.

SUB: Diego Campillo (61’ for Guzmán)—6.4: Brave against Peru’s press, finding passes between the lines even when under duress.

SUB: Santiago Giménez (61’ for Berterame)—6.0: Never got a chance to make his mark on the game.

SUB: Luis Romo (61’ for García)—6.8: Instantly improved Mexico’s midfield, dropping deep to organize possessions and dictating the tempo of the game during his cameo.

SUB: Roberto Alvarado (78’ for Violante)—6.0: Completed just eight passes during his brief cameo.

SUB: Santiago Sandoval (78’ for Fidalgo)—6.1: Had just six touches in his El Tri debut, making it a night he won’t forget.

SUB: Hugo Camberos (78’ for Pineda)—6.0: Will be over the moon for making his international debut.

Subs not used: Raúl Rángel (GK), Álex Padilla (GK), Erik Lira, Jesús Gallardo, Johan Vásquez, Jorge Sánchez, Gilberto Mora, Luis Chávez, Armando González, Hirving Lozano.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• Mateo Chávez was one of the few bright spots on the night, with the young left back continuing to offer an extra attacking wrinkle while also displaying some visible improvement in his defensive duties. The AZ Alkmaar man has an exciting future, and it could be a matter of time before he takes over for starter Jesús Gallardo.
• Both Víctor Guzmán and Everardo López were strong, forming a solid pairing that contained Peru’s attack with relative ease. The backup duo performing at this level only confirmed that center back is Mexico’s strongest and deepest position currently.
• Although he was never truly put in position to succeed, questions will be asked regarding Germán Berterame’s inclusion in the squad—let alone today’s game. The Inter Miami man hasn’t scored in each of his last 10 appearances, a stretch that dates back to May. He’s simply not playing at a national team level at the moment.

Takeaways From Mexico’s Draw With Peru

Concerns Over How Márquez Profiles Certain Players

With its “B team” on the pitch, it’s normal that Mexico’s level of performance dropped compared to recent matches. What’s concerning from Tuesday night’s showing is how Márquez decided to utilize some of his players.

Álvaro Fidalgo is arguably one the best organizers and deep-lying playmakers Liga MX has seen this decade, operating near the base of midfield with the freedom to drift slightly left. But Márquez, like his predecessor, insists on deploying him as an attacking midfielder angled more towards the right—the opposite of where he thrives. The Real Betis man never felt comfortable and was at his best whenever he abandoned his position.

Orbelín Pineda has dominated upon his return to Liga MX this summer, playing as a No. 8 for Monterrey with the freedom to appear all over the central areas. Against Peru, Pineda started on the left wing, and it was only when Chávez advanced and supplied width that he was able to drift centrally, where he produced his best actions of the night.

Jeremy Márquez played at right back when Cruz Azul conquered the Liga MX title in May, but that was only because injuries forced La Máquina to improvise with no natural right back on the team. Still, Márquez is a true central midfielder and has struggled defensively when deployed as a fullback. Those defensive deficiencies were exposed in the action of Peru’s opener.

It’s understandable that the incoming manager wants to assess all the players at his disposal, but “El Kaiser” set up a number of players in positions to fail.

Rafa Márquez has left himself no margin for error ahead of the clash with the USMNT. Fielding another curious lineup will be considered unacceptable. His entire first-choice starting XI—which has been building some chemistry for months—will be completely rested for a rivalry game where the result matters regardless of it being a friendly.

Mexico’s Youth Revolution Continues

Gilberto Mora was given the night off against Peru, but fans in attendance were instead able to witness the international debut of two other talented and exciting Mexico teenagers: Hugo Camberos and Santiago Sandoval.

The 19-year-old attacking duo for Chivas recently combined to register seven goal contributions as Mexico won the Concacaf U–20 Championship in August. The pair have since become undisputed starters for one of the main contenders to lift the Liga MX title this season, looking more and more comfortable at the senior level.

Their inclusion in Mexico’s fall roster wasn’t a simple reward, both have shown they have the quality to make an impact in a team that lacks difference-makers in the final third—as it became clear against Peru.

Both attackers played a little over 10 minutes in their debut and couldn’t make any significant impact. Still, with Mora and, to a lesser-extent, Obed Vargas already established within El Tri, the emergence of Camberos and Sandoval further infuses Márquez’s side with exciting young players bursting with potential.