Jonathan Dos Santos may only be 21 years old, but when it comes to national team drama, he has the experience of a seasoned veteran. Two years ago, Dos Santos had the unfortunate distinction of being the last player cut by Javier Aguirre prior to the 2010 World Cup. Controversy immediately followed when Dos Santos’ father Zizinho declared his son would no longer be involved with the Mexican national team.
Jonathan Dos Santos has been given a second chance by Mexico coach 'Chepo' de la Torre. (Photo by Fernando Cruz/MEXSPORT)
The dust eventually settled, but just over a year later Dos Santos was caught up in a more serious scandal. On the eve of Copa America, Dos Santos, along with seven other players, was sent home and temporarily banned from the national team after a visit by prostitutes to the team hotel.
Despite this rocky two-year ride, Dos Santos remains front and center of any discussion of the national team's future. Like most fanbases, El Tri supporters can get carried away when imagining a young player's future, but in the case of Dos Santos, the fervor is totally understandable. Not only has he shown flashes of an emerging world-class talent, he also comes from an elite family bloodline (the aforementioned patriarch and older brother Giovani). Dos Santos also plies his trade for Barcelona, a club at the absolute pinnacle of world football.
While things haven’t gone smoothly with the national team, this week is the perfect chance for a fresh start. On Wednesday night in Miami, Dos Santos gets the chance to put the Mexico jersey back on. He will take the field as the youngest player called in by 'Chepo' de la Torre for a highly-anticipated friendly against Colombia.
By now, Dos Santos knows the importance of every opportunity, and this is a big one. World Cup qualifying begins in just over three months' time, and Wednesday night’s friendly will be the senior team’s last match until late May.
With both Gerardo Torrado and Israel Castro absent from the national team, the midfield's door is wide open. With the more established players gone, Dos Santos has an excellent shot at grabbing a starting spot against Colombia – an opportunity to show just how crucial his skills can be to El Tri. His calmness on the ball, superb vision and pinpoint passing make Dos Santos the type of player Mexico needs in the middle of the field. His ability to push the ball and jumpstart counters could prove one of the keys against Colombia.
Dos Santos' inclusion could be part of a full preview of El Tri’s central midfield future. If Dos Santos is partnered alongside 24-year-old Jesus Zavala, Mexico would see two of its youngest and most promising talents assert themselves as El Tri's best midfield tandem.
But along with our glimpse of the future, we may also get a heavy dose of the past. Veteran Rafael Marquez could also take a spot in the midfield, something that would be greeted less enthusiastically by the fans than the Dos Santos-Zavala pairing. Despite his stature as a national team captain, Marquez is still a controversial pick. There was certainly no shortage of groans from the Mexican fan base when his name was revealed on the roster sheet.
Obviously a player well into the downside of his career, the only question now for Marquez is how long that career lasts. In the past, De la Torre has shown loyalty to his older players, so it’s not out of the question that he sticks with Marquez for veteran leadership over the coming year. And Marquez can certainly still serve a purpose in the squad, able to play in both central midfield as well as defense. He also brings a unique toughness to the table along with a series of intangibles that Mexico can use in hard-fought international matches. The downside: Marquez's continued inclusion limits time for younger players.
A glimpse of the future: Hugo Ayala's talent in defense has not gone unnoticed by European clubs. (Photo by Jorge Martinez/MEXSPORT)
One of those young players is Hugo Ayala, someone who is already being directly compared to Marquez by both fans and media. Beyond his talent, Ayala shares a few key biographical points with his aging captain. Both were born in the state of Michoacan, and both were youth products of the Atlas system. Ayala also appears to be on the verge of a transfer to Europe, a move Marquez made early in his own career.
For a clear indication of Ayala’s talent, look no further than the success of his club team, UANL Tigres. Over the past year, Tigres have been on one of the most impressive defensive runs in Mexican Primera history. During the 2011 Clausura and Apertura tournaments, Tigres conceded an astoundingly low 22 goals in 34 regular season games. This doesn’t even take into account their run to last season’s championship, allowing just one goal in six postseason matches.
It's a run with one constant: Ayala. The young defender was the team's only player to play all 90 minutes of every match during the past year.
Now it’s time for Ayala to showcase this talent on the international stage. He took the first step last month with an impressive display against Venezuela (a game in which Mexico featured no Europe-based players). Starting in central defense, Ayala asserted himself with several crucial one-on-one tackles.
Wednesday’s friendly against Colombia gives him a shot at breaking into the full senior squad. Though Hector Moreno and Maza Rodriguez seem to have the starting central defender spots locked up, Ayala may soon be breathing down their necks. A strong performance against Colombia will ratchet up that pressure.
But whatever shape the backline takes in terms of personnel, it's going to be tested by a talented Colombia attack. Radamel Falcao, one of the most dangerous scorers in the world, will lead an attack that also features Dayro Moreno, Jackson Martinez and Teofilo Gutierrez. With this collective goal-scoring pedigree, Mexico’s defense could be under immense pressure for much of the night.
That will only increase the spotlights on Ayala and Dos Santos. Against that talented attack, Ayala will have a perfect chance to grab the mantle from Marquez, while Dos Santos has an opportunity to showcase some of the overlooked defensive aspects of his game.
Dos Santos and Ayala may be among a new group of internationals with only a small handful of caps, but those numbers will quickly increase if they can prove themselves against Colombia. Strong performances under fire will give both players a huge leg-up as Mexico’s squad begins to take shape for 2014.
