Raul Gudios premature El Tri call-up exemplifies the anxious search for the next young Mexican
The look on Raul Gudiño’s face said it all.
After fouling Club America’s Henry Martin in the 95th minute of last month’s Clasico Nacional, a brief and hopeless plea to the referee was all that the lanky Chivas goalkeeper could muster. On one of the biggest stages of his young club career, the 22-year-old had just gifted Chivas’ fiercest rivals a penalty and a golden opportunity to find a dramatic winner.
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With over 69,000 delirious fans watching at the Estadio Azteca (and 1.7 million watching from home in the United States), Club America’s Mateus Uribe stepped up to take the penalty. The pressure could not have been more intense for Gudiño. His impressive performance in the match, which was near perfect before the penalty call, was about to go down the drain.
Luckily for Chivas fans, good fortunes were on their side.
Gudiño guessed correctly as he dove to the right, stopping Uribe’s shot. Club America’s expected victory was stolen away. The referee blew his whistle immediately afterward, signaling a 1-1 draw and a surprising point for a Chivas side that was seen as inferior.
Gudiño was the undoubted hero of the match. His name and face were plastered across sports newspapers after the thrilling draw. Thanks to his save, the goalkeeper was suddenly thrust into the Mexican soccer spotlight. His stock began to skyrocket, and only three days after the Clasico Nacional, the goalkeeper was called up for Mexico’s October 11th and 16th friendlies against Costa Rica and Chile.
It’s fair to wonder if this was a premature decision. Gudiño’s supporters will point to his national team debut during Thursday night’s 3-2 friendly win over Costa Rica, but there’s only so much than we can infer from a mere 45 minutes on the pitch. A couple of easy saves at home against a CONCACAF opponent aren’t enough to justify a guaranteed place within El Tri.
Despite all of the commotion surrounding his incredible game against Club America, and his debut for Mexico, Gudiño’s resume doesn’t fit the profile of a national team player. With only a total of nine Liga MX starts to his name, the goalkeeper has spent an incredibly short amount of time in Mexico’s top flight. Although Gudiño’s supporters would immediately point out his time in Europe, his experience abroad doesn’t exactly help his case, either.
From 2014 to early 2018, Gudiño spent most of his European journey in the Portuguese second division with Porto’s B team. Without getting a sniff of a spot in Porto’s senior squad, the goalkeeper then took a chance with two disappointing loan moves. In the latter half of the 2015-16 Primeira Liga season, Gudiño could do little to halt União da Madeira’s eventual relegation. In fact, there is a compilation video of his most noteworthy blunders during his 11 games with the squad.
After returning to Porto B for one year, the Mexican international then went to Cyprus on loan for the 2017-18 season with APOEL. Despite an eye-catching substitute performance during a Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund in which he became the first Mexican goalkeeper to appear in Europe’s top competition, Gudiño’s momentum was quickly hampered by sitting on the bench for almost the entirety of the regular season.
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When Chivas signed him over the summer, there was no real excitement regarding the move. After a few years in Europe, Gudiño returned to Mexico—and to Chivas, where he spent his academy days—as an unconvincing and inconsistent player. Nine starts into his first Liga MX season, it’s still reasonable to question whether he is ready for the significant move up to the national team.
The fact that he is a Chivas player shouldn’t be neglected, either. If Gudiño was playing for a smaller club like Morelia or Puebla instead, there wouldn’t be the same kind of attention or excitement surrounding him. Gudiño clearly has potential, but any casual Liga MX fan could point out the imperfections of the goalkeeper who only has one clean sheet in the 2018 Apertura.
And yet, the idea of the Gudiño donning El Tri’s jersey has also been applauded. Amongst those wanting some fresh faces in the national team, the addition of the unrefined talent has been seen as a progressive choice that focuses on Mexico’s next generation.
Keeping in mind that Mexico’s goalkeeping scene has long been dominated by veterans such as Guillermo Ochoa (33 years old), Jesus Corona (37), and Alfredo Talavera (36), it makes sense why fans and the Mexican Football Federation are keen to see what other options are available. Though we do live in a universe in which 45-year-old Oscar Perez is still kicking for Pachuca, younger goalkeepers must be tested for Mexico. Ochoa could still play at a high level for a few more years, but the same could not be said for older backups like Talavera or Corona.
In a transitional time for El Tri after the World Cup, it’s certainly within reason to give opportunities to budding names. Regardless of what critics think about Gudiño’s recent appearance for Mexico, it’s refreshing to see a new face in net. And you couldn’t ask for more of the goalkeeper, who looked highly confident against Costa Rica. As brief as his debut was, it will only boost his rising stock in the Mexican game.
For better or worse, many impatient Mexico fans will likely now call for an even bigger role for a player who has yet to hit double digit Liga MX appearances. They’ll want to rush things. And the desire to see Gudiño don a green jersey so quickly in the first place is a perfect example of the fanbase’s justified yearning for a transition.
Following the failure of El Tri’s golden generation to reach the quarterfinal stage of the 2018 World Cup, many are asking for wide-spread change in personnel. And many Mexico supporters see the current batch of goalkeepers that are in their mid-to-late 30s as an illustration of the changes that must be made.
Before wondering whether Gudiño can be a key player for El Tri, he’ll first need to prove that he is worthy of earning more call-ups going forward. He’s had the massive benefit of playing high-profile matches for club and country recently, but he’ll need to continue making improvements in the future in order to maintain his newfound national team relevance.
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Also working in his favor is the thin field of other young alternatives. Gudiño might not need to do much to remain in the conversation for El Tri. When taking a look at the depth chart from Mexico’s next generation of players, there is a noticeable lack of reliable strikers and goalkeepers. Although Gudiño isn’t the most thrilling or promising talent, this desperation for more options might keep him on the the national team radar for quite some time.
(Photo: ULISES RUIZ/AFP/Getty Images)
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