Rafael Márquez was promoted from assistant to Mexico manager in September and said he was ready to build on the previous coaching cycle, noting his work with former coach Javier Aguirre and the support of experienced staff as reasons for confidence heading into the job.
That optimism has not translated into results in his first matches. Across the September and October international window El Tri recorded zero wins, two draws and two losses, coming only months after a World Cup campaign that ended in a round of 16 exit.
One of those defeats was a 3-0 loss to the United States, a result that prompted scathing headlines in Mexican sports media. Márquez appeared somber after the game and said his side committed costly errors that effectively gifted goals to the opponent. He also acknowledged a lack of clarity in the team, and became the first permanent Mexico manager since 1997 to fail to win any of his opening three matches.
Mexico then fell 2-0 to Chile in the final match of the window, a game in which the roster looked frustrated, was vulnerable on transitions and failed to create sufficient attacking danger. It marked the first time this decade that Mexico lost consecutive matches without scoring.
Injuries affected selection, with starters Raúl Jiménez and Ballon d’Or nominee Julián Quiñones unavailable, and teenager Gilberto Mora featuring in only one of the four games due to a muscle issue. Márquez, making his first senior managerial appointment despite previous work inside the national team, awarded six debuts over the window to Jeremy Márquez, Santiago Sandoval, Oscar Garcia, Hugo Camberos, Álex Padilla and Dagoberto Espinoza.
Mexico scored two goals across more than 360 minutes while experimenting with multiple backline formations. By contrast, the United States handed out 13 debuts during the same period and posted a 4-0-0 record. Both nations faced Chile and Peru during the international window, creating a degree of comparability in opponents and scheduling.
