Mexico vs. New Zealand World Cup 2014 Playoffs: Is El Tri Good Enough to Beat Kiwis?

Mexico backed into a playoff matchup against New Zealand thanks to a late rally by the United States against Panama.

After 10 games of the hexagonal, the Mexicans have a big question to ask themselves - Can they actually beat New Zealand?

On paper, this is a massive mismatch as New Zealand is not the soccer nation that Mexico is supposed to be. New Zealand has only participated in the World Cup on two occasions and has failed to win a single game. Moreover, New Zealand has not played in a World Cup qualifier since March and could be unprepared heading into the game against Mexico.

However, those quick to give Mexico the automatic qualification should slow down for a moment. While the Mexicans might be happy to know that their qualification is still a possibility, they have nothing to celebrate. In fact, a qualification over New Zealand may not be a cause to celebrate either. But will they even get that far?

A few problems stood out from Mexico's poor performance against Costa Rica. With their lives on the line, El Tri's players looked sloppy and disorganized through the better part of 90 minutes. Any chances they created early on were the result of Costa Rica's overaggressive defending and mental breakdowns. But who could fault Costa Rica for poor play? The game meant little to them considering that they had already clinched a spot in the next summer's World Cup. And yet, Costa Rica was the superior side throughout the game as it played with desperation and abandon. Any newcomer would have thought that Costa Rica was the team in dire need of three points. If not for some big saves from goalie Guillermo Ochoa, this game ends 3-1 or 4-1 at least in Costa Rica's favor.

Mexico's midfield is a mess. There is no focal point and the passing is predictable and tedious. None of the main attackers seem willing to try anything new. Rafa Marquez was brought up to bring some structure to the team but was a hindrance on many occasions.

Then comes the biggest problem of all - Javier Hernandez. Isn't he supposed to be the best Mexican player in the world? The savior? The clutch performer? Hernandez, or "Chicharito" as he's often called, had a prime chance to open the scoring but seemed afraid to make a mistake and passed the ball to an offside Oribe Peralta. Later in the first half he created the goal by breaking away, but he also failed to fire a shot and a lucky bounce to Peralta allowed for Mexico to tie. After those two plays, Hernandez disappeared for the remainder of the match and had little impact on it. Hernandez finished the qualifiers with two goals in 10 games.

Mexico's defense conceded nine times in 10 games but only managed to find the back of the net on seven occasions. The first game against New Zealand takes place at the Azteca but it may actually be of little comfort to El Tri as the team went a combined 1-3-1 at home in the hexagonal stage. How many goals did Mexico score at home? Three.

Then there is the issue of expectations. Mexico has already performed below expectations and their qualification will be a disappointment regardless. However, they are still expected to pull it off and any more missteps will be a major indictment of the team. New Zealand knows that it is the underdog, but the team has proven to relish this spotlight. Just ask Italy what happened in the 2010 World Cup when it underestimated the Kiwis.