DOHA, Qatar — No one on the Mexican team in Qatar was alive the last time El Tri went out of a World Cup in the first round. Even Yon de Luisa, the federation's personable president, was just 8 in 1978 when Mexico lost all three of its group games in Argentina and came home early.
That was the worst performance by a Mexican team until now, because at least the '78 team could score. In Qatar, Mexico went 2 1/2 games without a goal.
And since no one in Mexican soccer was involved in cleaning up the last mess, it's clear no one really knows how to repair the damage done in the last 18 months. During that span Mexico has lost the Gold Cup and Nations League, failed to qualify for the U-20 World Cup and 2024 Olympics and seen two Liga MX teams lose to the Seattle Sounders in the CONCACAF Champions League.
