A Set-Piece Goal and Unfamiliar Teammates: Víctor Guzmán's Return to the Mexico Shirt

Looking at the scoreline, I was initially confused. Mexico had scored, but there was no relieved smile on the scoreboard at the end. A goal from a set-piece, yet the team's performance lacked the cohesion that creates a winning story. The green cells are lit up on the spreadsheet, but the eye says something else. The story begins with this gap between data and reality. Recently, in an international friendly against Peru, Víctor 'Toro' Guzmán played for Mexico. In an interview with TV Azteca after the match, he said that the goal in this match was a special moment in his career. But behind that moment lies the story of a difficult year, the story of an unfamiliar team, and the story of a goal that is actually the product of a designed set-piece routine. In my more than 30 years of career, I have watched many international matches. But the most important information from this match is that Guzmán himself admitted that this team has not played together much. His statement, 'It is complicated to play with so many players who do not know each other,' is actually a huge tactical signal. In tactical terminology, this is called a 'team cohesion deficit.' When a team has many new faces, automated patterns—such as positional rotation, pressing triggers, combination play—naturally break down. This is where the core lesson of my 'Expected Dhaka' model lies. There is no point in being satisfied just by seeing a goal. The question must be asked: how did the goal come about? Guzmán's goal came from a set-piece. He himself said he scored from a zone that 'originally was not his role to occupy.' This is not mere luck. This is a planned zone-based set-piece design. It is a secondary attacker exploiting the space vacated by defensive attention on primary targets. Guzmán did just that. But this success seems like a deception. A goal from a set-piece does not mean the team's open-play organization is good. On the contrary, it could mean that the team is not cohesive in open play, hence the reliance on dead balls. Another thing is clear in Guzmán's conversation. He said, 'The process is still long.' He spoke of finding the positives and working on the flaws. This is a very mature response from a player. But as an analyst, I think this language itself is an admission—this was not a result-oriented match, it was an experimental match. Still, Guzmán's personal journey is important here. He has gone through a 'very complicated year.' He had to work double to recover his level. This 'recovery year' story is an important signal in the transfer market. When a player loses form, his market value drops. But when he returns, that value can rise again. I have said many times, possession cannot be measured by pass counts. I learned this lesson from Spain's 1029 passes and only 1.1 xG in the 2026 World Cup. Guzmán's goal also reminds me of that. The only metric for team success is not goals, but process. Now, to the contrary angle. If we only look at Guzmán's goal and interview, a big risk remains. If we assume based on one goal in one match and one interview that he has cemented his place in the national team, that would be a mistake. There have been many players in football history who became heroes in one match and disappeared the next. In Guzmán's case, the biggest challenge will be getting regular minutes—at both club and national team levels. Another point is notable. In Guzmán's interview, he repeatedly mentioned 'maturity' and 'confidence.' This is not just a personal improvement story. It could be a message to the coaching staff—I am ready for a bigger role. This kind of self-promotion is nothing new in modern football, but as a 56-year-old journalist, I have seen this come true sometimes, and not other times. So, what did we learn from this match? A set-piece goal, an unfamiliar team, and the story of a player returning from a difficult year. Guzmán may be on the verge of a new beginning at this moment. But if he continues to be called up in the next few FIFA windows, if he can play regularly at his club, only then will this story be true. Otherwise, it will remain just a nice interview. Football is sometimes a set-piece. You can prepare, you can plan, but whether the ball hits the net depends on many unknown variables. For Guzmán, and for Mexico, the real test is still ahead.