GLENDALE, Arizona -- Mexico dominated play but couldn't penetrate the Guatemala defense as the teams finished in a 0-0 draw in their CONCACAF Gold Cup match on Sunday night.
Mexico, one of the Gold Cup favorites, were frustrated by a series of near misses in front of a sell-out crowd of 62,910 -- almost all the fans decked out in the red, white or green colors of Mexico.
"We're frustrated by the result, because we didn't win and because the fans supported us so much," Mexico coach Miguel "Piojo" Herrera said after the match. "Guatemala hit us hard. We had enough shots on goal but we weren't able to score. We haven't been decisive. We continue to be a team who know what we have to do, although we must be more decisive."
The crowd booed heartily when the game came to an end, while the tiny contingent of Guatemala fans cheered as if it was a victory.
Nearly all of the game was played in Mexico's offensive end of the field. Giovani dos Santos' shot that bounced off the crossbar in the final minutes of the match exemplified the team's woes.
"I made some mistakes in subbing players. I took too long. It is my fault. I should have put Giovani in at the same time as [Carlos] Esquivel and I didn't do it."
Herrera encouraged fans to be patient and said that the team would soon score goals.
"We have players who can score like Oribe [Peralta], [Carlos] Vela, Gio [dos Santos], [Hector] Herrera, Chuletita [Javier Orozco]. They will find a way to score and that will help us manage the match and win," Herrera said.
El Tri trained on Monday in Phoenix and then was slated to travel to Charlotte, N.C., to face Trinidad-Tobago.