PASADENA, CA – For just over 80 minutes Saturday night against Peru, it looked as if a dark period for Mexico’s men’s national team would lengthen one game more as they approached the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Before the start of the weekend’s friendly match at the Rose Bowl, Mexico had one win in their last five matches, which added to the tension for coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino and his team after a questionable stint during the World Cup qualifiers and poor friendly results earlier. from this year. .
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During a media day on Tuesday, the national team briefed on the topics of fan dissatisfaction, injury problems and leadership issues. Martino sounded frustrated behind the microphone on media day, acknowledging that Mexico had not played its best football since 2019-20, while also recording injuries to key players such as Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Raul Jimenez, Houston Dynamo DB Hector Herrera and Ajax’s Jorge Sanchez. Monterrey duo Rogelio Funes Mori and Luis Romo. It can be said that the Corona of Seville Jesus “Tecateto” don’t you seeThe team’s best player, he was also unavailable during the international break after suffering a leg injury this summer that will likely rule him out of the World Cup.
Off the field, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has dealt with a chaotic period of its own. Besides the complications at the women’s national team and at the youth level, FIFA President Mikel Areola announced drastic changes in July. Gerardo Torrado and Ignacio Hierro have been sacked as general sporting director and sporting director for national teams. Luis Perez was also abandoned as the U-20 coach. Monica Vergara, the women’s top coach, will eventually lose her position.
Martino retained his position, despite failing to win the latest CONCACAF Nations League, the 2021 Gold Cup and playing four consecutive matches without a win against him. don’t you seeCompetitor for the men’s national team in the United States. Rumors of his possible exit from the Argentine Football Association after the World Cup led to a mismatched and possibly disastrous end to 2022, but back on the field in Pasadena this weekend, a glimmer of hope has emerged for all involved.
¡Gooooooooool de Tweet embed! 🔥🥵
Eeeeel Chuuucky Lozaaaaaano … ¡Aparece Hirving y la manda a guardar! Lo está ganando México. 😎
🇲🇽 1-0 🇵🇪#CaminoAQatar | #hhhhhhhhhhh | #ArribaPerú
🔴 EN VIVO
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📱👉 pic.twitter.com/Ps8iDC9NQs– TUDN USA (TUDNUSA) 25 September 2022
In front of a raucous 62,729 in the Rose Bowl on Saturday, don’t you see He looked refreshed at the end after a dull start to the game with second-half substitutions for Aureel Antona, Santiago Jimenez, Andres Guardado and Urbelín Pineda. Perhaps due to the desperation of changing the scenario that seemed pessimistic again, there was an excellent movement and playmaking in the last third that helped reach the decisive corner in the 85th minute, which provided star winger Hirving “Chucky Lozano”. A target that sent Rose Bowl into a frenzy. And won 1-0.
The 27-year-old did a good job leading the offensive effort, eventually finding the winner of the game late in the second half. Lozano was emotional after scoring his first goal for Mexico in 2022, while fans sang his name to the usual tune of “Seven Nation Army”. The chants of “El Chu-cky Lo-za-no” were their loudest yet, beaming with confidence that the Napoli player has created a necessary step forward in Mexican football.
Confidence at the highest levels of the game, it was easy to forget any problem don’t you see He was on or off the field. The Rose Bowl became a party and, in contrast to the horrific scenes that have become the norm in many of Mexico’s games, there was jubilation in the first two “farewell” matches of this month’s World Cup in California which ended in a 1-0 win.
“Victory is always important, and most importantly against a tough team like this,” Lozano told TUDN after scoring the match-winning goal. “I think they made the match very difficult for us.”
Even the earnest and tired Martino was elated after the match, realizing not only that Mexico had scored an important result, but also that he could have an unexpected captain through Lozano.
“After so many years in Europe, it is clear that it makes the footballer improve in everything,” said Martino proud of the Napoli winger after the match. “It is clear that he is developing, not only in the football field, but also in the professional side and in the human side.”
2022 World Cup schedule
It wasn’t just about Chucky, it was about the whole group as they celebrated the goal. By releasing tension, don’t you see In desperate need of this result ahead of the World Cup and above and beyond the criticisms leveled at them since the struggle to re-create Martino’s first charm in 2019 and 2020. In his post-match press conference, Martino noted that the team is “a lot more similar” to the one that arrived at Perceived peak two years ago.
It’s doubtful to buy into the idea that Mexico is really changing things up after a number of exciting performances over the past several months, but if they score another win this Tuesday against Colombia at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara (which will only be their second consecutive win this year), there will be I hope Mexico’s last two friendlies before the World Cup will push the team towards bigger things in Qatar in November.
The idea of incremental changes and long shots at the last minute may be unrealistic for their World Cup chances, but the same can be said of Lozano’s only attempt in 2018 that shocked Germany in a 1-0 loss during the World Cup.
Regardless of injury woes throughout the team and behind-the-scenes issues within the front office, Mexico can continue to take small steps forward this month, with the help of an unexpected captain in Lozano and with dreams of bigger and more prominent steps in November.
