Behind the roar of the sold-out crowd at the Los Angeles Coliseum, Mexico grabbed its first win of 2015 against South American opposition. Fans bouncing throughout the stadium in a sea of El Tri colors set the stage for Mexico’s first match of 2015, which they won 1-0 against Ecuador. Miguel Herrera and company took on a spirited Ecuador and, even though Mexico won the match, it was definitely a contest. Ecuador fought tenaciously against the Mexican side, drawing a penalty that was courageously saved by Jose de Jesus Corona. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez scored the only goal of the match with a beautifully curled shot into the top-right corner of the net.
What a beauty of a goal by Chicharito, who must be taking lessons from his Real Madrid teammates, because he isn’t known for scoring from long-range. Having the opportunity to train with players that are renowned for their efforts from long-range, like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, has done him well. With that goal, Chicharito moves into second place of Mexico’s all-time goal scorers list, right next to Cuauhtémoc Blanco at 39 goals. At 26 goals, Chicharito will most certainly beat Jared Borgetti’s record.
More importantly, Chicharito proved that regardless of his club situation, he wants to be a part of the national team and is willing to work hard and make his minutes on the field count. We also got to see another Madrid-based player get a chance at Ecuador as well. Raul Jimenez worked well with Chicharito in the 2nd half, hitting the post after Chicharito worked the ball into the area. Overall it wasn’t the most convincing win for Mexico, but arguably it’s a sign that as the Gold Cup and the Copa America draw nearer, Mexico means business.
That said, Mexico continues its preparation for the summer against Paraguay on March 31st . Si se puede Mexico!
