Men's National Teams

Oribe Peralta, enemy of the free people of New Zealand with six goals against the Oceania side, might’ve saved Juan Carlos Osorio’s job with a match-winning goal against the Kiwis in the 72nd minute of El Tri’s 2-1 victory. 

After an impressive showing from Mexico in their opening 2-2 draw with European champions Portugal, El Tri manager Juan Carlos Osorio made eight changes to his side because he’s the tinker man. As a result, Mexico spent the opening 45 minutes looking disjointed, blunt and second best. 

It’s not every day that you manage to sign one of Brazil’s most talented attacking players on a free transfer, but that’s exactly what Barcelona have achieved with Lucas Lima.

Here it is: your complete guide to the 2017 summer soccer schedule. 

For most sports, the offseason is a time of respite. Once the Super Bowl ends in February, NFL teams don’t suit up for another game, scrimmage or otherwise, for six months. Soccer, fortunately, doesn’t abide by such silly rules.

The European soccer season technically ends after the Champions League final around late May or early June, but preseason exhibitions pick up in early July. Then there are also international matches (friendlies and cups) to also fill the void. 

Hirving Lozano, who’s currently on international duty with Mexico at the FIFA Confederations Cup, has agreed to a contract with PSV Eindhoven through the 2022-23 season. After recently visiting Eindhoven in the Netherlands, PSV confirmed via their official Twitter account that Lozano had agreed to terms with the club. 

Portugal will lament giving up a 91st minute equalizer to Mexico in their opening Confederations Cup match, but it’s a result that doesn’t greatly harm the aspirations of the two sides favored to advance from Group A. Ricardo Quaresma gave Portugal the lead in the 34th minute, only for Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez to equalize three minutes before halftime for Mexico.

On Sunday, we’ll be treated to only the fourth-ever meeting between Mexico and Portugal and the second-ever competitive fixture between the two nations. The match is also extremely rare where personal records are concerned — it’s not everyday that you see two all-time top goal scorers for their country go toe to toe.

With 47 goals from 92 appearances, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez is El Tri’s record holder, averaging 0.51 goals per game. For Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo has found the back of the net a record 73 times in 139 caps, good for 0.53 goals per game.

2017 FIFA Confederations Cup Preview: Mexico

History and Background

Since the Confederations Cup began in 1992, Mexico have only missed out on three occasions — making them joint leaders in participation alongside Brazil with seven appearances. They hosted the tournament in 1999 and ended up winning it, beating their arch-rivals the United States in the semifinals and then Brazil in the final. 

We’re less than a year away from the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but only eight teams have assured themselves of a spot in the 32-team tournament, one of them being the host nation.

Qualifying began back in March 2015 and will continue through this November, when the final berths will be booked. 

How does each confederation decide which nations will attend the World Cup? Read on. 

Africa (CAF)

Nations: 53

Spots: 5

Rounds: 3

The Big Game between Mexico and the United States may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean attention should shift away from CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. What happens in tonights' Hexagonal fixtures between Panama/Honduras and Costa Rica/Trinidad & Tobago will put the final standings into greater focus with only four matches remaining.