Mexico National Team

PSV Eindhoven recorded a massive 1-0 victory over VVV-Venlo at De Koel on Sunday, and the game’s lone goal was an impressive solo strike from Hirving “Chucky” Lozano in the 86th minute.

The victory takes PSV five points above Ajax at the top of the Eredivisie table following the Champions League quarterfinalists' defeat against AZ Alkmaar later in the day. 

The goal was Chucky’s 15th in 24 league games this season (to go along with six assists), and 19th in 34 appearances across all competitions. But this was perhaps the 23-year-old’s finest for the club.

According to Portuguese media outlet Record, Wolverhampton has agreed to a deal with Benfica and Raúl Jiménez to sign the on-loan striker permanently in the summer.

There’s always going to be an emphasis on how Designated Players perform in MLS, that comes with the territory of earning 20 times more than your teammates. And there’s always going to be an extra emphasis on Mexico’s internationals in the league, especially when they’re just 29 and stepping away from three years in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt.

A big storyline from Major League Soccer’s opening weekend was the debut of 16-year-old LA Galaxy phenom Efrain Alvarez. The Los Angeles native was an academy product before becoming a revelation in the USL last year, scoring 12 goals and adding three assists in 17 appearances for the club’s reserve team, LA Galaxy II. 

The Galaxy had a Designated Player problem. With four LA Galaxy DPs — and only three allowed by MLS rules — the league’s flagship club had to do something before the start of the 2019 season. 

Last year when Zlatan Ibrahimovic signed with the Galaxy, he signed a smaller contract to keep him under DP status because the club already had three DPs: Giovani dos Santos, Jonathan dos Santos and Romain Alessandrini. But Zlatan re-upped his contract in the offseason, putting him in DP money despite the fact the three others remained under contract. 

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano’s 14th Eredivisie goal of the season salvaged a point for PSV in a 1-1 draw with third-place Feyenoord, but the club’s lead at the top of the table was cut to just two points following Ajax’s 5-1 victory over Den Haag. 

Feyenoord had Sven van Beek sent off in the 59th minute at the Philips Stadion, but the visitors still managed to take the lead through Nicolai Jorgensen in the 70th minute.

Welcome to Europe, Diego Lainez.

Lainez, a diminutive, 18-year-old Mexican, moved to Real Betis from Club América in January to join club vice captain Andrés Guardado, a fellow Mexico international. He had played in five matches before Thursday with all of two yellow cards to show for it. 

Having been in the rumor mill for a few days and teased on social media, the Marco Fabian transfer to MLS was officially announced Friday afternoon: The Mexico international is heading to Philadelphia.

The first Gerardo “Tata” Martino Mexico squad has been unveiled, and it’s a doozy. The former Atlanta United, Barcelona and Argentina coach named four uncapped players to a 24-man roster for a camp that will begin Sunday in Mexico City.

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano had a great start to PSV Eindhoven’s 2-1 win over Groningen on Saturday. He had a finish he’ll want to forget — if he can even remember it at all.

Lozano was vital to helping PSV remain ahead of Ajax in the race for the Eredivisie standings. He scored two goals in the opening 20 minutes as the Boeren moved five points clear of Ajax, which plays rival Feyenoord in De Klassieker on Sunday.