Efrain Alvarez is no stranger to this space. Earlier this year we called him the most exciting MLS prospect ever. The 16-year-old Los Angeles native has scored some absolute worldies playing for LA Galaxy II in the USL. Alvarez is now scoring golazos for the Mexico U-17 team.
PSV Eindhoven’s hopes of making it through to the Champions League Round of 16 took a massive blow Wednesday after Pablo Rosario’s smashing opener (assisted by Hirving “Chucky” Lozano) was canceled out by a whistling, 18-yard Radja Nainggolan half-volley and ultimately made meaningless by Mauro Icardi’s comedic winner in the 60th minute.
An upset in sports is a tale of the split-screen day. One team — the emboldened underdog — rides the highest of highs, storming the field and reveling in its victory as it has just pulled off the seemingly impossible. The other team — the deflated heavyweight — is humbled and humiliated, slumping off into the locker room and being forced to grapple with a reality it had never considered.
November 5, 2010, was one of those split-screen days.
Mexico, the emboldened underdog. The United States, the deflated heavyweight.
24-year-old Mexico international Jesus Gallardo scored his first goal for Monterrey last night, and it was easily the greatest goal in the history of los Rayados.
With torrential rain turning the pitch at Estadio BBVA Bancomer into soup during Monterrey’s Liga MX encounter with Club Tijuana, Gallardo used the treacherous conditions to embark on the sort of counterattack that hasn’t been seen since Kevin Costner was gunning around on a jet ski in Waterworld.
An Eredivisie table-topping match between first place PSV Eindhoven and second place Ajax went the way of PSV on Sunday, the home side using an entirely dominant opening 35-minute period to build a resounding three-goal lead thanks to strikes from Gaston Pereiro, Luuk de Jong and Hirving “Chucky” Lozano.
Hirving Lozano earned a lot of praise for his defensive efforts during the World Cup with Mexico. Much of it was deserved as his tracking back was nearly as important as his goal against Germany. But on this Ousmane Dembele goal vs PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday, Lozano was left grasping at air.
Welcome to the Netherlands, Érick Gutiérrez.
Gutiérrez, a Mexico international midfielder, reunited with former Pachuca winger Hirving Lozano in the Eredivisie when PSV Eindhoven signed the 23-year-old just before the transfer deadline in August.
He made his debut on Saturday, coming on as a substitute against ADO Den Haag.
Five minutes later, he had assisted his compatriot and scored a cracking goal.
In 2011, the United States took a 2-0 lead over Mexico in the Gold Cup final. A coworker of mine at the time, who was supposed to be covering a baseball game for the newspaper we worked for, tweeted: “THIS IS THE GREATEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE!!!” This despite the fact he had, earlier that week, found out his wife had finally become pregnant after years of trying. For me, it was just another in a long line of memorable moments from the thrilling USMNT vs Mexico rivalry.
In the 65th minute of tonight’s “friendly” between the USMNT and Mexico in Nashville, U.S. defender Matt Miazga triggered six minutes of absolute bedlam after finally getting the better of 18-year-old Mexican phenom Diego Lainez. The diminutive (5 ft 5.5 in) Club America winger was probably the highlight of an otherwise tame first half.
He absolutely diced U.S. captain Wil Trapp and feasted on him at one point. It was frightening.
36' ¡Dieeeeego Lainez volvió locos a todos!
The USMNT plays host to Mexico tonight at Nissan Stadium in Nashville for the 68th meeting between the CONCACAF rivals. Mexico leads the all-time series with a record of 34W-18L-15D, and while victory is always of the utmost importance in this historic matchup, there’s no getting around the fact that this is an encounter between two very young sides that are casting their first covetous glances towards the 2022 World Cup cycle.