Mexico

Mexico’s pre-World Cup exhibitions will include at least three matches in the country El Tri helped keep out of the World Cup, highlighted by the Mexico vs Iceland friendly in Santa Clara, California, in March. Coach Juan Carlos Osorio will test his team against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland and Croatia this spring, with all three to be played in the United States.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will play Mexico on Jan. 31, three days after playing the United States. The USA match is in Carson, California, while the Mexico match will be in San Antonio.

In 29-year-old Mexican midfielder/right back Efrain Juarez, the Vancouver Whitecaps have acquired one of the greatest prospective films of all-time. Like any great movie, Juarez’s story starts at the beginning. 

The native of Mexico City won the 2005 U-17 World Championship with El Tri (alongside the likes of Giovani dos Santos and Carlos Vela) while on the books at Pumas, facilitating an ill-fated stint with Barcelona’s B team. He then resurrected his young career by returning to Mexico to play for Pumas, helping his club to the 2009 Clausura championship.

These Ronaldinho Liga MX highlights are a treasure for the ages. Especially now that the Brazilian legend has announced his retirement from professional football.

Ronaldinho was a force of nature and a worldwide phenomenon. Therefore, many were baffled by his signing for Liga MX's Club Querétaro back in 2014.

Just before the new year, Puebla announced the signing of 26-year-old Bolivia international Alejandro Chumacero from La Paz club The Strongest. At 5-4, Chumacero is as diminutive as they come in the midfield/wide areas, but his talent was enough to earn a short-lived spell at Brazilian club Sport Recife at the age of 22. 

After leading the Liga MX Femenil Apertura season with 15 goals in 14 matches, Club America striker Lucero Cuevas is picking up right where she left off in the Clausura. On Monday, America defeated Pachuca 3-2 with Cuevas scoring a brace, including the go-ahead goal in the 48th minute and what would prove to be the match-winner in the 51st.

Landon Donovan has arrived in Mexico. The 35-year-old attacker (who’ll turn 36 on March 4) was officially unveiled at Club Leon’s Estadio Leon Monday night with 7,000 supporters on hand to watch the unveiling of the USMNT legend, who'll wear the No. 20 shirt for the club. 

Speaking fluent Spanish, the Californian addressed the crowd in a defiant matter with regards to questions surrounding his own ability to make a difference in Liga MX.

Landon Donovan is back. Landon Donovan is back. Wake up Lost Boys, like the Pan, the Golden Boy is back. He’s 35 now and this might be a jersey selling gimmick, but IDGAF. What was once dismissed as a hoax is now reality: Club Leon are saying it. Landon Donovan is saying it.

FC Porto defeated Moreirense 2-1 in the Taca de Portugal (the country’s premier knockout competition) with Mexico internationals Hector Herrera and Miguel Layun providing the goals. Porto haven’t won the Cup since 2011, but they’ll now play fierce rivals Sporting CP in a Dragões vs Leões semifinal. 

Herrera scored the game’s opening goal in the eighth minute after a fine run from Tiquinho. The midfielder applied the finish with a lovely dink over the keeper. 

The fallout from Jonathan Gonzalez’s switch from the United States national team to Mexico has been expectedly fierce, especially so when coupled with the current state of U.S. Soccer. Here was a California native who’d progressed through the U.S. youth system, including run-outs at the U-17, U-18 and U-20 levels, who joined Mexican club side C.F. Monterrey in 2014 “bleeding red, white and blue.”

Back on November 24, 2017, Guadalajara completed a three-goal comeback in the Apertura championship to shock Pachuca in the inaugural season of Liga MX Femenil, the top-flight women’s league in Mexico. Key to Chivas’ triumph was midfield captain Tania Morales, a 31-year-old native of Guadalajara who scored five goals and two assists in the 14-match regular season to lead her club into the playoffs.