Clàudia Pina was the best player at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. She made sure she played for the best team with a sublime performance in the final against Mexico.
Pina scored twice in the opening 26 minutes to propel Spain to a 2-1 win over Mexico in the U-17 Women’s World Cup final on Saturday in Montevideo, Uruguay.
¡¡¡SOMOS CAMPEONAS DEL MUNDO!!! ¡¡¡SIIIIIIIIII!!! ¡¡¡VAMOSSSSS!!! ¡¡¡SOMOS DE ORO!!!
While many soccer fans in Mexico will be paying attention to the Liga MX playoffs, which begin Wednesday night, or Tecatito becoming the first Mexican to score in three straight Champions League matches, the biggest news out of Mexican football this week comes not from Mexico or Europe but from Uruguay, where the U-17 Women's World Cup is reaching its climax.
If you’re looking for a reason to watch the Liga MX playoffs, you must’ve missed the 2018 Clausura tournament. The 13 matches of the liguilla yielded 47 goals (an average of 3.62 per game), and it really was that fun from start to Santos Laguna’s triumphant finish. So if you’re looking for a way to jettison the 0-0 draw between Sporting Kansas City and Portland from your brain, check out the "Liga MX TV Schedule: Apertura Playoffs 2018" below, along with some team information and key players to watch.
Tuesday night’s friendly match between Argentina and Mexico was a fittingly strange closing to a strange year for both nations: Mauro Icardi scored his first international goal at the eighth time of asking, and Paulo Dybala also opened his account in his 18th appearance.
Major League Soccer is losing another of its best coaches to Mexico.
Earlier this week, Atlanta United’s Tata Martino reportedly agreed to a four-year contract to coach the Mexico national team. Now, FC Dallas’ Óscar Pareja is leaving the states for Liga MX side Club Tijuana, according to reports from Ives Galarcep.
Guillermo Ochoa was awarded the Silver Glove at the 2018 World Cup, but it seems never really has gotten his due as one of the world's best goalies. A serially underrated goalkeeper (he probably should’ve won the Gold Glove), Ochoa is still making incredible saves more than 13 years after this Mexico national team debut.
There was, admittedly, very little footballing action on Wednesday. Qatar shocked Switzerland 1-0 in an international friendly and the U-17 Women’s World Cup continued in Uruguay (the U.S. beat nine-woman Cameroon 3-0), but that was about it.
Oh, and there were a couple of matches in Ascenso MX, Mexico’s second division — namely one involving Diego Cam.
According to Univision, Gerardo “Tata” Martino is set to become Mexico’s manager on a four-year, $8.8 million contract directly following Atlanta United’s playoff run.
Next Monday, the Los Angeles Rams are set to “host” the Kansas City Chiefs in an NFL game at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca. However, the league is reportedly looking into moving the game back to LA because the field, quite frankly, looks like a case of hellfire diarrhea.
Last May, the legendary stadium switched its pitch from natural grass to a hybrid surface, but with both Club America and Cruz Azul utilizing the Azteca, the grass has been a constant source of anxiety over the last few months.
After reportedly rejecting offers of a contract extension at Porto (it’s set to expire this summer), Mexico international Hector Herrera has been linked with a move to Arsenal, Tottenham, Real Madrid and AS Roma. The World Cup standout again demonstrated his immense quality — and only increased the speculation — with a commanding display in today’s 4-1 Champions League victory over Lokomotiv Moscow.