The Mexican national football team begins, on Saturday, with a friendly match against Nigeria, its way to restore its best level, which Argentine coach Gerardo Martino has reached, to face the Qatar World Cup 2022 next November.
Despite the fact that Mexico won its entry ticket to Qatar by finishing second in the CONCACAF qualifiers, the team from My Father Martino left skepticism among the fans and the media due to the performance that made them win matches with close results.
The Mexicans showed their highest level with Martino in 2019, the first year of the Argentina administration, losing only one game out of thirteen they played and winning the Gold Cup.
However, the arrival of COVID-19 in 2020 brought Operation Martino to a standstill, which resumed in the last four months of that year as Mexico played friendlies, with victories over Guatemala, the Netherlands, South Korea and Japan and a draw against. Algeria.
The lack of activity was reflected in the disaster of 2021, in which Martino’s team lost to the United States, its biggest competitor, the Gold Cup and the finals of the CONCACAF Nations League.
In the playoffs, Mexico tied the fall to the United States and Canada in November, making Martino’s work even more hostile.
To take on Qatar in the best possible shape, Martino will have just over five months to play two Nations League matches and four friendlies in the US so far, which will start against Nigeria at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
In addition to Nigeria, El Tre will face Uruguay on June 2. Ecuador, 5 June; And to Paraguay on August 31. It will receive Suriname on June 11. He will visit Jamaica on June 14 at the League of Nations.
In his first three League of Nations friendlies, Martino called up his base of footballers, led by Guillermo Ochoa, America’s goalkeeper; Spain’s Nestor Araujo, Celta de Vigo; Edson Alvarez from Ajax. And Raul Jimenez from Wolverhampton, England.
Nigeria, who did not qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, will start the procedures of their new Portuguese coach, Jose Peseiro, against Mexico.
The European coach summoned new faces and others with more experience, such as Samuel Chukwueze, the Villarreal striker. After facing Mexico, the three-times African champions will face Ecuador on June 2. (Dr)
“Lifelong travel trailblazer. Food nerd. Award-winning music enthusiast. Twitter guru.”