Mexico Vs. Ecuador 2011, International Friendly: Preview, Looking For Momentum Headed Into Gold Cup, Copa America

Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez won’t be playing tonight for Mexico, but that doesn’t mean that the international friendly between Mexico and Ecuador isn’t worth watching. This match was originally expected to have some overlap with the UEFA Champions League final, but such is the popularity of Chicharito that the game has been pushed back to allow for Mexican football fans to watch Chicharito (and Barcelona, who is extremely popular in Mexico), as well as their national team.

In Chicharito’s absence, Aldo de Nigris of Monterrey is expected to start up top. He’s also expected to be a regular late sub and Chicharito’s primary backup in the Gold Cup and into World Cup qualifying, which will be a welcome change for a Mexican team that hasn’t had much in the way of consistency up top in quite a while.

Ecuador has a number of players who ply their trade in the Mexican Primera, namely Walter Ayovi and Christian Benitez, who are widely considered to be legends in the Mexican game. They are among the players to watch on an Ecuadorian team that is mostly made up of players who play their football in Ecuador. They are also missing a key starter, Antonio Valencia, who like Chicharito starts for Manchester United in the Champions League final.

If you’re looking for stars that could possibly be making a move from the Americas to a Europe in the summer, keep an eye on Juan Carlos Paredes of Ecuador and the aforementioned Aldo de Nigris. Both players are said to be happy at their current clubs, but a move to Europe could be in the cards for both.

Mexico will play a 4-2-3-1 and their first choice team includes Pablo Barrera and Andres Guardado on the wings with Gerardo Torrado and Israel Castro in the middle, but the No. 10 spot is not set in stone. The 35-year-old veteran Sinha is thought to be the current best option, but he is a one competition stopgap at this point in his career.

The match kicks off just after the Champions League final concludes from Qwest Field in Seattle, pushed back from its original 1 pm local time start to account for the overlap with the Champions League final.

For more on this game and Mexican football in general, visit SB Nation’s Mexican football blog FMF State of Mind.