Mexico Vs. Ecuador 2011, International Friendly: Match Ends In 1-1 Draw

Mexico had some of their best players put in great performance this afternoon in Seattle, but thanks to one defensive lapse and some poor finishing, they were only able to come away with a 1-1 draw against Ecuador despite being the better team for 90 minutes. Jose Torres Nilo scored early on a set piece for Mexico, appearing to set the tone for a big win, but Michael Antonio Arroyo’s 37th minute goal was the final tally of the evening.

In a friendly match ahead of a big competition, managers are looking much more for individual performances and chemistry than the overall result. In that respect, Chepo de la Torre will be happy. The midfield tandem of Gerardo Torrado and Israel Castro was outstanding, wingers Andres Guardado and Pablo Barrera were even better, and most encouragingly, Giovani dos Santos was very sharp off the bench.

Despite being two of the young golden boys of Mexican soccer, things haven’t gone so well for Efrain Juarez and Giovani Dos Santos this season over in Europe. Both players have seen their club careers stall considerably in the United Kingdom with their club teams, Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur. Though Gio enjoyed a bit of a resurgence during a loan spell with Racing Santander in Spain, rumors have Juarez headed back to Mexico.

They’ve just come on as substitutes for Sinha and Ricardo Osorio in like for like changes, and in their opening minutes on the pitch both players look sharp. Gio is combining very well with Andres Guardado, and Chepo de la Torre will be thrilled to see it. Sinha is a solid stopgap No. 10 for one tournament, but Gio is the man that Mexico are relying on to become their No. 10, sitting behind and combining with Chicharito for years to come.

Mexico played very well in the first half of their international friendly match against Ecuador, save for one bad defensive lapse. That bad defensive last has cost them, while Maxi Banguera has been brilliant in goal for Ecuador. As a result, despite the fact that El Tri has been the better side, the game is tied up at 1-1 at halftime, with the goals coming from Jose Torres Nilo and Michael Antonio Arroyo.

Nilo gave Mexico the lead after just seven minutes, converting on a set piece opportunity. Sinha took a corner kick short to Andres Guardado, who swung in a cross. Hector Moreno won the header in the air and headed towards the back post, where Nilo tapped in the goal.

Mexico has been the better side in the first half of their friendly against Ecuador, with Pablo Barrera looking like the best player on the pitch by a longshot, but Michael Antonio Arroyo of Ecuador has managed to turn the game on its head, scoring an absolute stunner to level the match at 1-1 when it looked like Mexico was sure to be the team who scored the second goal.

It was a very direct goal, with a long pass coming out of the back to start the move. Arroyo got onto the ball around 40 yards from goal and dribbled forward and to his right, setting himself up with a shooting opportunity. Mexico’s defense was poor on the play and gave Arroyo entirely too much room. His strike was an absolute stunner from 25 yards out, giving Guillermo Ochoa almost no chance to make a save. Though, I’m sure the Mexican media will find a reason to blame him and write columns about how Luis Michel should wear the No. 1 shirt for El Tri.

Everything is as expected for Jose Manuel ‘Chepo’ de la Torre’s lineup for the international friendly match between Mexico and Ecuador, as Aldo de Nigris starts up top with Sinha behind him. Other than the fact that Chicharito will be starting in place of de Nigris in most competitive matchups, this lineup is very similar to the one that they will use throughout Gold Cup. They will get a very strong test this afternoon against Ecuador, whose lineup looks very solid.

Mexico lineup (4-2-3-1): Guillermo Ochoa; Jose Torres Nilo, Javier Rodriguez, Hector Moreno, Ricardo Osorio; Gerardo Torrado, Israel Castro; Andres Guardado, Sinha, Pablo Barrera; Aldo de Nigris

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.