Mexico have put together some impressive friendly performances in their preparation for the Gold Cup this summer, but they’re coming off a rather embarrassing collapse against Belarus in their last match. Miguel Herrera will be hoping for a seriously improved performance against Ecuador on Saturday.
Mexico vs. Ecuador 2015: Time, TV schedule and team news
El Tri continue working towards solidifying their Gold Cup roster.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
These two teams played in a pre-World Cup friendly, with Mexico winning 3-1 in front of a partisan crowd. El Tri will be hoping to duplicate that result while avoiding an injury like the horrific one Luis Montes suffered in that game.
Of Mexico’s four forwards, Giovani dos Santos is the only one who is both an El Tri veteran and in form for his club. Herrera has opted to call in debutant Eduardo Herrera, while giving Raul Jimenez and ‘Chicharito’ Javier Hernandez chances they’re not getting with their clubs. Oribe Peralta, Aldo de Nigris and Carlos Vela have been left off this team.
Key player - Hugo Ayala
'Maza' Francisco Rodriguez has played well enough this season that he's back in the squad, but the 33-year-old isn't going to be an option at the next World Cup, nor is he likely to make the 2016 Copa America. Mexico have been waiting for Ayala to lock down a starting center back spot for a while, but the 27-year-old finally looks fully healthy. This is a big opportunity for him to prove he should be first choice.
Match date/time: Saturday, 9:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
TV: ESPN2 (U.S. - English), Univision Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), TDN/Azteca 7 (Mexico)
Online: Watch ESPN (U.S. - English), Univision Deportes en vivo (U.S. - Spanish)
Listings via Live Soccer TV.
See More:
