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Mexicans Abroad: Tecatito shines for Porto; Chicharito close to Galaxy move

By Joel SoriaJan 12, 2020, 9:50 PM EST
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This weekend, there was just as much action off the field as there was on the field for Mexicans abroad.

Jesus “Tecatito” Corona scored one of the best goals of the weekend, while Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez is nearing a move to MLS. 

Chicharito, who is currently at Sevilla, is reportedly meeting with LA Galaxy officials on Monday to negotiate a new contract. The Spanish club have approved a near $10-million bid, a franchise-record for the MLS side. 

Here is a list of several other Mexico national team affiliates making a name for themselves (or not) outside of Mexico this weekend.

Premier League

Raul Jimenez, Wolverhampton Wanderers —  Jimenez had a rare off-game against Newcastle United on Saturday. The forward played all 90 minutes but only registered a shot on target.

La Liga

Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Sevilla — Chicharito played the final 12 minutes in Sevilla’s friendly 5-0 win over Escobedo on Sunday. It might have been his final game in Europe, as the 31-year-old striker is set to finalize a move to LA Galaxy soon.

Hector Herrera, Atletico Madrid — Herrera started and played 53 minutes in Los Colchoneros’ Spanish Super Cup final loss to city rivals Real Madrid.

Andres Guardado, Real Betis —  Guardado took the field in the 77th minute for compatriot Diego Lainez in Real Betis’ 3-0 win win over Cub Portugalete on Saturday.

Diego Lainez, Real Betis — The 19-year-old started and played 77 minutes in Betis’ win, recording two key passes and one shot on target.

Nestor Araujo, Celta Vigo — Araujo started and played 82 minutes in Celta’s 4-1 win over Merida in Copa del Rey play. The defender recorded one blocked shot and three interceptions.

Serie A

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, Napoli —  Lozano is visible not positioned highly in Gennaro Gattuso pecking order. The 24-year-old struggles to get playing time under the Italian. On Saturday, he played a minute in Napoli’s loss to Lazio.

Primeira Liga

Tecatito” Corona, FC Porto — Many may not be speaking about it, but Tecatito is having himself a solid season in Porto. The frenetic, crafty winger scored this beauty over the weekend:

Eredivisie

Erick Gutierrez, PSV Eindhoven —  Gutierrez played the final 45 minutes in PSV’s friendly on Saturday.

Edson Alvarez, Ajax — Alvarez played the final 23 minutes in Ajax’s friendly on Saturday.

Jupiler Pro League

Omar Govea, Zulte Waregem — Govea played the final 45 minutes in Zulte’s friendly on Friday.

Elsewhere around the globe:

Pedro Arce, Panionios –  Panionios were inactive over the weekend.

Gerardo Ramirez Alonso, Roda JC – Ramirez Alonso didn’t feature for Roda JC on Sunday.

Mexicans Abroad: Jimenez earns Wolves point; Lozano assists in Napoli loss

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By Joel SoriaNov 3, 2019, 6:51 PM EST
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The clock was inching closer towards the 90-minute mark at the Emirates and Wolverhampton Wanderers needed a goal.

They had tried more than a dozen times, but the ball wouldn’t cross the white line.

Then, as its happened in the past, Raul Jimenez delivered the goods. The Mexican’s header inside the box flew towards the back of the net, earning Wolves a much-deserved 1-1 draw against Arsenal.

Over in Italy, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano came close to having a hero-like moment of his own; unfortunately, Napoli were playing two goals down to hosts AS Roma by the time he took the field.

Here is a list of several other Mexico national team affiliates making a name for themselves (or not) outside of Mexico this weekend.

La Liga

Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Sevilla — Chicharito came on for Luuk De Jong in Sevilla’s 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid on Saturday. He recorded four touches, two passes, but didn’t register a shot.

Hector Herrera, Atletico Madrid — Shortly after Chicharito stepped on the field, Herrera did so himself. The midfielder played 12 minutes in Los Colchoneros’ draw in Seville.

Andres Guardado, Real Betis —  Betis’ captain started and all played all 90 minutes for Betis, who held Real Madrid to a 0-0 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu. Guardado completed 85 percent of his passes, but picked up a yellow card in the 85th minute.

Diego Lainez, Real Betis — The 19-year-old didn’t dress for Saturday’s match.

Nestor Araujo, Celta Vigo — Araujo started and every minute in Celta’s 1-0 loss to Getafe. The defender recorded three clearances, two blocked shots and one interception. Celta have lost four consecutive matches and are currently in the relegation zone.

Serie A

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, Napoli — Lozano came on in the 58th minute for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. In the 72nd minute, Arkadiusz Milk capitalized on his valiant, right-wing run and subsequent cross into the box, tapping in the ball into the back of net. Despite the goal, Napoli lost 2-1 to AS Roma.

Premier League

Raul Jimenez, Wolverhampton Wanderers — Jimenez was instrumental for Wolves yet again. The 28-year-old went all 90 minutes and scored the leveler against Arsenal on Saturday, which is his fourth goal of the Premier League campaign.

Eredivisie

Erick Gutierrez, PSV Eindhoven — Gutierrez came off at halftime due to an undisclosed injury in PSV’s 2-2 draw against Sparta Rotterdam on Saturday.

Edson Alvarez, Ajax — Alvarez, too, was the victim of an injury in the Eredivisie this weekend. The 22-year-old took the field in the 23rd minute for an injured Lisandro Martinez, only to be taken off at the 63rd minute, after taking a gruesome elbow to the face. Ajax defeated PEC Zwolle 4-2.

Primeira Liga

Jesus “Tecatito” Corona, FC Porto — After starting the season as one of the team’s starting fullbacks, it seems that Tecatito is back in a midfield role for now. The 26-year-old played all 90 minutes in Porto’s 1-0 victory over CD Aves.

Jupiler Pro League

Omar Govea, Zulte Waregem — Govea started and played 76 minutes in Zulte’s 2-0 loss to Club Brugge.

Elsewhere around the globe:

Hector Moreno, Al Gharafa  — On Saturday, Moreno started and played 90 minutes in Al Gharafa’s 3-1 win over Al Khor.

Pedro Arce, Panionios – Arce’s goal in the 66th minute opened the scoring in Panionios’ 1-1 draw against Aris Thessaloniki on Saturday.

Gerardo Ramirez Alonso, Roda JC – Ramirez Alonso and Roda take on Jong PSV Eindhoven on Monday.

 

Mexicans Abroad: Chicharito opens La Liga account with Sevilla, Tecatito assists

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By Joel SoriaOct 27, 2019, 11:34 PM EDT
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Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez has scored for Sevilla before – in fact, his first goal for the Spanish side was one of his career’s best – but on Sunday, the 31-year-old opened his La Liga account with Los Nervionenses. 

In Portugal, Jesus “Tecatito” Corona assisted in Porto’s 3-0 win, quietly adding to his assist count and highlights to his overall positive season. Elsewhere, plenty of Mexicans abroad suffered arduous defeats.

Here is a list of several other Mexico national team affiliates making a name for themselves (or not) outside of Mexico this weekend.

La Liga

Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Sevilla — Chicharito started his second consecutive league game, and scored his first La Liga goal with Sevilla in their 2-0 victory over Getafe.

Hector Herrera, Atletico Madrid — Herrera came off the bench and played 24 minutes in Atletico’s 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao. He completed all of his 14 passes. Accurate.

Andres Guardado, Real Betis —  The veteran midfielder started, captained and all played all 90 minutes for Betis, who continues to struggle. On Sunday, Rubi’s side lost 1-0 against Granada, falling to the relegation zone.

Diego Lainez, Real Betis — The 19-year-old didn’t dress for Sunday’s match.

Nestor Araujo, Celta Vigo — Araujo started and played 60 minutes in Celta’s 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad. The defender recorded three clearances, one blocked shot and one interception.

A series

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, Napoli — Lozano was left on the bench in Napoli’s 1-1 draw against SPAL on Sunday. It’s not time to worry yet, however.

Premier League

Raul Jimenez, Wolverhampton Wanderers — Jimenez started and went all 90 minutes in Wolves’ 1-1 draw against Newcastle. The forward had one shot on target.

Eredivisie

Erick Gutierrez, PSV Eindhoven — After going 90 minutes on Thursday in Europa League play, Gutierrez featured for another 90 in PSV’s woeful 4-0 loss to AZ. The midfielder completed 91 percent of his passes.

Edson Alvarez, Ajax — Alvarez came off the bench in the 81st minute in Ajax’s 4-0 win over Feyenoord.

first League

Jesus “Tecatito” Corona, FC Porto — In a midfield role, Tecatito played all 90 minutes and contributed an assist in Porto’s 3-0 win over FC Famalicao.

Jupiler Pro League

Omar Govea, Zulte Waregem — Govea played all 90 minutes in Zulte’s 2-0 win over KV Oostende.

Elsewhere around the globe:

Hector Moreno, Al Gharafa  — On Sunday, Moreno started and played 90 minutes in Al Gharafa’s 2-1 loss against Al-Duhail.

Carlos Vela, LAFC – Vela and LAFC were inactive this weekend, but play host the Seattle Sounders on Tuesday in the Western Conference Final.

Mexicans Abroad: Jimenez assists twice, Vela breaks MLS record

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By Joel SoriaOct 7, 2019, 12:28 AM EDT
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He didn’t score, but Raul Jimenez was the X-factor on Sunday, assisting Adama Traore twice in Wolves’ memorable 2-0 win over defending champions Manchester City. In eight games this season, the 28-year-old has tallied two goals and two assists.

MLS has a new single season goalscoring champion, and he is Mexican. Carlos Vela topped of his season with a hat-trick performance against the Colorado Rapids, putting his season totals at 34 goals and 15 assists in 31 games played. Historic.

Outside of Jimenez’s stellar contributions and Vela’s historic day, however, things weren’t as positive for Mexicans abroad this weekend.

In Italy, despite making a great first impression, Hirving “Chucky” Lozano is far two, three steps away from living up to his price tag. That said, it’s likely the speedy winger is still assimilating to Carlo Ancelotti’s system and Serie A’s pragmatism.

In Spain, the only true “winner” was Nestor Araujo, who recorded three clearances, one blocked shot and two interceptions in Celta Vigo’s 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao.

Here is a list of several other Mexico national team affiliates making a name for themselves (or not) outside of Mexico this weekend.

Premier League

Raul Jimenez, Wolverhampton Wanderers — Jimenez hasn’t scored a league goal since September, but he doesn’t need to score goals to help Wolves, his latest performances shows. Spearheading two counter-attacks, the striker assisted Adama Traore twice in Wolverhampton Wanderers masterclass win over Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City.

Serie A

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, Napoli — Lozano had a first this weekend, but it didn’t involve putting Napoli ahead of Torino. The 24-year-old, instead, earned his first yellow card with Napoli in 61 minutes of play.

La Liga

Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Sevilla — Chicharito‘s goal count in Europa League with Sevilla is at two goals now, but for some reason, it’s not enough to earn him a La Liga start with Sevilla. On Sunday, El Tri’s all-time scorer played 25 minutes and recorded a short off target in Sevilla’s 4-0 loss to Barcelona.

Hector Herrera, Atletico Madrid — Herrera can now describe what it’s like to come off the bench in a La Liga match. The 29-year-old replaced Alvaro Morata and played 18 minutes in Atletico’s 0-0 draw with Real Valladolid.

Andres Guardado, Diego Lainez, Real Betis — The talk surrounding the 19-year-old was that it’d be best for him to look elsewhere for playing time. But over the past weeks, Lainez has started to gain minutes here in there. On Friday, he played a minute, coming on for Guardado in Betis’ 1-1 draw with Eibar.

Nestor Araujo, Celta Vigo — Celta Vigo, flirting with the relegation zone, were in desperate need for a win. With Araujo starting and playing all 90 minutes, the home side won 1-0 over Athletic Bilbao, a top-seven side.

Eredivisie

Erick Gutierrez, PSV Eindhoven — Like Lozano, Gutierrez, with time, is winning the hearts of PSV fans with undeniable effort on the pitch. The midfielder started and played 85 minutes in the Dutch giants’ 4-1 victory over VVV-Venlo.

Edson Alvarez, Ajax — After a good shift against Valencia in Champions League play, Alvarez played a minute in Ajax’s 2-0 win. after nine game, Ajax and PSV are tied with 23 points.

Primeira Liga

Jesus “Tecatito” Corona, FC Porto — Porto and Corona didn’t play this weekend.

Jupiler Pro League

Omar Govea, Zulte Waregem — Govea started on the bench but ended up playing 42 minutes in Zulte’s 6-0 win on Saturday.

Elsewhere around the globe:

Carlos Vela, LAFC – Vela was critiqued for making a move to MLS at prime age. in retrospect, though, it was the best choice the now 30-year-old could have made. On Sunday, the winger finished the 2019 regular season with a hat-trick and as the league’s Golden Boot winner.

Hector Moreno, Al Gharafa  — Moreno earned a yellow card in Al Gharafa’s 3-3 draw on Thursday.

Carlos Fierro, San Jose Earthquakes – Dressed but didn’t play in the Quakes’ 3-1 loss to the Portland Timbers. The offseason has officially started for the 25-year-old.

Uriel Antuna, Jonathan Dos Santos, LA Galaxy – Dos Santos and Antuna started and played all 90 minutes in Galaxy’s game loss against the Houston Dynamo. The Galaxy, however, move on to MLS Cup playoffs and face Minnesota United in the first round.

Messi scores 1st goal of season as Barca beats Sevilla 4-0

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Associated PressOct 6, 2019, 11:31 PM EDT
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BARCELONA, Spain — Lionel Messi has ended his mini-scoring drought as Barcelona finds its winning stride.

Messi curled a left-footed free kick over the wall and into the net for his first goal of the season to wrap up Barcelona’s 4-0 win over Sevilla in the Spanish league on Sunday.

The soccer great thrust his finger in the air before pumping his fist in celebration after scoring in the 78th minute. Messi had gone scoreless in his previous four appearances after being sidelined for five games with injuries.

Messi’s 37th goal in 38 career meetings with Sevilla was also his first since he won his record sixth FIFA player of the year award last month.

“We know how important Leo is for this team and what he means to us,” Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal said. “If he is playing well it helps us a lot.”

Luis Suarez put Barcelona on the winning path for a second time this week after netting with a bicycle kick in the 27th despite Sevilla having dominated the game before then. On Wednesday, the Uruguay striker had sparked a 2-1 comeback over Inter Milan in the Champions League with a superb volley before he added a fine second goal.

Vidal and Ousmane Dembele added two more goals against Sevilla in the next 10 minutes to turn what had been a tightly contested start into a demolition.

After a stuttering start to the season while Messi was out injured, Barcelona’s fourth straight victory in all competitions lifted it into second place and two points behind leader Real Madrid. Barcelona will host Madrid on Oct. 26.

Atletico Madrid slipped to third – one point behind Barcelona – after being held 0-0 at Valladolid, its third scoreless draw in four rounds.

“It was a complicated match and the score by halftime was a bit exaggerated,” Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. “We had more firepower than they did. After scoring the first goal we created danger practically every time we reached their area.”

Barcelona finished with nine men after referee Mateu Lahoz sent off Ronald Araujo on his debut after making contact with Sevilla’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez with only the Barcelona goalkeeper to beat. Replays showed minor contact between the two players.

Demebele was then shown a direct red, for criticizing Lahoz’s decision by saying he was “very bad.”

NIGHT TO FORGET

The last time Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui came to Camp Nou, his Real Madrid team had been routed 5-1. He was fired a day later.

One year later, Lopetegui must have been at a loss to see his team trailing 3-0 at halftime after it had outplayed Barcelona in the first 25 minutes, largely thanks to Lucas Ocampos’ powerful runs down the right flank and on-target passes.

Sevilla’s Luuk De Jong, however, had a night to forget. After goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made an excellent save against his point-blank shot off a pass by Ocampos, the striker had three glaring misses.

Lopetegui looked on in disbelief when De Jong’s header off another Ocampos cross failed to go in – a minute before Suarez whipped in Nelson Semedo’s cross at the other end.

De Jong’s bad Fortune continued after halftime when he stole the ball to leave himself in a perfect position, only to hit the post. He has yet to score since joining Sevilla in the offseason.

“It was a painful and undeserved loss,” Lopetegui said. “We were missing our finishing touch. De Jong did a lot of things very well, just as the team did, but to win at Camp Nou you have to play well and have a bit of luck.”

TOOTHLESS ATTACK

Atletico’s three-prong attack of Joao Felix, Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata wasn’t able to unsettle the modest Valladolid.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone sent on Angel Correa and Thomas Lemar for Felix and Morata, but they only slightly improved the attack. Atletico’s best scoring chance came in the 82nd when substitute Correa hit the upright.

Valladolid striker Sandor Ramirez squandered his side’s only good opportunity in the first half when he sent a penalty kick, that he had earned, high over the crossbar.

“It was very hard game, they play very well as a tight unit,” Simeone said. “(It was) a game that ended in a draw that we didn’t want, but we gave it our all.”

OTHER GAMES

Getafe fought back once Real Sociedad was reduced to 10 men to win 2-1 in San Sebastian, leaving Sociedad in fifth place just ahead of Sevilla.

Iago Aspas broke his seven-game scoring drought and gave Celta Vigo a 1-0 win over Athletic Bibao.

Espanyol fell second to last after losing 2-0 at Mallorca.