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LA Galaxy defender Julian Araujo and Arsenal academy youngster Marcelo Flores made their Mexico debut in a 2-2 draw with Chile in a friendly at Q2 Stadium in Austin, in Texas.
With the game being played on a non-FIFA date, both sides featured a lineup with plenty of young faces and substitutes. Araujo, who filed a one-time change from the United States national team in October, started for Mexico in their first game with the El Tri team.
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Mexico wasted no time securing Santiago Gimenez de Cruz Azul’s opening goal in the ninth minute. Chile, who had already tested Mexican goalkeeper Carlos Acevedo early on, stepped up their pressure in attack and eventually equalized. After a save by Acevedo, forward Ivan Morales jumped on the rebound and slapped the shot to make it 1-1 in the 21st minute.
Mexico then responded with a free kick in the 64th minute when Sebastian Cordova found Club America teammate Jordan Silva with a timely cross. Silva jumped into the air and steered the ball into the net, giving Mexico the lead with a 2-1 advantage.
Mexican coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino then made a series of substitutions, including bringing in the much-vaunted Flores in the 83rd minute.
However, El Tri couldn’t keep the lead as Pablo Parra slid the ball to the lower right corner and passed Acevedo to make it 2-2 in the 86th minute.
Mexico pushed for a late winner but were unable to create a final opportunity before the final whistle.
“We wanted to give the fans a victory, but hey, that’s part of the process,” Acevedo told TUDN after the game. “You have to work hard to get it right. “
Martino was a bit more oppressed during the post-match press conference.
The result marked the fourth straight game without a win for Martino, who said after Wednesday’s game that 2021 was “the worst year of my management” since taking over from Mexico in 2019. The Argentine was the subject. strong criticism after losing a crucial World Cup. Cup qualifiers in November in US and Canada.
“We played two friendlies against Ecuador [in November] and tonight. Two qualifiers [against the U.S. and Canada] and nine goals scored against us in those four games with different defenses. Obviously our goal and our challenge is to find a defense that matches the way we attack, â€added Martino.
During Flores’ debut, Martino said: “I understand the expectations this can create, but I ask for caution with the demands of an 18-year-old.”
As for Chile, La Roja Manager Martin Lasarte said he was satisfied with what he saw from his team.
“We came to play a few minutes, give some opportunities, see what we have and what we could do against a team that had more time together. We only trained for two days together,” said Lasarte. .
Mexico return to action with World Cup qualifiers in January, while Chile travel to Los Angeles for another friendly against El Salvador on December 11.
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