PASADENA, Calif. – LA Galaxy Insider Adam Serrano provides his Three Things We Learned from Mexico’s 2-0 victory over Jamaica in their Copa America Centenario group stage match.
CHICHARITO NEARS MEXICO’S ALL-TIME GOAL SCORING RECORD
Javier Hernandez took another step toward becoming Mexico’s all-time leading goal scorer on Thursday night.
The Bayer Leverkusen striker opened the scoring in Mexico’s 2-0 victory over CONCACAF rivals Jamaica at the Rose Bowl. The goal was Hernandez’s 44th of his Mexican national team career and put him once shy of Jared Borgetti’s all-time mark. Hernandez’s goal was vintage Chicharito as the Mexican poacher out-leapt Jamaican central defender Wes Morgan to nod in his only goal of the evening.
With Chicharito so close to Borgetti’s record, the Mexican striker is almost guaranteed to break the record sometime during the tournament.
MEXICO LOCKS UP QUARTERFINAL BERTH BUT IMPROVEMENT STILL NEEDED
Mexico booked their passage to Copa America Centenario quarterfinals, but El Tri still have plenty to build on ahead of the knockout rounds.
Oribe Peralta and Chicharito scored to give Mexico a 2-0 win, but Juan Carlos Osorio’s side was far from dominant against Jamaica. Throughout the 90 minutes, Jamaica had numerous opportunities to fight their way back on the board, but time and time again, poor finishing proved the Caribbean nation’s undoing.
Mexico’s goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was rarely threatened, making four saves on the evening including a remarkable diving stop in the closing moments of the game. As Mexico looks toward the knockout rounds, Osorio will need his side to tighten up defensively before Monday’s decisive group stage game against Venezuela at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
MEXICO AND VENEZUELA TO FACE OFF FOR GROUP C TITLE
As expected, Mexico will have an opportunity to lock up the top spot in Group C, but their opponent for that distinction will be something of a surprise.
On Monday, El Tri will square off against the most surprising team of the tournament, the talented Venezuelan side which has looked impressive with wins over Jamaica and Uruguay. Venezuela’s most impressive win came on Thursday when La Vinotinto helped eliminate tournament favorites Uruguay by earning a 1-0 win over the South American powerhouse.
Although Venezuela has hardly looked like the most dangerous team so far, Mexico will be in for a stern test as they look to break down the organized and defensive-minded side.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog atLAGalaxy.com/Insiderand contact him atLAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
