In the wake of another disappointment at a major competitive tournament, The Mexican national team continues their effort to stop the slide as they meet New Zealand in an international friendly at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
Jaime Lozano retained his head coaching position as the federation is desperate for consistency in that role, but he remains on thin ice as Mexico effort to find the right talent within a player pool that seems to be thinning rapidly.
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New Zealand, ranked 94th in the world, are coming off victory this summer in the OFC Nations Cup and have dominated the Oceanic confederation for some time since the departure of Australia for the AFC. The Football Ferns still harbor hope of building themselves into a more competitive global force, but are often held back by their otherwise non-competitive region.
This match will be televised in the United States in Spanish on Fox Deportes, TUDN, and Univision.
All three channels can be found on Fubo, who are offering a seven-day free trial for new users.
This international friendly match kicks off from the Rose Bowl on Saturday, September 7 at 6 p.m. local time in Pasadena, CA.
Here's how that time translates across the time zones in North America:
MORE: Find out which games are streaming free on MLS Season pass from Apple TV each week
Star winger Hirving "Chucky" Lozano had been out of the national team picture for some time due to poor club form, but with four goals and an assist to start the year with PSV, his continued absence from the squad is now a major point of contention for fans.
After missing the Copa America due to injury, goalkeeper Luis Malagon is back in the fold and ready to be the starter in the post-Guillermo Ochoa era — although the latter has not officially retired. Neither Julio Gonzalez nor Carlos Acevedo were called in, a show of support for Malagon.
Lynchpin midfielder Edson Alvarez has only just returned from his hamstring injury suffered in the Copa America and therefore was given the international break to rest.
Mexico projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Malagon (GK) — J. Sanchez, Montes, Vasquez, Gallardo — Pineda, Romo, Chavez — Huerta, Gimenez, Quinones.
The goalkeeper battle for New Zealand continues as Max Crocombe and Oliver Sail both fight for the spot.
New Zealand have called in a high dose of MLS talent for this international break in the United States, including Portland Timbers youth product Finn Serman who was a starter for the Football Ferns at the Olympics this summer. 22-year-old Olympiacos midfielder Marko Stamenic is another exciting young player, earning key minutes for the Greek giants early this season.
New Zealand projected starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Crocombe (GK) — Bindon, Boxall, T. Smith, Cacace — Garbett, Stamenic — Just, Barbarouses, Waine — Wood.
El Tri have struggled against any and all opposition in recent years, conceding goals at inopportune moments and falling short in the attacking third, but they should manage to secure a result in this match on what will essentially amount to home soil.
While Mexico have never been more vulnerable on a match-to-match basis, New Zealand are also a national team side that struggles for squad-wide talent coverage and will be overmatched in the end. Their best chance will be to frustrate El Tri with a defensive approach but will probably be overwhelmed across a full 90 minutes.
Kyle Bonn is a soccer content producer for The Sporting News.
