MEXICO NATIONAL TEAM
“Date set” for Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández’s Mexico return: when and where could it happen?
The LA Galaxy striker is El Tri’s record goalscorer but hasn’t played for his country since a win over the USMNT in September 2019.
A date has been set for Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández’s return to the Mexican national team, according to Fox Sports journalist Fernando Cevallos. Speaking as a panellist on La Última Palabra, a show debating the latest goings-on in the world of Mexico soccer and beyond, Cevallos revealed that Tri boss Diego Cocca and his staff had already made plans for the country’s all-time record goalscorer to come back into the fold after almost a four-year absence.
When will Hernández return and against who?
Cevallos revealed that the striker’s Mexico return – provided he is fit and in form – had been pencilled in for Saturday 10 June, when Mexico are set to play a friendly match at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Texas. The fixture hasn’t been formally announced just yet as no opponent has been confirmed but Cevallos says that Chile, Ecuador or Cameroon have been lined up for what will be a warm-up match before El Tri face the USMNT in the semi-finals of the Concacaf Nations League at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada on Thursday 15 June.
Why hasn’t ‘Chicharito’ played for Mexico for almost four years?
Hernández has scored 52 goals in 109 appearances for Mexico, the last of which came in a 3-0 win over the United States back in September 2019. The attacker had a high-profile falling out with now former Tri boss Gerardo ‘Tato’ Martino, although the panel on La Última Palabra also questioned whether senior members of the current roster, including goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, would be prepared to welcome the LA Galaxy man back with open arms, with suggestions that Hernández’s long-term omission suited several players due to so-called ‘backstabbing’ that had disrupted the harmony in the squad.
Mexico’s busy summer schedule
Should Mexico win the semi-final against the USMNT, they will go on to face either Panama or Canada in the final three days later. The following week, on Saturday 24 June, the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup kicks off, with El Tri drawn in a group with Honduras, Haiti and Qatar. Mexico’s group games will take place in NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas (vs Honduras on Sunday 25 June), State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (vs Haiti on Thursday 29 June) and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California (vs Qatar on Sunday 2 July).