If this was in fact an unwarranted test that I spoke of in my last piece, then the first friendly against Costa Rica was a test passed and then some.
Saturday morning brought the official beginning of Monica Vergara’s managerial era with the senior team into play at the Estadio Azteca against Costa Rica. Despite no fans in the stadium, it was a historic moment 14 years in the making that ended in strong 3-1 showing.
“It’s a dream to debut at the Azteca and get my first win,” Vergara said during her post-game press conference. “Women’s soccer is growing within our society and is generating changes for us [women]to form our place within this industry. I’m grateful for those that paved the way for us.”
Vergara started the match off with an experienced-heavy starting XI with the exception of 19-year-old Nicole Perez. What resulted was a strong header off a set piece from Rebeca Bernal, an amazing golazo from Katty Martinez, and a well-executed flick header from captain Stephany Mayor.
Mexico’s rhythm solidified itself after Bernal’s goal and never really stopped even with the single goal Costa Rica scored off an intelligent peel off from Villalobos away from Alison Gonzalez (a valuable learning lesson the leading goal scorer in Liga MX Femenil should be humbled by in a positive way). The dominance on the field was a validating one for all the followers and fans of the Mexican Women’s team and Vergara herself gave credit to the league for its impact.
“The creation of the Liga MX Femenil has been a huge momentum builder for the evolution of the national team,” she stated. “I’m thankful for the FMF and the [league] — they’ve developed the players week in and week out and we’ve simply polished them.”
Mexico will face off against Costa Rica again on Tuesday in Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR) at 11:00 AM Pacific Standard Time.
Comments
