Mexico and Ecuador will both have new-look squads when El Tri takes on La Tri in an international friendly at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
The fact that the exhibition match falls on a date outside of a FIFA international window means that both coaches could not call up their regular squads. That opens the door for fringe players and younger prospects to play their way onto two national teams that are on track to be at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Mexico leads regional qualifying in CONCACAF after six of 14 matches, while Ecuador is currently in third place with only six matches to play in South America. That placement would be enough to see the Ecuadoreans advance directly to the World Cup.
MORE: Updated South American World Cup qualifying standings & schedule
Sporting News will be following the match live and providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
Mexico vs. Ecuador live score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| Mexico | 1 | 0 | — |
| Ecuador | 2 | 0 | — |
Goals:
ECU — Jhonny Quinonez — 2nd min.
MEX — Roberto ‘Piojo’ Alvarado (Santi Gimenez) — 6th min.
ECU — Janner Corozo (Michael Estrada) — 15th min.
Mexico vs. Ecuador live updates & highlights
Standings and results: Updated World Cup qualifying table
(All times Eastern)
58th min.: Free kick from 20 yards out for Mexico. After Santi Gimenez blasts the ball against the wall, Erik Lira fires the rebound just high of the bar.
55th min.: Mexico chance! El Tri is patiently keeping the ball and then it accelerates. Piojo Alvarado found his club teammate Santi Gimenez with a through ball, but his shot hit the side netting.
49th min.: Two yellow cards, one for each side. First it was Ecuador’s Michael Estrada going in the book and then in a separate incident Mexico’s Kevin Alvarez probably should’ve been sent off for his tackle on left winger Janner Corozo. If there was VAR in Charlotte, Alvarez would’ve been in trouble. He escapes with a yellow.
48th min.: Mexico chance! Cross by Uriel Antuna and header from Santi Gimenez right at the ‘keeper.
46th min.: Second half is underway. Rodolfo Cota is the new goalkeeper for Mexico, coming in for Jonathan Orozco. Kevin Alvarez comes in for Jose ‘Avion’ Ramirez at right back.
Halftime: Mexico 1, Ecuador 2
Halftime: It was an explosive start to the game, but then it surprisingly fizzled out. Ecuador easily penetrated the Mexico back line on those early forays for its two goals, but then the South Americans struggled to put together many attacks after the strong start. Despite the goal created by the Cruz Azul duo of Santi Gimenez and Piojo Alvarado, the Ecuadoreans looked comfortable defending the one-goal lead. Mexico had more of the possession (66%-34%) and outshot its opponents, but it couldn’t trouble Ecuador’s ‘keeper all that often. There was a long-distance shot by Alvarado and a handful of set pieces to close out the half, but nothing that Ecuador wasn’t able to handle.
47th min.: Chance for Mexico! Piojo Alvarado cuts from left to the middle and his shot is blocked by the ‘keeper, and falls to Mexico forward Santi Gimenez, but he’s offside.
45th min.: One minute of stoppage time.
44th min.: Set piece for Mexico into the box delivered by Ricardo Angulo and there’s a header that bounces in the direction of Ecuador’s ‘keeper Hernan Galindez for the easy save.
38th min.: First corner kick of the game to Mexico and it’s taken by the left-footed Ricardo Angulo. Leads to a shot from distance, deflected for an Ecuador goal kick.
32nd min.: Ricardo Angulo with the set piece into the box, but his teammates can’t connect and Ecuador clears the danger. Mexico controlling proceedings now. But Ecuador will go vertical fast when it wins the ball.
26th min.: After a quiet period, including an injury break for Mexico’s Uriel Antuna who took a blow, there’s a flurry in the Ecuador box, but the danger is defused by the referee whistle. Foul called.
15th min.: Another Ecuador attack and another goal! Give-and-go between Janner Corozo and Michael Estrada and Corozo with another scuffed shot that bounces past Mexico’s ‘keeper.
9th min.: Now it’s Ecuador wanting a penalty, but Unkel is still not pointing to the spot. It’s a wide open game. It shows that the players have something to prove.
6th min.: Goal Mexico! What a reaction from El Tri. After a run in the box, forward Santi Gimenez is on the ground but still flicks the ball to Piojo Alvarado, who taps it home.
5th min.: Roberto ‘Piojo’ Alvarado goes down in the box and it looked like a foul, but referee Ted Unkel isn’t buying it. No protests from Mexico.
2nd min.: Goal Ecuador! Not even 90 seconds in and Ecuador has a goal. Cross from the left side, but the Osvaldo Rodriguez header clearance went right to the middle of the box where Ecuador’s Jhonny Quinonez scuffed a shot past the ‘keeper.
1st min.: We’re underway. Ecuador with the early possession.
8:59 p.m.: Mexico captain and goalkeeper Jonathan Orozco has the mic with a message to the fans in attendance asking for respect for the players and the fellow fans during the match.
8:58 p.m.: Anthems are out of the way. It’s time for the coin toss with referee Ted Unkel.
9:26 p.m.: Ecuador’s Michael Estrada will be going up against players he faces on a weekly basis in Liga MX with Toluca:
Mexico vs. Ecuador: Lineups
Mexico coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino called up 18 players for this camp, but the call-ups do not include any players from Monterrey or Club America, which will be playing in the CONCACAF Champions League final first leg on Thursday.
One Club America backup player, the inexperienced 18-year-old Karel Campos, was called up to replace Erick Sanchez who picked up an injury. Campos has participated as a training invitee in previous senior Mexican national team camps.
Mexico lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Jonathan Orozco-GK (Tijuana) — 16-Jose ‘Avion’ Ramirez (Leon), 13-Haret Ortega (Toluca), 4-Jesus Angulo (Atlas), 5-Osvaldo Rodriguez (Leon) — 8-Fernando Beltran (Chivas), 17-Erik Lira (Pumas UNAM), 7-Ricardo Angulo (Chivas) — 10-Uriel Antuna (Chivas), 9-Santiago Gimenez (Cruz Azul), 11-Roberto ‘Piojo’ Alvarado (Cruz Azul)
Mexico subs (2): 12-Rodolfo Cota-GK (Leon) for Orozco (46′), 2-Kevin Alvarez (Pachuca) for Ramirez (46′)
Mexico subs not used (5): 3-Victor Guzman (Tijuana), 6-Alan Cervantes (Santos Laguna), 18-Karel Campos (Club America), 15-Alejandro Zendejas (Necaxa), 19-Eduardo Aguirre (Santos Laguna)
Ecuador’s Argentine coach Gustavo Alfaro will be testing out some young talent and the Ecuadorean press suggests he’s looking for potential replacements for three starters who will all be suspended for the next World Cup qualifier due to yellow card accumulation.
According to reports, we can expect a 4-3-3 formation with 34-year-old goalkeeper Hernan Galindez and 25-year-old forward Michael Estrada, who plays for Mexico’s Toluca, being the reference points of the 19-man group. Club teams following in parentheses.
Ecuador starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Hernan Galindez-GK (U. Catolica) — 4-Andres Lopez (U. Catolica), 3-Marlon Mejia (Emelec), 18-Luis Segovia (Indep. del Valle), 6-Christian Cruz (LDU Quito) — 8-Jhonny Quinonez (Aucas), 21-Julio Ortiz (Delfin), 5-Michael Carcelen (Barcelona S.C.) — 19-Nilson Angulo (LDU Quito), 11-Michael Estrada (Toluca), 7-Janner Corozo (Delfin)
Ecuador subs (8): 22-Jose Gabriel Cevallos-GK (Olmedo), 12-Jorge Pinos-GK (Nueve de Octubre), 14-Jose Carabali (U. Catolica), 23-Joshue Quinonez (Barcelona S.C.), 20-Danny Cabezas (Nueve de Octubre), 17-Alexander Alvarado (Orlando City), 16-Walter Chala (U. Catolica), 9-Djorkaeff Reasco (LDU Quito)
How to watch Mexico vs. Ecuador
- Date: Wednesday, Oct. 27
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Spanish-language TV: UniMas, TUDN
- Streaming: fuboTV
The Mexico vs. Ecuador match will be broadcast on UniMas and TUDN, which are streamed on fuboTV , available to new users for a free 7-day trial .
The match will be played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and future home of Major League Soccer side Charlotte FC.
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