Mexico's underwhelming runup to the CONCACAF Gold Cup continued in Houston on Wednesday with a 0-0 draw in a friendly vs. Honduras at NRG Stadium, a dour result further darkened by a shoulder injury to striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.
Hernandez sustained the injury after hitting the ground on a crunching collision with catrachos defender Brayan Beckeles and he left the match shortly before halftime. Early media reports claimed that he'd broken his collarbone, a diagnosis which would affect his participation in the Gold Cup, but the team has yet to issue an official prognosis.
“We still don’t have a report,” Mexico head coach Miguel Herrera said postgame. “Yes there’s an impact, but we’re just thinking about what’s ahead. This is an unfortunate situation we cannot fix. With Chicharito, he was going through a great moment in his career and the injury came, but we’re just moving on.
“Yes, it affects his teammates,” Herrera added. “We still keep working. Yes, an extraordinary player goes down, but we keep moving ahead.”
Wednesday's events add to Herrera's growing worries after a winless Copa America outing in Chile. El Tri have won just one match since their 2-0 friendly loss to the United States in San Antonio on April 16, and they open their Gold Cup campaign vs. Cuba in Chicago on July 9.
Honduras took up a defensive outlook for most of the night, but D.C. United product and former MLS Rookie of the Year Andy Najar saw a shot cleared off the line in the latter stages.
“There are things we’re working on,” said Honduras manager Jorge Luis Pinto. “It was a game where both teams played equal. Maybe we could’ve had better possession of the ball, but we fought the game and didn’t play this as a friendly. We played it like it was a very important game and it was a good preparation for the Gold Cup.”
Honduras open their tournament against the USA on July 7 in Frisco, Texas.
