Netherlands vs. Mexico
International Friendly
Nov. 12 | 2:30 pm ET | Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
TV: ESPN2
Mexico venture to Europe to play a friendly there for the first time since 2010, to take on 2014 World Cup nemesis Netherlands in Amsterdam on Wednesday afternoon. The Dutch have sputtered a bit of late in Euro 2016 qualifying and may see this friendly as a tune-up for the next round of qualifiers, while Mexico will likely have no shortage of motivation against the team that sent them out of Brazil 2014 in controversial fashion.
CAN MEXICO AVENGE "NO ERA PENAL?" A late penalty drawn by Arjen Robben on former New York Red Bulls Designated Player Rafa Marquez in the Round of 16 game at the World Cup this past summer (see below) was the difference between the sides, sending the Dutch through. They ultimately went to the semifinals before losing to Argentina in penalty kicks. For El Tri, it was a bitter pill to swallow for a national team that hadn't advanced beyond the Round of 16 since 1986, the last time the tournament was hosted in Mexico.
With Mexico fans turning to "No era penal" (It was not a penalty) as the social media meme of choice following the turning point in that game, Robben's controversial actions have not been forgotten, four months on. Robben probably isn't helping his cause among Mexicans, as he told reporters this week that the penalty called was not only valid, but another potential penalty in the first half that went uncalled was also a clear foul. Needless to say, Mexico will be hoping penalties don't decide this tie in the Netherlands' favor once more.
VELA MAKES HIS LONG-AWAITED RETURN: Forward Carlos Vela (pictured above) is certainly one of the best Mexican players of his generation, and it can be argued that he surpasses the rest. But Vela had not been part of the Mexican national team since March 2011, due to a combination of a suspension by the Mexican federation and a string of rejections by Vela for a number of tournaments, including the 2013 Copa America and 2014 World Cup.
Now, with fences mended, or at least mending, between Vela and El Tri, facilitated by current coach Miguel Herrera, the Real Sociedad striker, who netted over the weekend (watch below), should raise the quality of Mexico's attack and give the striker corps a new dimension against a strong opponent.
DUTCH LOOKING FOR TRACTION: The Netherlands have made every European Championship tournament since 1988, and with the field expanding for the 2016 tournament to 24 teams from the previous 16, they still appear likely to make it to France at the end of the day. However, with three games played, the Dutch are sitting in an unfamiliar position of third place behind the less-fancied Czech Republic and Iceland. While the friendly against Mexico may not appear to have much riding on it for the Netherlands, and may be taken quite lightly in the end, there is an argument that head coach Guus Hiddink and his players may take the game very seriously with a Euro qualifier coming up on Nov. 16 against Latvia. It's always hard to tell which Netherlands side will emerge from game to game, but Mexico may find the dazzling-yet-inconsistent Dutch a much tougher friendly than they anticipated.
GUARDADO, CORONA FAMILIAR WITH DUTCH: Two players on the Mexican squad, longtime fixture Andres Guardado and youngster Jesus Corona, both play in the Eredivisie at the moment, and Guardado in particular is very familiar with a number of the Netherlands' squad. The PSV midfielder could face off against as many as five club teammates, and while no Twente teammates will take the field against Corona, it seems likely he'll get at least some time against players he sees on a regular basis.
Here are the full rosters for both countries:
MEXICO
Goalkeepers (2): Guillermo Ochoa (Malaga/Spain), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca/Mexico)
Defenders (9): Julio Cesar Dominguez (Cruz Azul/Mexico), Enrique Perez (Atlas/Mexico), Luis Venegas (Atlas/Mexico), Paul Aguilar (America/Mexico), Miguel Ponce (Toluca/Mexico), Miguel Herrera (Pachuca/Mexico), George Corral (Queretaro/Mexico), Oswaldo Alanis (Santos Laguna/Mexico), Diego Reyes (Porto/Portugal)
Midfielders (7): Jose Juan Vazquez (Leon/Mexico), Jonathan Dos Santos (Villarreal/Spain), Adrian Aldrete (Santos Laguna/Mexico), Hector Herrera (Porto/Portugal), Jesus Corona (Twente/Netherlands), Andres Guardado (PSV/Netherlands), Alfonso Gonzalez (Atlas/Mexico)
Forwards (4): Raul Jimenez (Atletico Madrid/Spain), Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad/Spain), Javier Hernandez (Real Madrid/Spain), Giovani Dos Santos (Villarreal/Spain)
NETHERLANDS
Goalkeepers (3): Jasper Cillessen (Ajax/Netherlands), Tim Krul (Newcastle United/England), Kenneth Vermeer (Feyenoord/Netherlands)
Defenders (7): Bruno Martins Indi (Porto/Portugal), Joel Veltman (Ajax/Netherlands), Ricardo van Rhijn (Ajax/Netherlands), Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa/England), Stefan de Vrij (Lazio/Italy), Gregory van der Wiel (Paris Saint-Germain/France), Jetro Willems (PSV/Netherlands)
Midfielders (6): Ibrahim Afellay (Olympiakos/Greece), Daley Blind (Manchester United/England), Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord/Netherlands), Leroy Fer (Queens Park Rangers/England), Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray/Turkey), Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV/Netherlands)
Forwards (7): Luuk De Jong (PSV/Netherlands) Memphis Depay (PSV/Netherlands), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke/Germany), Luciano Narsingh (PSV/Netherlands), Robin van Persie (Manchester United/England), Quincy Promes (Spartak Moscow/Russia), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich/Germany)
