There was plenty of bad news for Mexicans in Europe this week.
For one, Hirving Lozano has played his last minutes for PSV this season - and potentially ever. The winger left the Eindhoven club's match against Willem II on a stretcher after suffering a knee injury late in the 3-0 victory. While there is no permanent ligament damage, his status for the Gold Cup is very much at risk. PSV teammate Erick Gutierrez got minutes in a second consecutive game but the 12-minute cameo will do little for Mexico fans frustrated to see Lozano's summer that was supposed to see him play in the Gold Cup before potentially making a blockbuster move away from the Eredivisie put at risk.
Then there was the Porto duo, with Hector Herrera and Jesus "Tecatito" Corona each starting against Rio Ave. The contest ended in a draw, which in the hyper-competitive Primeira Liga meant the Dragons were leapfrogged by Benfica. With three weeks to play, they no longer control their own destiny.
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And in Belgium, it appears the title chance has slipped away from Guillermo Ochoa and Standard Liege. The goalkeeper conceded twice in a loss to Antwerp and now Standard would have to win out and see Genk drop all four games remaining to have any chance at lifting the trophy. Even the Champions League places seem far away, with a return to the Europa League more likely for Les Rouges.
Omar Govea started for Antwerp once again and also looks set for European play next season.
It wasn't all bad, though, with several El Tri players starting to get into a better rhythm ahead of the Gold Cup. Chief among them was Raul Jimenez. The Wolves forward scored in the 41st minute of a 2-1 victory over Watford and took his goal total for the season to 13.
Not only does that take him to a tie for 10th in the Premier League but it also ties him with Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's best-ever season for a Mexican in the Premier League.
Chicharito put in 13 in his debut season with Manchester United, but Raul now has a chance to surpass him and stand alone as the top Mexican scorer in a single season. For his part, Hernandez returned from the ear injury he had last week but stayed on the bench in West Ham's 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
It had been a frustrating run for Hector Moreno the last several weeks. The center back was largely inactive with Real Sociedad, with his last start before the weekend coming back on March 10 and just three starts in 2019. He extended that number to four this weekend and helped La Real to a 2-1 victory over Getafe.
After an injury scare during the week, Andres Guardado is fit enough to start for Real Betis in the Monday matinee against Espanyol. Diego Lainez is on the bench. Lainez got some minutes and showed a nice bit of skill in Betis' match Thursday against Levante, but the Verdiblancos slumped to a third consecutive La Liga defeat.
Things are better for Nestor Araujo, whose Celta de Vigo now have avoided defeat in three straight games and are moving away from the relegation zone. He was in his normal spot as the left center back for a scoreless draw with Leganes. Diego Reyes didn't make the squad for the hosts.
