MEXICO’S ULTIMATE NOVELA: CHICHARITO AND TATA WILL THEY, WON’T THEY
Mexico is known for its abundance of novelas (soap operas), and currently, El Tata Martino and Chicharito Hernandez are enthralled in one of the country’s best. El Tri is having trouble finding the back of the net, Chicarito can’t stop scoring. After a mysterious breakup, the leading characters seem to be on a path away but toward each other.
Since the breakup, the leading lady has tried to fill the role with other suitors, but it doesn’t feel right. The leading man seems to be enjoying life and is living it to the fullest, but he can’t stop thinking about……her.
Tata has not been able to find a reliable goalscorer since Raul Jimenez’s unfortunate accident brought his best form to a screeching halt. Rogelio Funes Mori, Henry Martin, and even the aforementioned Jimenez have not been able to score consistently for El Tri or their clubs.
If we look a the numbers from the past two seasons, Funes-Mori, Martin, and Jimenez have combined to score 20 goals and 4 assists.
In the same amount of games (roughly between 25-28), Chicharito has scored 22 goals and had 3 assists. Yeah, he has outscored all three Seleccion strikers COMBINED! And as shown below he is off to a red hot start this MLS season.
Los Aztecas have averaged 1.2 goals per game during World Cup Qualifying and only 1.4 goals since that Gold Cup loss to the Americans. In a World Cup Group with Argentina, Poland, and Saudi Arabia, 1.3 goals per match are not going to cut it.
Seems like having your team’s all-time leading scorer, who is currently outsourcing all your other options, might be a good idea. But, just like every great novela, it seems pride is the only thing keeping them apart.
Reports indicate that Chicarito had disciplinary issues while with the Seleccion during the September 2019 window and Tata took immediate action against the LA Galaxy man. Apparently, all it will take for Hernandez to return to El Tri is a phone call and an apology. Like every novel, my grandmother forced me to sit and watch with her (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) the proud leading man has to apologize and admit his mistake to be forgiven.
However, this novela is turning into an American soap opera, it’s going on for three years and eight months. Now is the time for the climactic reuniting of the main characters, or the fans may stop watching.
Tata seems to only need a good ego stroke and show of power to assert his dominance over the team. Chicharito is proving he can still do it and has earned a new call-up. Whether you think he’s a tronco or not, his results are undeniable.
So with the World Cup just seven months away, will they make up, or won’t they?
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El Tri Online was founded in December 2017 to serve English-speaking fans of Mexican Soccer. Our mission is to create compelling Mexican soccer content and share it via our website, streaming apps, social media, and any other medium for English-dominant Mexican-American fans of the Mexican National Team, Liga MX, and their players.
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