|
Mexico coach Miguel Herrera said he plans to call on Real Sociedad's Carlos Vela more often after Vela's two-goal performance on Wednesday in El Tri's 3-2 friendly victory over The Netherlands. Vela had been absent from the Mexico squad for the past three years, and, while dodging all media interviews post-match, the 25-year-old let his performance speak for him, scoring his first international goals since June 2010. "His level of commitment is like everyone else's and he showed the calibre of player that he is," Herrera said of Vela. "He is willing to compete with everyone and he falls into the category of those who will be called when we pick another team. "We will be in constant contact with him for next year's team, but we are also sure he will answer our call-ups because he was happy and because he has returned with a great desire and he has shown us that he is ready." Herrera said Vela admitted he didn't feel comfortable playing with his back to the ball and Herrera opted to pair him with forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez. "He understood very well what we were after and I think the boys played well with him because he scored the two goals," Herrera said. "Vela and Chicharito did a great job, they helped the defense as well as helped the team recover the ball." Vela netted two goals and was the difference in Mexico's 3-2 win over Netherlands on Wednesday. Hernandez sung his teammate's praises after the match. "Carlos is a great player and he made it to the national team to provide all that he has. We've all seen him as the teammate we've always had," Hernandez said. "And we know he is going to continue to provide those benefits to the national team. So now the issue is not for us, the challenge is for [manager] Miguel [Herrera]. The problem is for him because we are offering our best effort and our desire to be starters in all the matches. All that effort benefits the national team." Mexico suspended and fined Vela for off-the-pitch activities in 2010, and after he left Arsenal to join Real Sociedad the following year, Vela was reluctant to return to Mexico to play for the national team. He declined to play in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 2012 Olympics (in which Mexico won the gold medal), and as Mexico struggled to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, Vela again turned down invitations to join the team. El Tri's next match is a friendly on Nov. 18 vs. Belarus.
|
