This was a flawed, but ultimately satisfactory night for Mexico. The 3-2 victory over Costa Rica ended a streak of four consecutive losses and after being down 2-1 at half-time, El Tri should be happy with what was a positive second-half display.

The difference between the first 45 minutes and the second for Mexico?cheap nike nfl jersey Coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti’s substitutions.

Ferretti stated on the eve of the game that he was still considering whether to start any of the seven Europe-based players and he ultimately decided not to. The resulting starting XI was all Mexico-based and had an average age of 23 years, with nine of the eleven aged 25 or under. On the other side, Keylor Navas-led Costa Rica wasn’t far from being full-strength, with new head coach Gustavo Matosas looking on from the stands in Estadio Universitario.

Ferretti’s substitutions, however, changed the game. Striker Henry Martin and winger Jurgen Damm were brought on at half-time and combined to level the score at 2-2 in the 56th minute, with Damm providing the cross for Martin to head in.

After an hour, Jesus “Tecatito” Corona and Raul Jimenez entered the field as Mexico chased the game.

It worked. Martin drew a foul in the penalty area from David Guzman in the 70th and Jimenez stepped up to net what turned out to be the winning goal in front of 35,827 — six thousand below the capacity of the stadium.cheap nfl jerseys china nike

It turned out to be an exciting game, one which gave us some insight into where these young national team players are at.

The answer was seen in the second half as Mexico wrestled the game from Costa Rica directly because more experience came onto the field. This crop of young Mexico players is still green, but they’ll gain vital experience from nights like this.