LOS ANGELES (AP) — Maximiliano Gutiérrez and Vicente Pizarro scored second-half goals to lead Chile to a 2-0 victory Tuesday over a Mexico lineup that continues to struggle under coach Rafael Márquez.

Gutiérrez opened the scoring in the 54th minute and Pizarro extended the lead in the 65th for Chile, which was coming off losses in previous friendlies in North America against Canada (1-0) and the United States (4-2).

A rough start for Márquez

It was Mexico second consecutive defeat following a 3-0 loss to the United States over the weekend.

The Mexican squad concluded its U.S. tour winless in four matches, having previously drawn 1-1 with both Colombia and Peru.

This marks the worst start for a Mexican national team coach since 1981, when Raúl Cárdenas began his second stint with a nine-game winless streak.

Márquez — a former Barcelona player and “El Tri” captain across five World Cups — took over as head coach from Javier Aguirre, having served as his assistant from August 2024 through the end of the World Cup, where Mexico was eliminated in the Round of 16.

Márquez will be aiming to secure his first victory next November when Mexico faces Jamaica in a CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal series.

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