KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An early goal from Pumas striker Eduardo Herrera earned Mexico a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in Arrowhead Stadium on Tuesday.
In front of 38,114, El Tri made it two wins out of two in 2015 as the team approaches a busy summer, combining CONMEBOL's Copa America and CONCACAF's Gold Cup.
Here are our three rapid takes from the match:
1. Jonathan dos Santos makes international statement
Conventional wisdom has it that Villarreal midfielder Jonathan dos Santos will be in Mexico's "B" squad to travel to Chile for the Copa America in June.
While the competition itself may be of a higher caliber than the Gold Cup, Mexico head coach Miguel Herrera's top priority is to win the CONCACAF competition and he may well think twice about whether he can afford not to include the younger Dos Santos brother in the United States this summer.
Dos Santos started on the right of the midfield on Tuesday, moving over to the left side halfway through the first half. On both, he showed touches of class that made him stand out. The Barcelona-trained 24-year-old showed the kind of level of performance that Mexico fans and followers had longed for from him in an El Tri shirt.
The prime example was in the 44th minute, when he shimmied past two Paraguay midfielders, who both tried to foul him, and laid the ball off to Jorge Torres Nilo down the wing, who crossed for Herrera.
Dos Santos looked confident and showed why he has played regularly for a side that is sixth in La Liga this season. In many ways, Dos Santos is currently outshining his brother Giovani.
Alongside him in midfield, Medina also deserves a mention. The 31-year-old -- who was unlucky to get injured just before the most recent World Cup -- followed up his good form at club side Atlas with an interesting display in a more advanced midfield position. Medina set up Herrera's opener with an inch-perfect pass and also played the ball through to put Jimenez clear through on goal in the 58th minute.
With Tijuana's Javier Guemez in the holding role, Mexico's midfield looked both solid and inventive, which will only make Miguel Herrera happy.
2. Herrera-Jimenez is a genuine option up front
"Lalo" Herrera had been the brunt of more than one joke on social media about his 11-second appearance Saturday against Ecuador, but he brushed it aside and stated ahead of Tuesday's match that he was confident and ready to enjoy his first start for El Tri.
He would have more than enjoyed what seemed to be his first touch in international soccer in the third minute when he poked the ball into the net at the back post, having timed his run perfectly from Medina's cross.
Herrera's all-round play was very positive. His movement and link-up play was solid and Paraguay never seemed completely at ease with his physical presence.
In sum, Herrera can become the new Aldo de Nigris for Mexico, at least on the evidence of the match against Paraguay. It's a great weapon for "Piojo" Herrera to have on the bench and throw on when Mexico needs a goal and a change of tact.
Jimenez was bright in training on Monday ahead of the game and backed it up with an assured display against Paraguay, linking well the midfield to the attack.
If there was one complaint, Jimenez should've perhaps scored one of the three half-chances he had, but there was plenty to be positive about regarding the Atletico Madrid player. Despite the lack of minutes in Spain, some patience is required with a player who still has a major role to play moving forward for the national team.
3. Potential Copa America side left a positive impression
Mexico didn't thrash Paraguay, which had a couple of decent of chances, but overall was poor. But it was an honest display from a group of El Tri players that hadn't played together before.
Dos Santos and Medina were playing out of their usual positions, while Tigres duo Torres Nilo and Jesus Duenas put in good shifts as wing-backs, considering they have played more as fullbacks at their club. The three centers-backs, Julio "Cata" Dominguez, captain Diego Reyes and Oswaldo Alanis, also played well.
If, as expected, the nucleus of the team that played against Paraguay goes to the Copa America and has some solid preparation going into the tournament, there's no reason to think they can't do a dignified job, even if a semifinal -- the stated goal of Mexico's federation -- may be a step too far.
Overall, the way the team functioned, especially in the second half, it left a more wholesome taste in the mouth than Mexico's "A" side in the 1-0 victory over Ecuador.