Alan Pulido goal helps Mexico past Iceland in friendly

LAS VEGAS -- Striker Alan Pulido netted a first-half goal as Mexico defeated Iceland 1-0 on Wednesday in Las Vegas in El Tri's opening game of 2017.

Pulido steered a header into the corner of the goal in the 21st minute to seal a comfortable victory in a match Mexico dominated, enjoying over 70 percent of the possession.

Hirving Lozano missed a clear-cut chance to extend Mexico's lead with 10 minutes to go when he headed over from close range with only the goalkeeper to beat. Luis Montes also shot over with two minutes remaining.

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El Tri's squad was made up entirely of Liga MX-based players and LA Galaxy's Giovani dos Santos, while Iceland's team was mainly young players on the fringe of the senior squad.

There were El Tri debuts for Club America's Edson Alvarez and Atlas' Luis Reyes, as Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio made a host of changes during the second half.

Mexico plays World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Trinidad and Tobago in March, ahead of a busy summer including the Confederations Cup and Gold Cup.