The Águilas forward recently praised the American squad and expressed confidence that they are ready for the National Classic, a marquee clash that fans are eagerly awaiting.
After overcoming a lingering injury that sidelined him for several weeks, Hendrik Martijn stated that he is ready to join his teammates on the pitch once again for America in the high-stakes National Classic, scheduled for Saturday, September 16, at the Aztec Stadium.
The Yucatecan striker is enjoying his first minutes of Opening 2023 play, having not appeared in any matches for the Águilas during the current Liga MX season as he remained with the Mexican national team in the early days to compete in the 2023 Gold Cup. Upon his return to Coapa, he headed to the United States to participate in the 2023 Leagues Cup, a tournament in which he suffered a muscle issue during the encounter with Columbus Crew.
Once fully recovered, the captain of the Águilas returned to André Jardine’s starting lineup, who will face a significant tactical challenge in constructing his XI for the matchup against Chivas, given that all attacking pieces are healthy and available for selection.
In an exclusive interview for TUDN, the league’s current top scorer emphasized the strength of the American side and insisted that the team is not experiencing a rough stretch, despite the intensity of the upcoming fixture.
“The reality is that if we have a squad, we must outshine everyone, but we also have to translate that talent onto the field through our performances and the goals we score. The opponent is formidable, but so are the other teams we will face.”
Furthermore, Henry noted that the partnership with Julián Quiñones needs time to develop. He has not had the chance to gel with his teammate as he would have liked due to the injury that kept him off the field earlier in the season.
“The chemistry between us is still a work in progress. I will remain patient. We have not been able to train together consistently because of travel schedules and concentration periods, and the team has not always had its ideal setup in ordinary day-to-day sessions.” He added, “I was largely unavailable throughout the tournament. I did not play a single league match. I could not fully connect with Julián at first because I saw him isolated, yet the four-goal win we achieved came when we played with him apart.”