Mendez decided the match with a confident penalty kick shot and worked well as the focal point of the Rangers’ offense. The striker didn’t get much service inside the box, but still found ways to get involved and facilitate his team’s attacking plays with intelligent decisions. He often dropped to get on the ball around the midfield line and did well at using his body to shield it before releasing it to a teammate in a better spot. Mendez made a smart diagonal run to get into a good spot inside the box before drawing the penalty kick and converted it with a firm, well-placed shot.

The forward had a challenging game, facing a strong Austin defensive system, but still managed to leave his mark. Mendez drew and converted a penalty kick early in the match and had other good moments at the start of the first half, delivering nice passes in the final third. In the second half, when the Rangers struggled to pass the ball out of the back and opted to play long, Mendez’s holdup play was of great help, as he consistently managed to get on the end of long passes and keep the ball or be fouled. He also delivered good passes while working with his back to the goal, facilitating the team’s offense.