MEXICO CITY -- Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio has endured a rocky tenure in terms of criticism during his time in charge of El Tri, but goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa has never doubted him.
Osorio's side qualified in record time from the Hexagonal stage of World Cup qualifying with Friday night's 1-0 victory against Panama, although a 7-0 loss to Chile in the Copa America Centenario and a disappointing past summer at the Gold Cup and Confederations Cup have seen the manager come under fire regularly in Mexico.
"We've always believed in [Osorio]," Ochoa said after Friday's game. "We trust him. We've shown our face in every [difficult] moment and the idea is to keep going like that from now until the World Cup because it's going to be good."
Ochoa was keen to stress that the current group of Mexico players have had to be mentally strong to overcome the often fierce criticism.
"[World Cup] cycles in Mexico are always complicated, but the group has never been affected by those things because it's from the media that a negative atmosphere is created," Ochoa said. "We are a strong, mature group and we are focused on the sporting side, on the field, looking to get better and better."
Ochoa has recently established himself as Osorio's preferred goalkeeper, but since the coach's debut on the bench in November 2011, he has regularly changed the starter from one game to the next.
The Standard Liege stopper was impressive on Friday, making two key saves in the second half against Panama.
Ochoa and the rest of his Mexico teammates are set to travel to San Jose, Costa Rica, on Sunday ahead of Tuesday's top-of-the-table clash against Los Ticos, who are on the brink of World Cup qualification.