Mexico

What to expect

Mexico come into the tournament with a win, having beaten Panama 1-0 in the third place play-off at the Nations League finals a week ago. But Mexican fans demand more and so does a federation in presidential flux. With the US having made wholesale changes this Mexican team should be good enough to go all the way and they will have packed stadia driving them on. However, they are in the group of death with a fast improving Honduras with all their stars fit, a combative Haiti and invitees Qatar eager to put their World Cup failure behind them.

Star Player (s)

Feyenoord’s Eredivisie winning forward Santiago Gimenez has been the standout Mexican player in Europe this season. The 22-year-old is rumored to be on the radar of countless major clubs and a goalscoring performance at the CNL and the Gold Cup will hasten that move. Club America’s Henry Martin Club has been the leading goalscorer in the latest Liga MX season and can be a match winner. In goal veteran Guillermo Ochoa will turn 38 just days before this year’s Gold Cup final, but he is proving to be evergreen and was player of the season for Serie A’s  Salernitana. Ajax’s Edson Alvarez is an automatic selection in midfield and will pull the strings of Mexico’s championship challenge. Not having Cesar Montes and Gerardo Arteaga for the opening group games, following their sendings off against the US in Vegas, restricts Cocca’s options slightly. But he is very confident in his players and system.

Manager

It is a new era for Mexico under manager Diego Cocca though after a poor run into the Nations League finals and the 3-0 loss to the US he was under extreme pressure. Press conferences in front of the Mexican media have become a full-on assault. Many expected him to be replaced between the end of the Gold Cup and the start of the Nations League, but that didn’t happen. The Argentine was hired in February after Mexico’s exit at last year’s World Cup. Cocca opened his account with two wins and a draw against the US in a style that is more pragmatic than expansive, but his point was that this is a team in transformation. Having had a playing career mainly spent in Argentina, he has had a management career mainly in Central America, and Mexico in particular having managed at Santos Laguna, Tijuana, Atlas and Tigres before taking the national team job.

Schedule

Group B: Mexico, Haiti, Honduras, and Qatar

Sunday, June 25, 2023: 8:00 PM (7:00 PM) Mexico vs Honduras – NRG Stadium, Houston, TX

Thursday, June 29, 2023: 10:00 PM (7:00 PM) Haiti vs Mexico – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ

Sunday, July 2, 2023: 9:00 PM (6:00 PM) Mexico vs Qatar – Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA

Squad