CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023: Everything you need to know about Mexico

Mexico′s CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023 fixtures:

You can read all about United States, Canada, Jamaica & Qatar by clicking on their names here.

Mexico’s major tournament record:

World Cup

Best World Cup result: Quarter-finals- 1970 & 1986.

CONCACAF Gold Cup

Best Gold Cup result: Winners- 11 times (most-recently 2019).

CONCACAF Nations League

Best Nations League result: Runners-up- 2021.

Copa América

Best Copa América result: Runners-up- 1993 & 2001.

Confederations Cup

Best Confederations Cup result: Winners- 1999.

Mexico at Gold Cup 2023: Can el Tri restore some pride and recapture silverware?

Last year, el Tri were eliminated in the World Cup group stages for the first time since 1978, finishing below Poland on goal difference, with highly unpopular manager Tata Martino swiftly sacked.

His successor, Diego Cocca was appointed back in February, but is no longer in charge, lasting just seven matches and 129 days in the job.

Cocca was dismissed last week after Mexico were smashed 3-0 by fierce rivals USA in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals, facing the ignominy of having to participate in a third-place play-off.

El Tri were also beaten in the final of both the Nations League and the Gold Cup in 2021, both times by the United States, making that tres a cero hammering in Las Vegas all the more embarrassing.

So, for this tournament, Jaime Lozano will be in interim charge; the 43 year old guided the U23s to Olympic bronze two summers ago, before a brief stint in charge of Club Necaxa.

With just three years to go until a World Cup partially on home soil, new FMF president Juan Carlos Rodríguez, who was only elected last month, is under enormous pressure to ensure his country succeeds in 2026.

The truth is though, this Mexican team simply lacks talent, meaning it is struggling to compete for silverware within CONCACAF, let alone on an inter-continental scale.

Assuming they qualify, el Tri will feature at next summer’s Copa América which, the way Mexico are going, could be a serious reality check.

At this tournament, they’ll begin their quest for a 12th Gold Cup title against Honduras in Houston on Sunday night.

After that, el Tri will take on Haiti in Phoenix before traveling up to San Francisco for a meeting with Asian champions Qatar.

If Mexico are not the ones hoisting aloft the trophy on 16 July at SoFi Stadium, the crisis surrounding Mexican football will only intensify.

Mexico team news

(Alamy Stock Photo)

As mentioned, this is not the greatest Mexican national team of all time, but they’re also dealing with some key absences.

Midfielders Héctor Herrera and Andrés Guardado both retired last year, having accumulated a combined 311 caps.

In attack, Tecatito Corona, Chucky Lozano and Raúl Jiménez are all sidelined which, before Jiménez fractured skull, was their undisputed first-choice front three.

Experienced centre-backs Néstor Araujo and Héctor Moreno have also been left off this roster, while Alexis Vega and Carlos Acevedo have both withdrawn due to injury.

Amazingly, just six members of this squad were part of the last Mexican team to win the Gold Cup four years ago, emphasising the mass-revamp this team has undergone in a short period of team.

Mexico′s key players: Guillermo Ochoa

(Alamy Stock Photo)

One man Mexico can always relay on is 37 year old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who’ll be adding to his 137 caps this summer; only ten male goalkeepers have more for any nation.

Ochoa has featured at two Olympic Games, taking place 17 years apart, two Copa Américas, two Confederations Cups, five Gold Cups and three World Cups.

He gained global fame for his man of the match display in a goalless draw with Brazil nine years ago, with fans photoshopping Ochoa’s face onto the Christ the Redeemer statue

At club level, despite his age, he’s still playing at a very high level, starting 20 times in Serie A for Salernitana this season, missing just three matches after arriving in January.

The other two goalkeepers in the squad, Luis Malagón and José Antonio Rodríguez, have just three caps between them, with Malagón making a catastrophic error in a friendly against Cameroon earlier this month.

So, when Memo does eventually hang up his gloves, Mexico could be set for a goalkeeping crisis but, for now, Ochoa will be targeting a fifth Gold Cup winners medal.

Mexico′s key players: Edson Álvarez

(Alamy Stock Photo)

Now that Andrés Guardado and Héctor Herrera have hung up their international boots, there’s extra onus on Edson Álvarez to be this team’s midfield linchpin.

Despite being 25, he already has 62 caps to his name, starting two matches in Qatar last November and all four matches in Russia four years earlier.

Since joining Ajax in 2019, Álvarez has won two Eredivisie titles and a KNVB Cup, accumulating 24 Champions League appearances, constantly linked with a move to a richer club in a more competitive league.

As this team goes through a mass-evolution in pretty much every outfield position, having a defensive midfielder they can rely on will be key.

Mexico′s key players: Santiago Giménez

(Alamy Stock Photo)

With no Tecatito, Chucky Lozano and Raúl Jiménez, Mexico are looking for someone who can get them the goals they need this summer.

That man should be Santiago Giménez, despite the fact he’s scored just two international goals so far, both coming in friendly, against Nigeria over a year ago and against Chile in 2021.

The 22 striker was on fire for his club Feyenoord this season, scoring 23 goals as his side lifted the Eredivisie title.

Given this, it was a major surprise that Giménez was left on the bench for the Nations League semi-final against USA, coming on in the 54th minute, with the score already dos a cero, replacing Henry Martín.

Those are the two centre-forward options at Jaime Lozano’s disposal, with Giménez hoping to kick-start his national team career at this Gold Cup.

Mexico′s possible starting line-up for CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023

Mexico′s full squad for CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Forwards

CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023 Group B table