Mexico

The 2019 Gold Cup is in full motion and the group stages are wrapping up with the protagonists you would expect to make it to the next phase making it into the knockout stages. The tournament is Concacaf's premier regional tournament that comes every two years and almost always features the same two in the final: the United States and Mexico, with Mexico often coming out on top. That wasn’t the case in the last edition of the Copa Oro, with the U.S. taking home the cup, beating Jamaica 2-1 in the final. Jamaica definitely had an unexpected run to the final and Mexico disappointed.

El Tri kicked off its battle to regain the CONCACAF Gold Cup last Saturday night, and what a way to start the campaign. The Mexicans outplayed their Cuban counterparts in a overwhelmingly one-sided match. 

21-year-old LA Galaxy talent Uriel Antuna kicked off the scoring with a right-footed shot inside the box after the ball rebounded from the post. Raul Jimenez announced himself at the Copa Oro with a goal at the 31st minute, and his goal again showed how well he does at holding off pressure from opposition players. 

Legendary El Tri star Rafael Marquez recently called into question the importance of the national team to the current crop of players. His remarks are a direct references to players like Chicharito and Hector Herrera choosing not to play for El Tri, along with Carlos Vela, who has a history of rejecting call-ups to the national team.

We have ourselves an international tournament this summer! The 2019 Gold Cup is almost here! It begins Saturday with Canada and Martinique kicking us off. The tournament is played every two years and includes 12 teams that qualify through regional tournaments in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa is not happy with Mexico’s warm up matches leading up to the 2019 Gold Cup. He blasted the Mexican Football Federation after the Ecuador game, a friendly that El Tri went on to win. His biggest criticism was rooted in his belief that the federation continues to put profit over the safety of players, which has been something that’s been repeated in the past from other players. 

"My obligation as Mexico head coach is to make the national team be respected."

Tata Martino's words echoed through the press conference room right before his first match against Chile. Mexico would go on to win that thrilling game 3-1, and he's since gone on to defeat Paraguay 4-2. But this summer, his team will be pushed to the limit.