CONCACAF Gold Cup: Mexico’s Quest to Get Back on Top Starts Here

Mexico vs Honduras

2021 runners-up Mexico are aiming to be back at the summit, and their 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup campaign starts with a match against Honduras at the NRG Stadium in Houston on Sunday.

Mexico and Honduras are bunched with Haiti and Qatar in Group B, and they’re the favourites to advance to the knockout stage, so this basically feels like an early battle for the top spot.

El Tri are fresh from a third place finish in the CONCACAF Nations League after beating Panama 1-0 on Monday. On the other hand, Los Catrachos lost 1-0 to Venezuela in an exhibition match last Friday.

Which one between Mexico and Honduras will draw first blood in Group B? Continue reading below for our preview of this match.

Talking Points

Lozano gets his chance in Mexico

Diego Cocca was supposed to lead Mexico for the foreseeable future after he replaced Tata Martino following their early exit in the 2022 World Cup, but he was sacked after just seven games in charge (W3, L3, D1).

Thus we come to Jaime “Jimmy” Lozano, who faces a big task here in the Gold Cup, where they’re expected to win, especially since the United States and Canada aren’t exactly sending their best group in the competition.

Lozano was the last coach who gave Mexican football its last major achievement when the U-23 team won bronze in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

And back in his playing days, Lozano had a great career in Liga MX, playing for teams like the Pumas, Tigres, Morelia, and Cruz Azul while also playing for the national team.

Lozano never thought that he would become Mexico’s head coach so soon, and now he inherits a team that is in flux.

However, with a team led by experienced campaigners Guillermo Ochoa, Luis Romo, Henry Martin, and youngsters like Santiago Gimenez and Edson Alvarez, Lozano should have enough to lead this team back to the promised land.

Honduras need help up front

Honduras will need all hands on deck, as team captain Romell Quioto will miss this tournament because of a strained hamstring.

Quioto led Los Catrachos with three goals in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, so he’ll be a big loss. With him sidelined, Jerry Bengtson has been recalled for this tournament to try and add to his career tournament total of four goals.

Alberth Elis should back up Bengtson, and he’s capable of causing problems for the opposition’s defence. The 27-year-old currently plays for Brest on loan from Bordeaux in Ligue 1.

And then at the back, Honduras will continue to rely on Luis “Buba” Lopez, who is currently a goalkeeper for Real Espana.

This game means a lot to Los Catrachos because they haven’t defeated El Tri at this tournament since their 2-1 come-from-behind win in 2007, losing their three previous Gold Cup meetings as they failed to score in each of those matches.

History

The head-to-heads between Mexico and Honduras is one-sided in favour of the former. In their 43 meetings prior to Sunday, Mexico have won 26 games, while Honduras have only won seven times and drawn 10 games.

Mexico and Honduras last met in the World Cup qualifiers last year, where Edson Alvarez guided El Tri to a 1-0 win with his goal in the 70th minute.

That victory booked Mexico a top four spot in CONCACAF’s Octagonal Table at the time, which guaranteed them at least a spot in the intercontinental playoff spot for the 2022 World Cup.

Mexico failed to advance in the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup despite being level with Poland on points (4), as the European side had a better goal difference (0 to -1). Their only win in the tournament came against Saudi Arabia.

Since the CONCACAF Championship was renamed the Gold Cup in 1991, Mexico has had the most wins in this competition with eight, with their last win in 2019.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023 odds like Mexico’s chances to win and eventually get out of Group B despite not being in their best state currently. In the 1X2 market, they were priced to win at 1.48, whereas Honduras are at 4.80, and a draw is at 4.20.

Mexico are better on paper, so they should be able to score enough goals against a porous Honduras backline that will appear in the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023 highlights reel. A win here would certainly help Jaime Lozano get his feet wet as he tries to bring back the glory days for El Tri.

 

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