The NRG Stadium will oversee Gold Cup action this summer and eight-time champions Mexico take on Diego Vásquez’s Honduras in their Group B opener in Houston.
2021 Gold Cup runners-up Mexico begin their campaign in what should be a routine victory over a Honduras side that are ranked 65 places below them in the FIFA world rankings. El Tri recorded an emphatic victory over Honduras at the last edition of the tournament as well, defeating them 3-0 at the quarter-final stage.
It was a disappointing World Cup for Mexico as they failed to make it out of the groups for the first time since 1978, picking up just one victory in Qatar. That led to the departure of head coach Gerardo Martino and, despite Diego Cocca coming in to replace him, Jaime Lozano will now oversee proceedings for the Gold Cup following a disappointing loss against the USA. The ferocious Nations League affair, that saw both nations receive two red cards each, ultimately signalled the end of Cocca’s time in charge of Mexico.
Mexico have suffered just one defeat in the seven matches they’ve played since the World Cup and head into the matchup here on the back of a 1-0 win over Panama in the third-place play-off of the CONCACAF Nations League. El Tri suffered a 3-0 defeat against the USA in the semi-finals as their woes against the Stars and Stripes continued; they also lost 1-0 against the USA in the final of the 2021 Gold Cup.
Honduras finished as runners-up of Group D in the last edition of the Gold Cup as they managed victories over Grenada and Panama. Revenge against Mexico would be sweet here and could get them off to a flying start in what is a tough group this time around, also consisting of Haiti and Qatar.
However, Los Catrachos head into the tournament on the back of consecutive defeats, losing 4-1 away to Canada in the Nations League back in March and 1-0 against Venezuela in a friendly match earlier this month. Honduras have played just three matches in 2023, compared to Mexico’s seven, and so El Tri should also be more prepared.
Having won their last three consecutive head-to-heads with Honduras, including a 1-0 win in the World Cup qualifiers in their last meeting back in 2022, Mexico are the favourites to take all three points in this one once more. The last time Honduras managed to find the victory over El Tri was back in 2017 as they ran out 3-2 victors in World Cup qualification.
Veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa should keep his place in between the sticks for Mexico and the 38-year-old continues to impress, both internationally and for club. Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez will provide a solid foundation at the base of midfield, while Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez is expected to lead the line after a solid campaign in Eredivisie that yielded 15 goals.
Olimpia forward Jorge Benguche will be expected to lead the attack for Los Catrachos this summer, whilst club teammate and veteran Jerry Bengtson has also been selected in the squad and will help support the offense.
El Tri are dealing with a few injuries to key players ahead of the Gold Cup which has seen the likes of Hirving Lozano, Alexis Vega and Jesus Corona miss out. Raul Jimenez has also been left out of the squad due to poor form. This has significantly weakened Mexico’s attack so goals may be hard to come by for Lozano’s men. Cesar Montes and Gerardo Arteaga will not be available for the first few matches due to suspension.
The main absentee for Honduras is Romell Quioto who is sidelined for the tournament due to injury. The 31-year-old was the country’s top goalscorer at the 2021 Gold Cup so he is a big miss for Vásquez’s men.
Expert Insight: In spite of Mexico's woes and whiffs of disarray at the moment, they should have more than enough to get past Honduras in their opener and are the clear favourites heading into the match. El Tri could go all the way in this year's competition too, while Honduras will be looking to be competitive in a strong group.
Gold Cup