INGLEWOOD, Calif. – It was referred to as the darkest period in Mexican football history. Following Mexico’s exit in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mexico lost to the U.S. 2-0 in the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League in 2023. Before that, El Tri had lost to the Americans in the 2019 Nations League final, and also suffered a defeat in Cincinnati in 2021 during the World Cup qualifiers prior to Qatar.
Shortly before the 2022 World Cup, then-Mexico federation president Yon de Luisa fired his entire sporting department in what was viewed as a last-gasp effort to change the national team’s direction prior to the tournament. Yet Mexico crashed out, snapping a streak of seven straight knockout-stage berths, while the U.S. escaped its group. El Tri were no longer the Kings of Concacaf. Instead, they were forced to look up at their most bitter rivals, as the U.S. celebrated an unprecedented run of success against their neighbors to the south.
On Sunday, Mexico won its first Nations League title and looks to have reestablished itself as the top team in the region. A 2-1 victory over upstart Panama isn’t a result that would normally symbolize such a significant resurgence. But after so many recent disappointments, lifting the Nations League trophy is a welcomed celebration.
The 2025 edition of the tournament pitted the three 2026 World Cup co-hosts against each other. One year before the expanded 48-team tournament is set to kick off in Mexico’s famed Estadio Azteca, and two years after the 2022 World Cup, the tides have certainly shifted. It’s Mexico that has the bragging rights, while Mauricio Pochettino’s U.S. team is the one left searching for answers, having lost to Canada in the third-place match.
While the U.S. players have been praised as a young, promising generation, Mexico’s players and the entire program came under intense scrutiny following the disaster in Qatar. The players in particular were signaled out as lacking elite talent. Former head coach Gerardo Martino, an Argentine, was villainized in Mexico and widely viewed as the orchestrator of their demise.
Now it’s the U.S. team that’s going in the wrong direction. The players are being questioned, and Pochettino is left asking for calm and attempting to manage the growing criticism.
Regardless, on Sunday from the stadium mixed zone, Mexico and West Ham United midfielder Edson Álvarez said it was time to stop comparing Mexico to its counterparts.
“Honestly, the talk has always been about (the U.S. team),” he said. “I think we’re going to change the focus back on us and what we’re doing. (Nations League) was a thorn in our side. Today we’ll enjoy this win and tomorrow we’ll get back to work.”
Asked about how his teammates have dealt with the country’s disapproval of their status as national team players, Álvarez recalled those darker times, saying it has served as a learning experience for the group.
“It’s always good to win … it’s a confidence booster and we know that in the end, the fans will always be with us,” he said. “These titles may not mean much to some people, but they’re an important part of our ongoing development as young players who aspire to win a World Cup. I think this is a moment that will help us move forward. Anyone can have an opinion about this trophy, but for us, for a young team like ours, it’s very important, and for me as the captain.”
Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre agreed that this particular Nations League title comes at the right time for his squad. It will provide the momentum that’s needed as Mexico hopes to play a big part at next year’s World Cup. He stopped short, however, of saying that the win over Panama signified Mexico’s return as the purported Kings of Concacaf.
“It’s a sterile debate,” Aguirre said post-match, “because it’s difficult to quantify what it means to be the giants of Concacaf. I’m happy for the players and for the fans who enjoyed the win and went home happy tonight. There was a fan who drove here from Kentucky. I hope he left happy. Don’t drink too much, but go home happy.”
Aguirre has been key to Mexico’s turnaround. His old-school charm and outright Mexican charisma, coupled with the aspirational pull of his chief assistant and former national team player Rafa Márquez, are helping to heal the wounds from 2022.
“For me and my teammates, (Márquez) is somebody with a lot of authority,” Álvarez said. “When he talks we all pay attention. We listen.”
The football from Mexico at this Nations League final four hasn’t been particularly attractive. But unlike the U.S. under Pochettino, Mexico is beginning to cement a new identity under its manager. Aguirre acknowledged that his team didn’t play well in the final, and that winning while playing an attractive brand of football is becoming more difficult to do in the region.
“It’s also unfair to say that we only won because we played with balls or because we played hard,” Aguirre said. “That would be disrespectful to the players … there are positive takeaways from this win that aren’t only about our enthusiasm.”
The Gold Cup over the summer will be Mexico’s next opportunity to strengthen its grip as Concacaf’s top team. Aguirre credited Panama as a team that’s on the rise. Canada continues to prove that its football should be respected, as well.
The focus, though, is squarely on the World Cup. And after winning a trophy that has eluded Mexico since 2019, it does feel like winning is the cure-all for recent transgressions.
Aguirre told reporters that he should have 70 to 80 percent of his World Cup squad finalized when the Gold Cup concludes.
“The World Cup is coming,” Aguirre said. “500 days are going to fly by. Hopefully more of our players will go to Europe, and I don’t mean to diminish Mexican football, but that would give more players to choose from.”
Aguirre smiled when he was asked about the more than 60,000 fans that cheered for Mexico at Sofi Stadium on Sunday night. He called the U.S. “our second home” and he seemed genuinely moved by the support, despite being in his third stint as Mexico’s head coach.
“Mexicans, children of Mexicans, grandchildren of Mexicans are energized and they want to experience that joy, because it’s not easy. Life isn’t easy for anyone and in football they see an oasis,” he said. “We didn’t have the chance to defeat the U.S., but this (win) is enormously satisfying.”
(Top photo: Luiza Moraes/Getty Images)
