Mexico begin their CONCACAF Nations League campaign on Friday, when they travel to Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles for a date with Honduras in the opening leg of that quarter-final tie.
Because they were pre-seeded, the reigning Gold Cup champions had an automatic place in this stage of the competition, while Los Catrachos came up with a big 4-0 win over Cuba on the final matchday of the opening round to sneak into second place in Group B.
Match preview
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When they needed it most, the Hondurans came through at the Nations League group stage, scoring twice in each half against a Cuban side which had not conceded in the competition before that match.
That four-goal triumph equalled the biggest-ever victory for La H in this competition (4-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in 2019 and 4-0 over Grenada in September) as they maintained a 100% record all-time at the Nations League when scoring multiple goals.
Their eight goals scored in the group phase this season was three more than they had netted at that same stage of the 2022-23 Nations League, though all of their goals in 2023-24 came in two matches against weaker opponents (Grenada and Cuba).
Reinaldo Rueda's men did not make it this far with their attacking prowess, but rather a rock-solid backline that conceded the fewest goals among the 12 League A nations competing in the group portion of this tournament.
Since suffering a 2-1 defeat in San Pedro on matchday two of the 2022-23 Nations League, La H have reeled off three successive victories on home soil at this tournament, conceding only once over that stretch.
While they won their only home game against a North American opponent in this competition, defeating Canada 2-1 in June 2022, Los Catrachos have not defeated a side from that region in Honduras since a 3-2 victory over Mexico in October 2017.
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Following a record ninth Gold Cup title this past summer, the expectations of winning are back on the shoulders of the Mexicans heading into this tournament.
Those typically lofty expectations were not there for El Tri at the start of the 2023 Gold Cup after they had missed out on the knockout stage of the last World Cup and put forth a poor 2022-23 Nations League campaign, where they were manhandled by the USA 3-0 in the semi-finals.
That poor form seemed to serve Jaime Lozano well at the Gold Cup though, as his side rode a stingy backline to victory, conceding only twice in six matches, while their hard-working midfield proved challenging to knock off the ball.
Their robust defensive unit, though, have been unhinged of late, conceding seven goals in their last four matches, as many as El Tri had allowed in their previous nine competitive fixtures combined before that.
El Tri have never lost a Nations League game played outside of Mexico against a Central American side, failing to concede on two occasions versus Panama (3-0 and 1-0 win) and holding Costa Rica to a 0-0 draw in 2020, advancing from that semi-final on penalties (5-4).
Over the past few years, the Mexicans have not been bothered when facing Honduras, winning four successive encounters against them in all competitions and losing just one of their previous 12 games versus La H (3-2 in October 2017).
Team News
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Honduras have trusted numerous Major League Soccer (MLS) players for this encounter, with Denil Maldonado joining them from his club side Los Angeles FC, who are on a break from the MLS Cup playoffs, while Minnesota United teammates Kervin Arriaga and Joseph Rosales were called up, as was Bryan Acosta (Portland Timbers), David Ruiz (Inter Miami) Andy Najar (DC United) and Romell Quioto (CF Montreal).
Maldonado and Quioto were on the scoresheet in their must-win Nations League match versus Cuba last month, with captain Anthony Lozano also netting and Bryan Rochez rounding out the scoring with his first for the national team.
Edrick Menjivar has posted three successive clean sheets in this competition, with the only person to beat him in the group stage being Demarai Gray in the 64th minute of their 1-0 defeat against Jamaica on matchday one.
Lozano called up a relatively experienced Mexican side for this encounter, with Julian Quinones being the only one without a cap for the senior squad, Marcel Ruiz has one appearance to his name, and Jesus Gallardo needs to feature six more times to hit the century mark, while Roberto Alvarado is seven away from 50.
Guillermo Ochoa can surpass Rafael Marquez for third in all-time caps for El Tri as the veteran goalkeeper has made 103 appearances, Raul Jimenez has 33 goals for his country, one fewer than Carlos Hermosillo for fifth and two behind Luis Hernandez in fourth, while Hirving Lozano needs two more strikes to hit 20.
Uriel Antuna has a goal in the last three El Tri fixtures, including their opener versus Germany in October, when Erick Sanchez netted the equaliser to help the Mexicans earn a 2-2 draw.
Honduras possible starting lineup:
Menjivar; Nunez, Maldonado, Najar, Rivas; Rodriguez, Acosta, Arriaga, Ruiz; Quioto, A. Lozano
Mexico possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; J. Sanchez, Montes, Vasquez, Gallardo; Alvarez, Romo; Antuna, Martin, H. Lozano; Jimenez
We say: Honduras 0-2 Mexico
Since Lozano took charge, the Mexicans seem to have regained their mojo, and as good as the Hondurans were defensively in the opening phase, they will be facing a much more dynamic attack than the ones they saw in the group stage.
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