Mexico has to head back home and lick their wounds to then think about the 2026 World Cup. Since this World Cup is taking place at the end of the year we’re only 3 and a half years away from the next tournament. A shorter wait than usual. Is there anything positive or any type of momentum that Mexico can build on heading into 2026?
There Is A Core of Young Players
Ochoa, Guardado, Herrera, Moreno and company need to step back and make room for the new generation of Mexican players. There are thankfully for Mexico’s case quite a few young players that could be headed for starring roles in the next World Cup. Vega, Montes, Chavez, and even Kevin Alvarez have shown that they have what it takes to compete at a high level. There are also players like Marcelo Flores, and of course Santi Gimenez that could be the future of this team.
Maybe a lesson from this tournament is that the Mexican federation needs to go out and find a coach that will be willing to play younger players. One of the biggest sins by Tata Martino had to do with the fact that he was a bit reluctant to use some of these younger players in the World Cup. Particularly when guys like Jimenez, and Hector Herrera were not coming into the tournament in decent shape.
Many Of These Players Could Find Homes In Europe
Luis Chavez’s future was already pointing towards Porto even before the World Cup. There’s no question that his performance during the tournament is going to elevate his stock. That was the case even before the goal that he scored against Saudi Arabia. Which was one of the best goals that Mexico has scored in its entire history competing at the World Cup.
Cesar Montes was also on the radar of multiple European clubs. There were rumors that he could be transferred to Espanyol after the tournament as well. Overall it has to be said that he played a decent tournament. He wasn’t to blame in the Argentina goals, and he looked solid across the board. His future is most likely with a European club.
Alexis Vega showed flashes of his talent. There are two big issues that he’ll have to contend with if he wants to go play in Europe. His performance was good, but not overly eye opening to the point where he definitely caught the attention of a few clubs. Also, he’s going to be expensive for European clubs unless he uses some leverage to get out of his Chivas contract. Those are the 3 players though that are likely to head over to Europe. Don’t sleep on Kevin Alvarez either!
A Chance To Start Over
As is usually the case with the head coaching position in Mexico after 3 or 4 years, the relationship between Tata Martino, the media and the fan base was completely broken. Mexico is going to start over at that spot. We talk about this in another of our recent articles. Ultimately, Mexico has an opportunity to bring someone along that can provide an identity to the team. Regardless of the formation that a new coach chooses they should bring someone along that can provide the team with an identity.
At this point in time someone like Memo Almada, or even Marcelo Bielsa could be in the picture. Even though these two don’t have a similar football philosophy it could be argued that they are the type of coaches that always give their teams an identity. That’s something that’s been lacking in Mexico for years. We didn’t see it with Osorio, and it was nowhere to be found with Martino. Mexico has a chance to find themselves ahead of 2026.
