Aguirre's Tricolor draws with Costa Rica without goals

▲ The game was held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. AP Photo

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 23, 2025, p. a34

The image that best defines Mexico's level of performance at the Gold Cup is that of national coach Javier Aguirre, often worried and thoughtful, evidently frustrated by the signs his team is sending toward the 2026 World Cup. His annoyance harks back to a time when the Tricolor was a lackluster opponent, lacking in enthusiasm for work, relying on individual sparks as in processes led by others in his charge. For more than 80 minutes, the 0-0 draw against Costa Rica exposed the offensive weaknesses of his players, who were dominant at the start but lacked the imagination to overcome the experienced goalkeeper Keylor Navas at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Although he's been in charge for more than 30 years, Aguirre doesn't understand simple worlds. His two previous seasons in charge—Korea-Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010—attracted the same criticisms regarding his squad's performance. From César Montes's mistakes to Raúl Jiménez's attacks that ended with Navas, the first half of the Tricolor team represented the values ​​its fans demand to improve the current football situation: dedication, simplicity, and leadership. Far from any form of stridency, Costa Rica demonstrated its proud connection to the vision of Miguel Herrera, its coach and key figure in the locker room.

"You beat Mexico with a perfect match ," El Piojo said on Saturday about the kind of challenges the Costa Rican team must face to compete in a World Cup again. One of his first tasks was to convince Navas, a former Real Madrid star, to return to defending the national team's goal after a brief retirement. After several phone calls, praise at press conferences, and a personal trip to the city of Rosario, Argentina, where La Pantera, 38, currently defends the goal for Newell's Old Boys, the former Mexican national team coach convinced him to join his adventure. If it weren't for him, his team's resilience would not have been the same.

Navas showed his influence every time Raúl Jiménez and Luis Chávez challenged him. He grew in stature, flew through the six-yard box as he did in his prime with Madrid, and when one of his defenders made a mistake, as in the goal disallowed for Santiago Giménez for an alleged offside, the experienced Costa Rican stood up and kept going. Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar dampened the excitement of thousands of El Tri fans in the final minutes when Giménez, taking advantage of a header from midfielder Orlando Galo, scissor-kicked into the back of the net from a free kick. Despite the effusive celebration, VAR assisted Escobar to disallow the goal for offside.

With first place in Group A secured (7 points out of a possible 9), the Mexican team will face Gold Cup host Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the Costa Ricans will face the United States, who finished first in Group D with a clean sheet. In the closing match of the first phase, the Dominican Republic and Suriname also played to a goalless draw at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.