GOALExpectations for Mexico might be lower in rematch with Honduras, but the implications are much higher
Just as it did in 2023, Mexico will end 2024 with a familiar challenge: a CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal series in Honduras.
Last year, Mexico needed a bit of a miracle to get past Los Catrachos. After falling 2-0 in Tegucigalpa, then-manager Jaime Lozano and his squad needed a pair of goals in the second leg to force a penalty shootout. Despite 11 shots on target, it took until the very last one – 11 minutes into a (properly awarded) long stoppage time – for Mexico to force kicks from the spot to decide the Nations League semifinalist.
The hope is that it won’t take the same types of heroics this time around. Whether or not El Tri once again rides its luck into the next round, much has changed this year – even if it has come around to the same point.
Mexico’s performance in its series against Honduras—and how it plays throughout both legs—will shape the team’s confidence, both internally and externally, as Javier Aguirre and his squad enter 2025.
GOAL takes a look at what has changed and what remains the same for Mexico as it kicks off its Nations League tie Friday.
