Luis Chavez, midfielder for the Russian Dynamo Moscow, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, which is why he was out of the Gold Cup, the Mexican national team reported on Thursday.

The Mexican national team's staff explained that yesterday Chavez, 29, left due to an injury the practice of the team that will face Saudi Arabia this Saturday in the quarterfinals of the top competition of nations of the CONCACAF.

"This Thursday he underwent an MRI that confirmed the tear of the right anterior cruciate ligament," the Mexican national team published in a statement released on social media.

"We wish Luis Chavez a speedy and satisfactory recovery," it added.

This is an injury highly feared by athletes that soccer players often suffer due to the wear and tear on the knees that their sport entails and, although the recovery time was not mentioned, it is known that it is between 6 and 12 months, depending on various factors, so their participation in the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States is at risk.

Luis Chavez in the Gold Cup

In the current tournament, Chavez played two of the three matches for El Tri in the group stage, entered from He made a substitution in the 2-0 win over Suriname to play 18 minutes, and started the full 90 minutes in the goalless draw against Costa Rica, the final match of the first round.

He did not play in his national team's debut against the Dominican Republic.

The Mexicans, led by Javier Aguirre, led Group A with seven points, earning them the right to face the Saudis, second in Group D.

Under Aguirre's command, Mexico faces this tournament as the last official one before hosting the next World Cup, which it will organize in 2026 with the United States and Canada.