Vasco Aguirre pointed out the mental limitations of the Mexican national team
Javier Aguirre was critical of El Tri offensive performance
Javier 'Vasco' Aguirre, current coach of Mexico, sent a clear message to his players ahead of the upcoming friendly against South Korea in Nashville. The coach stated that the team needs to show greater courage in attack and put aside its fear of making mistakes.
“We need to improve our boldness in attack. We have an easy ball to play with and we decided not to take risks; we prefer someone else to make mistakes. Against Japan, we could have scored more goals, but due to our own mental limitations, we didn't,” the coach stated in a press conference on Monday.
El Tri is coming off a 0-0 draw with Japan in its first match of the September FIFA round. The match raised questions due to a lack of decisiveness: in the first half, they barely created any danger, and in the second, they missed the few chances they had. Aguirre acknowledged that the problem isn't just tactical, but also in the players' mentality.
Process, titles, and expectations heading into the World Cup
The coach, with experience in European clubs and national teams, also explained that the constant changes in the squad have affected the consolidation of a playing style. "We've been forming a group that has been assimilating our ideas, adapting to official and friendly matches. The team's functioning hasn't been difficult because players come and go from the squad. There has been evolution, which is sometimes not reflected in the final results," he assured. Still, the numbers back him up. Since his arrival in August 2024, Mexico has won the Concacaf Nations League and the 2025 Gold Cup, titles that renewed confidence in the "Vasco" project. With this background, the National Team is preparing for a bigger challenge: playing at home, alongside the United States and Canada, in the 2026 World Cup.
This will be Aguirre's third World Cup on the Mexican bench, after his time in Korea-Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010. Expectations are high, as El Tri will now have the advantage of playing at home and the support of its fans.
As for the next opponent,Aguirre didn't hesitate to anticipate an intense clash: "Korea will be very similar to Japan tactically and physically, but much more aggressive, more accustomed to close-quarters combat. They're, like us, more accustomed to competing within the limits of the rules."