Led by Raul Jimenez and Guillermo Ochoa, Javier Aguirre's Mexico turn back to the past at the worst possible time

Mexican soccer faces a massive problem. This nation really should be towards the top of international football. There are very few places worldwide that are more soccer-obsessed, and even fewer that see their club competitions so well attended. There is a real culture here. And with it comes expectation. But the story of El Tri, especially since 1986, has been one of failing at World Cups.

They have failed to break the curse of El Quinto Partido (the fifth game), routinely exiting the tournament in the Round of 16. Indeed, they haven't won a knockout game in nearly 40 years. Even though they are typically the best team in CONCACAF - with all due respect to the improving U.S. - Mexico have not proved their worth on the global stage. That is perhaps why they brought back Aguirre. He was a disciplinarian when he returned to the national team fold in 2009, effectively brought in to settle things after a turbulent period.

Now, he is older, wiser, and funnier. Fans wanted him to return to the job before the Nations League finals. And the Mexican football federation obliged. Thus far, in regional competitions, the results have been good. Mexico won the Nations League relatively comfortably after beating first Canada, then Panama. They rather trolled through the Gold Cup, and picked up an immensely satisfying win over the USMNT in the final.

In effect, Mexico needed to bring the vibes back. Jaime Lozano, his predecessor, tried to go young and overhaul the squad. The results were mixed. Aguirre was the safe hand.

And the Gold Cup results were excellent. While the USMNT went young and Canada were without a few key faces, Mexico went mostly full strength. It wasn't a pretty performance, but Mexico were resilient and hard to beat. Their only real scare came against a Dominican Republic side who played them close in a 3-2 win.

The victory over the U.S., in particular, was satisfying - not least because Mauricio Pochettino's side barely had a sniff on goal. Teenage sensation Gilberto Mora impressed on the biggest of stages. Raul Jimenez, once regarded as past it in a Mexico shirt, showed that he has plenty of football left. They defended well, and were clinical at the right moments. Aguirre always insisted that his role as Mexico manager was to prepare the team for 2026, but the Gold Cup win wasn't a bad start.

“One, it's obvious - we're champions. That’s what we came for. We were the favorites, and we fulfilled the mission," Aguirre said following the Gold Cup win. "Two, the connection with the fans - I see people fully engaged, both in the United States and in Mexico. Three, I think we're starting to see the results of our training. In these two tournaments [the Nations League and Gold Cup], we lifted two trophies. That motivates us to keep training, gives consistency to our words, and confidence in the future."

It wasn't quite a perfect tournament - they never are. But Mexico were the favorities, and got the job done.

So, why is this so precarious ahead of friendlies against Portugal and Belgium? Well, Mexico face issues on a number of fronts.

Most glaring is injuries. And there are a lot of them. In their Gold Cup run, the midfield rather paced things. A trio of Mora, Edson Alvarez and Marcel Ruiz proved to be a fine unit, offering the right mixture of scrappiness and invention. Yet all three are injured. Mora is recovering from a serious groin issue (although he is expected to return in time for the World Cup). Alvarez underwent ankle surgery and is facing a race against time to make the squad. Marcel Ruiz will miss the tournament altogether after tearing his ACL in a CONCACAF Champions Cup game two weeks ago. There is a world in which Aguirre goes into a World Cup with the entire first-choice midfield either injured or lacking in sharpness.

Add to that the fact that first-choice goalkeeper Luis Malagon ruptured his Achilles, and El Tri are now facing big questions at four key positions.

There is also the fact that this team, for all of the benefits of leadership, is looking a little stale up front. Raul has struggled for Fulham this campaign, and Santi Gimenez is unavailable - despite returning for Milan last weekend. German Berterame, expected to be a dynamic goalscoring threat for Inter Miami, has been remarkably ineffective in MLS. Winger Diego Lainez would offer a dynamic threat, but has not been called up amid talk of a fallout with the manager.

Aguirre's response has been to go young - and think outside the box.

He has broken convention and called only a strong contingent of players born outside of Mexico - a concept that remains controversial in Mexico despite the proliferation of dual-nationals in the global game. Six of his call-ups are foreign born. Of course, there is less frustration when they might be able to contribute. Albaro Fidalgo, who has impressed for Real Betis, completed his one-time switch in Feburary - and would seem to be ready to slot right into the midfield. Obed Vargas, born in Alaska and developed at Seattle Sounders, will offer depth in the center of the park. And while there remains a strong Liga MX talent, Aguirre has called in 10 players who operate overseas.

The manager has also gone young. Aside from the experience brought by Jimenez and Ochoa, this is a largely fresh squad, with five players under the age of 23. Former coaches have proved that playing the kids can be a dangerous thing. Aguirre, whether by necessity or choice, has ignored those warnings.

This is all rather worrying ahead of two games against elite opposition. The seriousness of friendlies can always be debated, but this is the first time Mexico have been tested against seriously elite competition since the 2022 World Cup. Agreeable draws against Uruguay, Korea and Japan were split by a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of a full-strength Colombia - then at No. 14 on FIFA's rankings. And while that result came in a game that didn't count for much, the media asked questions of Aguirre's approach. And although he claimed responsibility for the result, he did deflect some of the blame in a post-match press conference.

"There are certain matters I intend to address internally with specific players, because we cannot afford to stop competing. Over the course of the 90 minutes, there were players who simply were not up to the task. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is the result," he said.

That might have been nearly six months ago, but it was also the last time his side faced elite opposition. And this time, there is no buffer of other fixtures in between. This is the last window before the World Cup, and after injuries have ravaged his squad, Aguirre has turned to some old faces - mostly because he has no choice. The harsh truth is that these games matter, if only for what they represent. And even a much changed side, with players who really should be watching from home, has to perform.