Javier Aguirre needs time, Santi Gimenez's struggles, and small El Tri crowds: Five things learned from Mexico's friendlies

International managers often complain about a lack of time with their players, but it seems fair for Aguirre to leave September pointing to a lack of opportunity to implement a true style of play.

What fans should expect is a more flexible style of play than previous El Tri managers. While it won’t be as varied as Juan Carlos Osoiro, who got results but riled fans using his noted "rotations" and overhauls from one game to another, it also won’t be as rigid as the setups utilized by Tata Martino or Jaime Lozano.

In the first match, Mexico controlled more of the ball, put six shots on target to New Zealand’s zero and ended the night with 10 fouls. They were whistled for a full 14 more fouls in the contest with Canada as they looked to disrupt the high press and avoided keeping the ball on the grass to play through the middle.

“This is the style of play a game against Canada required,” the manager said. “We saw Canada in the Copa América - like a caged lion. We saw them play the United States, they wrecked them with kicks. And I said, ‘Not me.’

"This is the style Canada required and after that we’ll see. There’s not a style right now. There are two different games, and we’ll see how we find the way depending on the opponent and the players we have.”

Aguirre should get time in October, when his team will meet La Liga’s Valencia and the U.S. in matches on home soil, to put more of his fingerprints on the squad.

The Mexico national team has historically been a huge draw for fans in the U.S. That's why they play five “MEXTOUR” matches a year in cities across the country. Through the team’s ups and downs, the amount of Mexico supporters heading to the stadium in the U.S. rarely has wavered.

This window, there were some cracks in that facade.

Just 25,271 turned up at the 90,000 capacity Rose Bowl for El Tri’'s win over New Zealand, one of the smallest crowds to see Mexico in the U.S. since for the national team in the country.

Three days later at AT&T Stadium, Mexico posted its lowest-ever number in the Arlington, Texas, facility with an announced crowd of 32,623. They’ve averaged 67,373 in 14 previous visits to a stadium Mexico has called its ‘home away from home.'

There are plenty of logical reasons fans might not have been eager to shell out for tickets. Many already had spent their hard-earned cash to see El Tri play official matches in the U.S. this summer during Copa América. Others went to see their favorite club team play in Leagues Cup. And Southern California was in the midst of a heat wave during the New Zealand heat wave.

Aguirre’s arrival was new and different, but otherwise there was a lot of the same for fans at venues where Mexico has been recently, and fans know will return to soon.

And, of course, there’s the matter of the poor results.

“I’m not going to send messages through the press. Fans, in their time, hopefully see they’re liking their national team more and more. I want to change their opinion in that way,” Aguirre said. “Working is the only way fans will stop criticizing the national team or change their opinion.”

The Mexican players say they recognize the sacrifices fans make to come to a game.

“We know it’s not easy for the fans to come and pay for the ticket,” winger Cesar Huerta said. “We try to bring them in and transmit a really good attitude on the field so they feel identified with their national team.”

The quickest way to rebuild that connection is winning, but Mexico may require more marketing muscle to fill U.S. venues than it has in the past as well, with fans having more soccer offerings than ever in their neighborhoods.

The best player in the win against New Zealand was Luis Romo, a midfielder who also has experience playing center back but increasingly shows great instincts going forward.

That sounds a lot like Mexico assistant coach Rafa Marquez, a legendary figure who was one of the best Mexican players ever. Marquez left the Barcelona second team, which he was the head coach of, to become Aguirre’s assistant and mentor young players.

Edson Alvarez, the West Ham midfielder who Aguirre allowed to stay in England this window and better prepare for Premier League minutes after suffering an injury in the summer, is the current Mexico player most similar to Marquez.

It’s far too late for Romo, at 29 years old, to make a Marquez-esque move to Ligue 1 or La Liga. But Romo is playing well for league-leading Cruz Azul in Liga MX. Working often with Marquez can help him refine his game and be a factor along with Alvarez in the midfield for the next two years heading into 2026.

Every national team settles into a base rotation of players. As former manager Jimmy Lozano built his core, he started to exclude many of Mexico’s veterans. Guillermo Ochoa, Hirving Lozano and Raul Jimenez found themselves on the margins, as did less famous regulars such as fullback Jesus Gallardo and forward Henry Martin.

Martin and Gallardo returned to the national team in Aguirre’s first window, and both made positive contributions. Gallardo created a chance from his left back position in the win against New Zealand and also was active defensively. Martin entered both matches as a substitute and made a positive impact.

The Mexican national team player pool is not deep enough, so a player can't be simply dismissed due to age.

The goalkeeper competition looks healthy, with Luis Angel Malagon the best player for El Tri against Canada, but Ochoa said this week he wants to head to the World Cup in 2026. Jimenez is active in the Premier League. Lozano will be looking to start well with San Diego FC.

All have plenty to contribute to the national team, and nothing in the September window indicated they’re not good enough to make the roster.

In three Eredivisie matches this season, Santi Gimenez has two goals. Last season he scored 23 goals in 30 matches with Feyenoord. Yet, when Gimenez flies across the Atlantic Ocean to represent El Tri, he isn't as effective.

It could be that he’s not playing with the same teammates. Or that he’s not facing the same type of opponents. But it still boggles the mind that Gimenez has just four goals in more than 1,600 minutes with Mexico - the most recent coming in the July 2023 Gold Cup final against Panama.

“The other day we scored three goals, and today we had two chances that weren’t that clear, maybe three. If we can generate three, four, five chances and convert one, that’s not bad. It’s about working,” Aguirre said. “I’m not worried. We’ve had two matches with Santi, Memo (Martinez) and Henry. They know I don’t care who scores the goals. I’m happy with their performances.”

The optimism will quickly fade if the goals don’t come, and if he doesn’t start replicating the form he shows in Europe, Aguirre will have to make a tough decision about Gimenez’s place in the national team.