Gold Cup Daily: Experience carries El Tri past determined DR
PLUS: Commitment issues in USMNT-TT & a rivalry in San Diego
Reporting from SoFi Stadium
Mexico manager Javier Aguirre warned it wouldn’t be easy. The Dominican Republic didn’t make the last round of World Cup qualification, but it’s a very good team, one on the rise.
And it wasn’t. The DR startled Mexico by stringing good attacking moves together, quickly looking to hit when they won back possession. In the end, the DR left not just with their first-ever Gold Cup goal but their second one, too - and they weren’t far off from getting a first-ever Gold Cup point.
El Tri needed its quality to show, needed something extra to get past a determined Dominican Republic team that was ready to punish any small mistake.
They got the boost in the form of their most experienced players. Edson Alvarez scored, helped score another and shut down some of the best Dominican attacks. Raul Jimenez again found the back of the net. Mexico opened its Gold Cup title defense with a 3-2 victory, thanks in no small part to those players having been there before against the debuting Dominican Republic.
That know-how, they’d call it ‘nous’ where Alvarez and Jimenez currently play, kept Mexico from falling.
“They’re two very important players for us. They play in a very strong league, the Premier League, they’ve been there for years. They’ve grown a lot…one is captain and then the other,” Aguirre said. “Jimenez is breaking goal records and stuff - their enthusiasm is contagious. They’re always looking forward. They’re two players I’m very happy with.”
Alvarez wore the armband Saturday, and he showed he’s working to be more than just an on-field leader. Days after posting a message of solidarity with Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles who continue to face harassment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that has led to massive protests here, he celebrated his goal by kissing the badge but then gesturing to the crowd at SoFi Stadium.