🇲🇽 Gold Cup Daily: Mt. Montes imposes with Mexico's attack lacking spark
PLUS: How 'life' & cancer led a veteran to Suriname; The USMNT's second .. challenge?
On today’s unlocked edition of Gold Cup daily: Mexico’s struggles in front of goal, why sickness pushed one of Suriname’s new recruits to play internationally, a look at the United States’ challenge vs. Saudi Arabia & a Houston weather report.
Reporting from Arlington, Texas
They all count the same.
That’s Mexico manager Javier Aguirre’s public posture after a 2-0 victory over Suriname.
Despite Aguirre’s modifications, bringing creative attacker Alexis Vega into the starting lineup and going from two central forwards to one, Mexico still wasn’t able to create danger from open play. A double from center back Cesar Montes
Asked what scoring four of the five goals scored so far this tournament from the set piece told him about his team, Aguirre replied “that we worked on set pieces well and have good takers.
“Set pieces are part of the game. I don’t know what the percentage is, I can’t think of it right now, but a big percentage of goals in global soccer come from a dead ball: Throw-ins, corners, fouls, penalties. We generate corners by getting into the area.”
Nor are the forwards saying, at least to the press, that they’re upset with the current situation that sees Edson Alvarez - a defensive midfielder who also played center back in the opener - and Montes tied atop the Mexico scoring charts.
“We worry about the final result,” said Cesar Huerta, a winger who thought he had scored a third Wednesday only to see the move ruled offside. “Whoever scores, we know it’s a very good group and ultimately what’s important is for things to go well and the team wins.”
But it’s not that Mexico fans are launching a campaign against set pieces. Everyone agrees the goals count, and that Mexico did have to get into the right area to win those dead-ball opportunities.
Nor is concern about Mexico’s reliance on set pieces a criticism of “Cachorro” Montes’ finishing. The first goal was a training-ground-esque header with Suriname losing track of the defender and allowing him a free header.
The second goal was one that looked like it came off an attacker’s boots. After his diving header was deflected, Montes remained on the ground but worked his body around so he could sweep the ball in just before Julian Quiñones made contact.
The criticism is much more about what is to come. While Costa Rica has relied on some good fortune of its own - including a trio of penalties - to advance to the knockout stage ahead of Sunday’s match between the two teams, it will be more difficult to depend on solely corner kicks to get past the Ticos.
From there, Mexico could face the U.S. - though Saudi Arabia or Haiti appears more likely - and things only get tougher as the tournament progresses.
After the initial moments of the news conference in which Aguirre launched his defense of the humble goal from a corner kick, the manager admitted he’s still trying to find the right formula that sees Mexico deliver a truly balanced showing.
“We haven’t found that perfect game. It’s not easy,” Aguirre said. “When we’re missing something in attack, the defense covers us and vice versa. We haven’t found that point of being totally satisfied.
“Today, there are things we can improve - I still am thinking about them, honestly. Of course there are things to improve - for forwards to score, for example. Creating more chances, generating more clear opportunities. Raul and Santi had the good play (against the Dominican Republic) that led to Raul scoring a goal. Be more consistent.”
Mexico wouldn’t be the first team riding a formula of ‘defend well and score from the dead ball’ formula to a continental title, and it’s an equation that could work with the return of Johan Vazquez to partner with Montes at the back.
Yet, El Tri fans expect more, especially in continental play. Aguirre does too, even if he’s trying to frame himself as a humble admirer of the corner kick. This Gold Cup is supposed to be about generating momentum ahead of the big ones in 2026 when Mexico will play its group matches on home soil and be well-supported in the U.S. if it goes beyond. The performances so far haven’t indicated the team will be able to deliver its throngs of fans in North America the historic showings they so badly crave.
For now, Aguirre will just be happy Mexico is getting goals in any way. They all count the same, but some are much more inspiring.
🇸🇷 How ‘life’ led Jean-Paul Boëtius to Suriname
Jean-Paul Boëtius felt he was close. As a younger player, he had played a friendly match for the Netherlands and even made the provisional roster for Louis van Gaal’s 2014 squad for the World Cup in Brazil.
Playing well in the Bundesliga, the signals were that he once again was on the radar for the Dutch team. Then, he got the diagnosis. Boëtius not only had to put his career on hold but functionally put his life on hold after being diagnosed with testicular cancer and undergoing treatments.
He returned to the field as a professional this year, suiting up for 2. Bundesliga outfit Darmstadt 98. With fresh perspective, Boëtius opted to file his one-time switch and represent Suriname. It was approved June 9, and he started a World Cup qualification match in El Salvador on June 10.
“Life! That’s what happened,” he told me after the 2-0 loss to Mexico. “I got sick. My career had a bump in the road, and I was ready to say yes to Suriname because now when I make a decision, I want to be fully convinced. At this moment, I was. The paperwork got done really fast, and I was ready to play.”
Most players currently representing Suriname also were eligible for the Netherlands and put on the Natio shirt only after it became clear the doors of the Oranje were closed to them for good.
It’s true for Boëtius as well, but he was in touch with Suriname officials even before the cancer diagnosis, mulling the chance to represent his parents’ native country.
While he’s happy to play under manager Stanley Menzo, a former Dutch goalkeeper who is a legend in the Netherlands after his long Ajax career, he also said that Menzo didn’t need to do any prodding.
“All those trips are quite new to me, all the way to other side of the world with transfers!” he said. “The coach didn’t convince me. He didn’t need to because we were already in touch with the national team under previous coaches.”
Suriname led in its first Gold Cup match against Costa Rica before falling 4-3 and was able to hang with El Tri for most of Wednesday night, too. So, while the team already is eliminated from a first-ever Gold Cup knockout game, Boëtius says there are lessons to take in fall’s World Cup qualification matches when he’ll be part of the team trying to secure a return to North America in the summer of 2026.
“This game, last game, all those Latin American teams play with passion and show heart on the pitch,” he said. “We need to bring that a little bit more as well. If we can do that, combined with how we play proper, proper football, I think we are a strong contender for the World Cup.”
Suriname closes the group stage against the Dominican Republic in a match that will see Natio looking for its second-ever Gold Cup win (and the DR its first). Suriname hosts Panama and travels to El Salvador in September’s World Cup qualification matches.
🇺🇸 Poch still finding his pieces as USMNT prepares to face Saudi Arabia
As Mauricio Pochettino continues to adjust to the Concacaf region, he got a bit of a ‘Concacaf special’ from a Spanish-speaking reporter Wednesday.
Poch was asked a wandering, multipart question that took detours to note that fans were excited, to wonder if the group was ‘easy’, asked if fans are perhaps optimistic or skeptical about the team, and finally pinpointed the question: “Would getting to the next round of the Gold Cup be enough to calm some of the voices … who still aren’t confident in your management as leader of the national team?”
“Wow,” Pochettino said, joking that he was relieved the question was in his first language rather than in English.
Perhaps not too different from what he became used to growing up in Argentina, however, Poch gave an answer that indicates some of what he’s actually focused on in this tournament. It’s not his continuity, and it’s certainly not whatever small amount of criticism is coming from the soccer media in this country focused on the Gold Cup.
“I think we’re here to create a group and a team that we still aren’t yet, finding the best pieces who can perform together in the best way possible,” the manager said. “We’re not here to, if we lose and now after winning to look for revenge or have some sort of feeling. It’s normal in soccer that when you win, everything is good. When you lose, it’s normal there are criticisms. We’re in the middle of building.”
The fascinating thing to see against Saudi Arabia, who was fortunate to beat Haiti in its opening match but enters the U.S. game also on three points, is how Pochettino will modify his roster.
Midfielders Tyler Adams and Johnny Cardoso are nearing full fitness, but it seems while the good result against Trinidad and Tobago didn’t change Pochettino’s mood, it may have altered his mindset about which players will get the most minutes this tournament.
“Common sense is to put basically the same base that played against Trinidad and Tobago (on the field),” he said. “I’m happy with the showing. I think it was a good performance. We need to keep growing, to be in constant growth beyond the opponent or the result like we are right now. The idea of giving a bit of continuity to that block that started the tournament follows those same lines.”
Last night’s scores
Costa Rica 2-1 Dominican Republic
Unlucky for the Dominicans, who played a very good game but conceded at the end of each half.
ICYMI: I wrote a deeper piece on the DR’s debut and their future goals for The Athletic.
Suriname 0-2 Mexico
Tonight’s matches
Trinidad and Tobago v. Haiti - 6:45p ET A bounce-back opportunity for both teams and a required victory for either that still wants to have hope of advancing.
This is a one-off match being played outdoors in Houston, where temperature at kickoff should be just below 90 but with a fair bit of humidity. Will the total crowd number eclipse the 7,000+ there for Haiti’s opening doubleheader?
Saudi Arabia v. USA - 9:15p ET