Mexico will aim to overcome a two-goal deficit on Tuesday when they host Honduras in the second leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.
The regional heavyweight left Honduras with a surprise 2-0 loss on Friday, though it is not an unfamiliar scenario. Mexico also lost 2-0 at Honduras in the first leg of last year's Nations League semifinal, beating them at home by the same scoreline in the second leg before advancing in a penalty shootout. The focus on Tuesday, though, will not just be about seeing if El Tri can get themselves out of this mess, but if they can demonstrate that they are on track for the strong performance they are targeting at the 2026 World Cup.
Here's what you need to know before tuning in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, Nov. 19 | Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Nemesio Diez -- Toluca, Mexico
- Live stream Paramount+
- Odds: Mexico -333; Draw +430; Honduras +111
Storylines
Concacaf's top three sides all made managerial changes this year with the hopes of revamping their teams before hosting the World Cup in two years' time, with Mexico hiring Javier Aguirre in July for his third spell in charge of the team. He steadied the ship in his first four games in charge, going unbeaten as El Tri began to turn the page on their Copa America group stage exit. The most impressive of these results was a 2-0 win over Mauricio Pochettino's U.S. team in October when they outplayed the USMNT in attack despite an otherwise evenly-contested game.
Mexico, though, were handed their first stumbling block on Friday in San Pedro Sula, failing to gain a true foothold as they lost 2-0 to Honduras. Though they had 62% possession, they were able to translate that into a meaningful advantage in attack – both sides took 10 shots and were nearly even on shots on goal and expected goals. With goals a requirement to advance, Mexico will need to turn up the intensity in attack, much as they did against the USMNT, to dig themselves out of this hole. For a Mexico team that has gone goalless in six of their 13 games this year, though, that might not be a small task.
Prediction
Mexico may have their flaws, but they have enough talent to overcome a two-goal deficit and reach the Nations League semifinals for a fourth time running. Their performance against the USMNT demonstrates that Aguiree's Mexico can take things up a notch, so count on them to do just that on Tuesday. Whether or not they do it quickly, though, is a different story. Pick: Mexico 2, Honduras 0 (2-2 on aggregate; Mexico advance on penalties)