Aguirre Honest After Narrow Win Over Dominican Republic: “They Challenged Us, and at Times Exposed Us”

Mexico's Gold Cup opener was far from comfortable. Javier Aguirre's side edged out a spirited Dominican Republic 3-2 in Los Angeles, but the performance raised more questions than answers.

“They challenged us, and at times exposed us with their quick, vertical play,” Aguirre admitted after the final whistle. Ranked 139th in the world, the Dominican team showed no fear, capitalizing on defensive lapses to stay in the match until the very end.

Mexico’s backline looked vulnerable, with the first goal stemming from a Jesús Gallardo mistake and the second from a collective lapse. Aguirre hinted at changes ahead of Wednesday’s match against Suriname, with Johan Vázquez possibly joining César Montes to tighten the defense.

“We want a mistake-free match to grow in confidence,” said the veteran coach, calling for calm and rejecting hype.

Despite growing migration tensions in Los Angeles, with demonstrations breaking out across the US, over 55,000 Mexican fans packed the stadium. Aguirre expressed gratitude: “We must give wins to those going through difficult times.”