Mexico’s Dominance Against Familiar Coaches Faces Test as Herrera Leads Costa Rica

Mexico will close out Group A at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup on Sunday with a meaningful clash against Costa Rica—not just to claim group supremacy, but to face a familiar face on the opposing bench: Miguel Herrera. As ESPN detailed, this will mark the first time Herrera faces his native country since his dismissal in 2015 following a controversial incident after lifting the Gold Cup.

Historically, Mexico has fared well against coaches with deep ties to its own football culture. Aside from a lone loss to Bora Milutinovic in 1991, El Tri remains undefeated in Gold Cup play against managers who are Mexican or have long-standing experience in Liga MX. That list includes Ricardo La Volpe, Carlos Miloc, and Rafael Loredo—all of whom failed to defeat the Mexican national team.

Mexico’s only defeat in this category came in that 1991 shock loss to the U.S. under Milutinovic, followed by a resounding 4-0 revenge win in 1993 at the Estadio Azteca. Since then, victories over Costa Rica under La Volpe (4-1 in 2011) and Guatemala under Loredo (3-0 in 2021) have cemented Mexico’s dominance.

Now, Herrera has a chance to break that pattern. His Costa Rican side has scored six goals in two games and looks sharp heading into the match. Still, the stakes go beyond bragging rights—Herrera could claim personal redemption against the team that let him go, despite a title.

Further down the line, Mexico may face yet another former coach: Luis Fernando Tena, now in charge of Guatemala, in a potential semifinal. For now, though, all eyes are on Houston, where Herrera hopes to flip the script against his homeland.