The CONCACAF Nations League heats up as Mexico faces Costa Rica
The first edition of the Final Four of the CONCACAF’s Nations League is scheduled to kick off this Thursday, June 3rd from the Empower Field at Mile High in Denver. Mexico will be coming off a 2-1 comeback win against Iceland in Dallas where El Tri managed to overpower Iceland in the final minutes.
Mexico’s best player on the field was Diego Lainez who also earned a spot on the Nations League squad after Erick Guitierrez was not deemed fit due to injury. Besides Lainez, Herrera and Lozano proved to be key difference-making players that Mexico will rely on in Denver. Mexico held over 70% of the possession but struggled against the physical and defensively sound Icelandic team.
El Tri will be looking to start off on the right foot ahead of a busy summer that includes participation in the Gold Cup and the Olympics. A victory against Los Ticos should be expected after Mexico easily handled Costa Rica 1-0 in a European friendly back in March. An influx of players will be joining the Mexican squad after finishing up their club responsibilities last weekend. Among these players are recent LigaMX championship winners Luis Romo and Orbelin Pineda and Sporting KC’s Alan Pulido. The former Chivas striker will have the spotlight on him as Mexico tries to find a replacement for the injured Raul Jimenez.
After winning Group D in League A of the Nations League, Costa Rica will be Mexico’s opponent in the semifinals. Costa Rica will be bringing national team legend Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges into the 23-man squad but will be missing key figures like Ligue 1’s inaugural goalkeeper of the year Kaylor Navas and German club Bochum’s Cristian Gamboa due to injury. Los Ticos are looking to break a 9 game winless streak with their last victory coming against Haiti back in November of 2019.
The stadium capacity for Empower Field at Mile High Stadium has been set at 42% for Thursday’s game, meaning just under 32,000 fans will be in attendance at the 76,000-seat venue. Mexico fans are expected to come out in droves to support their team, especially if there is a chance to face off against the United States.
