Mexico will face Canada in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals looking to reach the final for the third time in tournament history.
Mexico's only eliminations in the Nations League have come at the hands of the USMNT, losing twice in the final and a one other in the semifinals. However, they've never faced Canada in the competition and Jesse Marsch's side will be a difficult opponent with talented players all over the pitch.
Javier Aguirre will hope to lead Mexico where his three previous predecessors could not. Returning El Tri to the top of Concacaf would go a long way in convincing fans that the team has turned a corner, but more importantly, it would also help add belief within a squad that's mostly made up of players that have had little to no success wearing Mexico's shirt.
Aguirre has two major decision to make regarding his squad. The first is who he starts up top. Santiago Giménez and Raúl Jiménez are both having strong seasons at the club level and are together in El Tri's squad for the first time since 2023. El Vasco isn't known for deploying two traditional center forwards, so one of them is likely to start on the bench.
The second big decision is who to play at center back given César Montes' suspension. Aguirre already previewed Erik Lira will start, which could mean that Mexico might utilize a back-three similar to the system deployed in the 4–0 win over Honduras in the quarterfinals, Mexico's best performance in recent memory.
Here's how Mexico could lineup vs. Canada in the Concacaf Nations League semifinals.
