With Tena leading the way, Guatemala reaches the semifinals; Canada is out.

▲ The Guatemalan squad will seek a place in the final when they face the Stars and Stripes. Photo AFP

▲ Keylor Navas couldn't lead the Costa Ricans to the next round. Photo AFP

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 30, 2025, p. 9

Mexican Luis Fernando Tena has not only reawakened the possibility of a World Cup dream in Guatemala, he has also created a team that fights fiercely on the field and made history by leading the Central American country back to the Gold Cup semifinals after 29 years, defeating Canada 6-5 on penalties, a feat that has changed the landscape in the region.

Tena will now guide Guatemala in search of a place in the final when they face the United States on Wednesday. The team eliminated Costa Rica, coached by Miguel Herrera, another Mexican who left the country in search of growth, 4-3 on penalties.

Even with Herrera's elimination from Costa Rica, Mexico still has two coaches in the semifinals. Besides Luis Fernando Tena, Javier Aguirre is also leading the Tricolor.

Tena's move to Guatemala, as well as Aguirre's performance with Mexico, are a forceful response to the marginalization of national coaches in the Liga MX, where the benches are often occupied by South American and even European coaches.

The last time Guatemala reached the Gold Cup semifinal was in 1996, when they lost to the United States. Since then, they have stagnated in the group stage until advancing to the quarterfinals in 2023 and are now back in the top four.

The driving force behind Guatemala's resurgence has been Tena, who took over the team's coaching duties in 2021 with the mission of giving the country its first World Cup berth. Just a year before the World Cup, the Mexican and the Guatemalans demonstrated their growth in the match against Canada at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Everything pointed to the Canadians being the semifinalists. The arguments were supported by the Maple Leafs' development in recent years with players from Europe. However, the Guatemalans relied on an intangible asset that sparked a surprise: playing with heart and hunger.

Although Jonathan David gave Canada the lead in the 30th minute with a penalty, Jacob Shaffelburg (45+4) was sent off and the Guatemalans took advantage to tie 1-1 in regular time with a goal by Rubio Rubin (69) and send the game to penalties.

In the 11-point round, goalkeeper Kenderson Navarro saved Cyle Larin's shot, sparking a nervousness among the Canadians that later led to Luc Rollet's miss. In contrast, José Pinto missed for the Guatemalans, while José Morales completed the seventh shot to seal the historic feat.

Archer Freese, the savior

Tena's feat with Guatemala sparked a wave of encouragement for Miguel Herrera to replicate the feat with Costa Rica. However, the script was different, and this time the Costa Ricans fell 4-3 in a penalty shootout to the United States, after a 2-2 draw in regular time.

Francisco Calvo (12) opened the game with a penalty in favor of the Ticos and shortly after the American Malik Tillman missed a penalty by sending the ball to the post.

With desperation at its peak, the United States squad turned things around with goals from Diego Luna (43) and Max Arfsten (47), but the Costa Ricans would send the duel to penalties with a goal from Alonso Martínez (71).

It all came down to Stars and Stripes goalkeeper Matthew Freese, who saved three penalties from Juan Pablo Vargas, Francisco Calvo, and Andy Rojas, while Damion Downs was on target to close out the scoring.

▲ The Jalisco native, a midfielder for Dynamo Moscow, will undergo surgery today in Guadalajara. Photo by AFP

Alberto Aceves

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 30, 2025, p. a10

On a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to Guadalajara, national team player Luis Chávez yesterday began a recovery process that could last at least seven months, according to medical recommendations. Dr. Rafael Ortega, a former soccer player and surgeon by profession, will treat the torn cruciate ligament in his right knee at a hospital in Guadalajara this Monday for the torn cruciate ligament the Dynamo Moscow midfielder suffered Wednesday during training for the Gold Cup. "We are confident we can recover it, so he will be eligible for the 2026 World Cup ," the specialist maintains.

Initial assessments of Ortega are optimistic. He had an awkward knee movement, but after seeing that he has a good quadriceps, the doctors hope to have him back soon , explains the experienced Javier Aguirre, who has become the Tricolor coach with the most wins in official matches after beating Saudi Arabia in the semifinals on Saturday (27). Chávez celebrated his qualification at the University of Phoenix stadium with a goal from Toluca striker Alexis Vega, who showed off the jersey worn by the Jalisco native as a tribute.

His injury completely throws the midfield out of whack, because Mexico is a team that finds solutions individually, not collectively, and is prone to the possibility that a player might suddenly play the flute , analyzes former national team striker Luis García. It's worrying that the absence of Chávez, who is currently a good complement, generates decisions that aren't in harmony with what Aguirre had been building. He won't repeat his lineup. While he's the favorite in the semifinals against the Hondurans, there are more pleasing aspects of the game that aren't happening .

Aguirre used left-footed Gilberto Mora in place of the World Cup winner in Qatar 2022. With this, the player trained at the Tijuana club's academy became the youngest debutant to play in an official match at just 16 years and 257 days old. After 72 minutes, Cruz Azul midfielder Carlos Rodríguez came on to replace him. "I'm calm. My return to action will depend on how my recovery goes; I hope to be back in time for the World Cup ," declared the Jalisco native upon his arrival in Guadalajara, with less than a year to go until the 2026 Cup.

The rest of the squad led by Vasco moved their headquarters to Santa Clara, California, where they will face Honduras on Wednesday for a spot in the Gold Cup final. The Hondurans' record includes victories against El Salvador (2-0), Curaçao (2-1), and runner-up Panama (1-1, 5-4 on penalties), in addition to the thrashing by Canada (6-0) in the first matchday. When their legs don't give, their hearts have to respond. That's what my players have put into it in times of adversity , warns coach Reinaldo Rueda.

The most recent series between Mexico and Honduras was in the Concacaf Nations League, in which the Tricolor first fell 2-0 in their visit to San Pedro Sula and then thrashed 4-0 at the Nemesio Díez stadium in Toluca, between November 15 and 19, 2024.