Mexico vs. Guatemala
2021 Concacaf Gold Cup | Group A
Wednesday, July 14, 2021 | 9 p.m. CT
Cotton Bowl | Dallas, Texas
Broadcast Schedule:
English | FS1
Spanish | Univision, TUDN
Streaming | FOX Sports app, TUDN app
Sporting Kansas City striker Alan Pulido and the Mexico Men's National Team will seek their first win in the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup on Wednesday when El Tri faces Guatemala in an important Group A encounter. FS1, the FOX Sports app, TUDN and Univision will provide live coverage from the Cotton Bowl in Dallas with kickoff slated for 9 p.m. CT.
Pulido was an unused substitute on Saturday as Mexico was held to a scoreless draw in their tournament opener against Trinidad and Tobago at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Despite outshooting the Soca Warriors 30-4 and enjoying over 80% possession, head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino's men were unable to breach a stubborn Trinidad and Tobago outfit that received seven saves from goalkeeper Marvin Phillip.
The frustrating result leaves Mexico with a sense of urgency entering Wednesday, especially with El Salvador taking an early lead in Group A after their 2-0 win over Guatemala on Sunday. The top two finishers in Groups A through D will advance to the Gold Cup quarterfinals on July 24-25.
Mexico Schedule: 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup (Group A)
- Saturday, July 10 vs. Trinidad and Tobago (Tied 0-0)
- Wednesday, July 14 vs. Guatemala (9 p.m. CT | FS1, FOX Sports app, TUDN, Univision)
- Sunday, July 18 vs. El Salvador (9 p.m. CT | FS1, FOX Sports app, TUDN, Univision)
2021 Concacaf Gold Cup: Group A Standings
- El Salvador (1-0-0, 3 points) // 2 GF, 0 GA (+2 GD)
- Mexico (0-0-1, 1 point) // 0 GF, 0 GA (0 GD)
- Trinidad and Tobago (0-0-1, 1 point) // 0 GF, 0 GA (0 GD)
- Guatemala (0-1-0, 0 points) // 0 GF, 2 GA (-2 GD)
Mexico's 23-man roster features three players from Major League Soccer, with Pulido joining LA Galaxy duo Efrain Alvarez and Jonathan dos Santos. The door has opened for Pulido to potentially shoulder an increased role within the team after El Tri forward Hirving Lozano suffered a serious head injury against Trinidad and Tobago and will be sidelined for the rest of the tournament.
Since suffering a 3-2 extra-time loss to the United States in the Concacaf Nations League Final on June 6 in Denver, Mexico has posted four consecutive clean sheets. A 0-0 friendly draw against Honduras on June 12 was followed by lopsided exhibition wins over Panama and Nigeria in the lead-up to the Gold Cup.
Heavy underdogs Guatemala were initially eliminated in the Gold Cup preliminary round, falling to Guadeloupe in a penalty shootout on July 6, but the team was reinstated in the tournament after Curacao was forced to exit the competition due to a high number of COVID-10 cases. The Guatemalans took a 2-0 loss to El Salvador on Sunday and are looking for their first win over Mexico in an official competition since the 1969 Concacaf Championship. El Tri lead the all-time series with a 22-6-13 record and haven't lost to Guatemala in a match of any kind since a 3-2 friendly defeat in 2007.
