▲ Mexico's Cesar Montes
Team Hong Myung-bo, which kicked off its 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage campaign with a thrilling comeback victory against the Czech Republic, has encountered an unexpected "advantage" ahead of its upcoming clash against host nation Mexico.
Cesar Montes (Lokomotiv Moscow), a key pillar of the Mexican defense alongside Johan Vasquez (Genoa), was unexpectedly sent off during the Group A opening match against South Africa held in Mexico City yesterday.
Montes, who started as a center-back alongside Vasquez against South Africa, received a red card in stoppage time of the second half after committing a reckless foul on South African player Khuliso Mudau.
He was immediately sent off for stopping Mudau, who was breaking away on a fast counterattack.
While Mexico secured a 2-0 victory after South Africa self-destructed with two earlier red cards, the team is preparing for its second match against South Korea—scheduled for 10:00 AM on June 19 at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara—with a sense of unease following the loss of their key defender, Montes.
The absence of the 195cm tall defender, who excels in both defense and passing and boasts 68 international caps, is a painful blow for Mexico as they prepare to face South Korea, a rival for the top spot in Group A.
Head coach Javier Aguirre is inevitably facing a difficult decision.
The primary candidate mentioned to replace Montes against South Korea is "Captain" Edson Alvarez, who has 99 international caps.
Alvarez, who played for West Ham in England before being loaned to Fenerbahce in Turkey for the 2025-2026 season, primarily plays as a defensive midfielder but is listed as a defender in this Mexican national team squad.
He started on the bench against South Africa and played for about 10 minutes after being substituted in for midfielder Erik Lira (Cruz Azul) in the 31st minute of the second half.
Following the match against South Africa, coach Aguirre stated, "There is a high possibility that Alvarez will start as a center-back in the next match."
While the versatile and experienced Alvarez is clearly the most viable option for Aguirre, there are question marks regarding his "match fitness" due to a long-term injury last season.
In particular, he was sidelined from February until the end of the season due to an ankle injury and has been working to regain his form through three warm-up matches just before the World Cup.
Among those warm-up matches, the longest he played was 60 minutes against Australia late last month.
Another candidate mentioned to fill the void left by Montes is Israel Reyes (Club America).
He started as a right-back in the match against South Africa.
Reyes is originally a center-back but has been deployed as a right-back for the national team due to a lack of depth in that position.
Because of this, there is talk of moving Reyes to center-back for the match against South Korea and assigning another player, such as Jorge Sanchez (PAOK), to the right flank.
Additionally, the possibility of using Luis Romo, who plays for Guadalajara in the Mexican league, has been raised, but local assessments suggest this would be a "Plan C" at best.
ESPN Mexico reported, "While Romo possesses technique and attacking ability, he lacks the speed required to face South Korea."
(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.