▲ The Mexican national football team, set to face South Korea in the North and Central American World Cup, trains at the national team training center in Mexico City on the 14th (local time).
After a victorious start to the 2026 North and Central American World Cup, the Mexican national football team has entered a serious "match mode" as they prepare for their second group stage game against South Korea.
The Mexican team, led by head coach Javier Aguirre, continued their training at the national team training center in Mexico City on the 14th (local time).
Mexico, a co-host of this tournament alongside the United States and Canada, secured a 2-0 win against South Africa in the opening match held in Mexico City on the 11th. They are now preparing for their second group stage match against the South Korean team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, scheduled for the 18th (10:00 a.m. on the 19th, Korea Standard Time).
Since their first match, the Mexican team has been training daily without any special rest days to prepare for the showdown against South Korea.
It was reported that the players were granted a brief outing to spend time with their families yesterday afternoon following their morning training session.
The Mexican team has been opening their training sessions to the media for only the first 15 minutes each day. Unlike the relaxed atmosphere seen during the open sessions after the first match, where they only performed light warm-ups, the atmosphere was noticeably different today.
A drone used for filming training, which had disappeared after the preparations for the first match, reappeared over the pitch. Various equipment, including mini hurdles and dummies (human-shaped mannequins), were set up on the grass early on.
The players showcased a variety of drills from the start of the open session, including footwork exercises using mini hurdles.
The main focus during the open session involved players maneuvering around yellow dummies with quick, short steps, followed by leaping toward large gym balls held by staff members to collide with them.
The players collided with the gym balls with such intensity that it resembled physical contact in an actual match.
They also appeared to be focusing on landing stably on both feet after the impact.
The team also conducted drills where players formed groups of three, exchanging short and accurate passes between mini-cones placed narrowly in two rows.
Goalkeepers Raul Rangel (Guadalajara), Guillermo Ochoa (Limassol), and Carlos Acevedo (Santos Laguna) focused on shot-stopping drills on a separate pitch, further away from the media, even before the field players arrived.
They repeatedly practiced blocking powerful shots from close range while moving across the penalty area, and also trained for balls bouncing near the goalpost.
The Mexican team plans to hold a completely closed-door training session on the 15th.
It appears they will dedicate themselves entirely to training before departing for Guadalajara, the site of the upcoming match, to finalize their "winning strategy" against South Korea.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.