{"id":1798,"date":"2026-06-10T20:42:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T20:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1798"},"modified":"2026-06-10T20:42:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T20:42:23","slug":"aguirre-ramps-up-mexicos-world-cup-mind-games-with-1986-heroes-and-julio-cesar-chavez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1798","title":{"rendered":"Aguirre ramps up Mexico\u2019s World Cup mind games with 1986 heroes and Julio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>By CARLOS RODRIGUEZ<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MEXICO CITY (AP) \u2014 As Mexico prepares to co-host the World Cup, coach Javier Aguirre isn\u2019t just focusing on tactical drills and physical fitness. He\u2019s waging a psychological campaign off the pitch, pulling out all the stops to inspire a historic run on home soil.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1796\">Pochettino says no Americans among top 100 players yet US can win World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n<p>To spark that fire, El Tri\u2019s base camp at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento has recently welcomed some heavy-hitting inspiration: veterans from Mexico\u2019s 1986 World Cup squad and boxing great Julio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> World Cup 2026: A guide for Bay Area soccer fans, visitors, residents and everyone else<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe idols change, the uniforms evolve, but the pride of representing Mexico remains intact,\u201d Mikel Arriola, commissioner of the Mexican Football Federation, said. \u201cWhat the legends of \u201986 experienced was historic, but what is coming in 2026 has the potential to match it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mexico\u2019s best World Cup results have come as the host nation in 1970 and 1986, when they reached the quarterfinals. Ch\u00e1vez, considered one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all time, is an inspirational figure who won six world titles across three weight divisions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hear people talking about reaching the fifth match, but I believe you are going to get much, much farther,\u201d Ch\u00e1vez told the squad. \u201cIt does not matter if your opponent is faster or stronger than you \u2014 dare to dream big.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mexico didn\u2019t advance beyond the round of 16 in seven consecutive World Cups from 1994 to 2022, making the so-called \u201cfifth match\u201d (the quarterfinals) an obsession for local media and fans.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1794\">San Jose housing tower owners include exec who started Flow and WeWork<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s a little more tricky in the 2026 edition, which is being co-hosted by Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. With the expansion to 48 teams and the addition of a round of 32 after the group stage, the quarterfinals will be the sixth match for teams that advance so far in this tournament.<\/p>\n<h4>Home advantage<\/h4>\n<p>Aguirre, a starting midfielder on the 1986 national team, has been emphasizing the rare advantage of playing a World Cup at home, and the career-defining impact of a historic performance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe went to the anthropology museum, and it is marvelous. For the players, it was an incredible experience \u2014 they have to know where we come from,\u201d Aguirre said. \u201cIt was exciting for me, but I could also see it in the players\u2019 faces. Going there was a massive success.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Mental strength<\/h4>\n<p>Additionally, the Mexican federation re-hired Spanish mental performance coach Imanol Ibarrondo, who previously worked with El Tri during the 2018 World Cup and assisted Ecuador at Qatar 2022.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cImanol has done great work for us. We\u2019ve had personal and group sessions, and we got to know each other better,\u201d 22-year-old defender Mateo Chavez noted before Wednesday\u2019s practice. \u201cI think all of this has helped us grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Mexicans will open their World Cup campaign Thursday against South Africa at the Mexico City stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=1793\">Brief Bay Area heat blast may begin to dissipate sooner than expected<\/a><\/p>\n<p>___ AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>El Tri\u2019s base camp at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento has recently welcomed some heavy-hitting inspiration: veterans from Mexico\u2019s 1986 World Cup squad and boxing great Julio C\u00e9sar Ch\u00e1vez.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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