Landon Donovan has renewed his own personal rivalry with the Mexico national team, claiming in an interview that they are “not very good.”
Few players in history have tormented Mexico more than Donovan. The former USMNT captain scored six goals against El Tri in his career, the most any player has scored in the biggest rivalry in North American soccer.
Now working as a pundit, Donovan shared his thoughts on the state of Javier Aguirre’s side, admitting he’s not impressed by recent performances and that a catastrophic result in next summer’s World Cup isn’t totally out of the question.
“Mexico right now, though, are in a bad moment,” Donovan told Fox Soccer. “They’re in a really bad moment. It’s not looking good for them and they need a quick turnaround because, I don’t think they go crashing out of the group, but there’s no guarantee they’re not. They’re not very good.”
Donovan’s comments follow Mexico’s six-game winless streak to end 2025. It’s an ominous sign considering Mexico was eliminated in the group stage of the most recent World Cup—its worst tournament performance in 28 years.
El Tri Home Support Could Turn Sour Quickly in 2026 World Cup
Former USMNT player Stuart Holden echoed Donovan’s words and took it a step further, admitting that in his eyes, Mexico playing the World Cup on home soil could quickly go from and advantage to an absolute nightmare.
“Mexico is one of the three host nations where the home support could actually end up working against them,” Holden said. “Because of the pressure. And if the game doesn’t start well in the first 15 minutes, those fans turn on you faster than anybody else. I think these Mexican players feel more pleasure playing in Mexico than they do in the U.S.
“I think this is absolutely fascinating. They just had a friendly and they drew Uruguay 0–0 and they were booed off the field. The fans are fighting with the players.”
Raúl Jiménez recently eviscerated Mexican fans following the 0–0 Uruguay draw—that situation perfectly encapsulating the strained relationship between El Tri and its fanbase, something that’s become a real issue since the turn of the decade.
Aguirre and his players have seven months to find their best form and restore the broken relationship with El Tri fans. If that isn’t achieved, then Donovan and Holden’s words could be proven prophetic in the 2026 World Cup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USMNT Legend Ruthlessly Slams Mexico As 2026 World Cup Nears.
