Why is Guillermo Ochoa not playing today? Mexico face Dominican Republic in 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup

On Saturday night, Mexico will make their debut in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup against the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Guillermo Ochoa, one of Mexico’s most iconic players, will not be part of the starting lineup.

Head coach Javier Aguirre has decided that the starting goalkeeper for tonight’s match will be Luis Malagon, from America. As a result, Ochoa will begin the match on the bench, despite being one of the team’s most experienced leaders.

In fact, Malagon has been Javier Aguirre’s preferred choice in most matches since the coach began his third stint with the national team, which started in mid-2024 following the team’s failure at the Copa America.

The America goalkeeper played both of Mexico’s matches in this year’s Concacaf Nations League, against Canada and Panama in March. In the friendlies held last week as part of the team’s final preparation for the Gold Cup, he was a substitute in the loss to Switzerland and started in the win over Turkey.

Ochoa’s season

Approaching his 40th birthday, Guillermo Ochoa remains one of the most prominent Mexican players. He joined Avs Futebol of the Primeira Liga—Portugal’s top division—at the beginning of the 2024–25 season.

He appeared in 23 matches during the campaign, although the team’s results were disappointing: they finished 16th in the standings with just 27 points and had to play a relegation playoff against second-division side Vizela to retain their place in the Primeira Liga. Avs won that playoff 5–2 on aggregate, but Ochoa did not play in the decisive match. Instead, Simao Verza Bertell was in goal.

What did coach Aguirre say about Ochoa?

Guillermo Ochoa’s call-up for the Gold Cup drew some criticism in Mexico, given the goalkeeper’s age and the fact that his most recent season was not with a top-tier club. However, Javier Aguirre was full of praise when asked about the 39-year-old.

“I went to see him in Lisbon, he played well, and while his team struggled to stay in the division, I asked him to keep performing at an acceptable level, like he has in recent years,” Aguirre said recently. “He’s a mature man who’s on par with his teammates. I don’t give out favors—everyone is here on merit, and Memo is one of them.”