Doctors confident Luis Chávez will be fit for the World Cup

▲ The Jalisco native, a midfielder for Dynamo Moscow, will undergo surgery today in Guadalajara. Photo by AFP

Alberto Aceves

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 30, 2025, p. a10

On a flight from Phoenix, Arizona, to Guadalajara, national team player Luis Chávez yesterday began a recovery process that could last at least seven months, according to medical recommendations. Dr. Rafael Ortega, a former soccer player and surgeon by profession, will treat the torn cruciate ligament in his right knee at a hospital in Guadalajara this Monday for the torn cruciate ligament the Dynamo Moscow midfielder suffered Wednesday during training for the Gold Cup. "We are confident we can recover it, so he will be eligible for the 2026 World Cup ," the specialist maintains.

Initial assessments of Ortega are optimistic. He had an awkward knee movement, but after seeing that he has a good quadriceps, the doctors hope to have him back soon , explains the experienced Javier Aguirre, who has become the Tricolor coach with the most wins in official matches after beating Saudi Arabia in the semifinals on Saturday (27). Chávez celebrated his qualification at the University of Phoenix stadium with a goal from Toluca striker Alexis Vega, who showed off the jersey worn by the Jalisco native as a tribute.

His injury completely throws the midfield out of whack, because Mexico is a team that finds solutions individually, not collectively, and is prone to the possibility that a player might suddenly play the flute , analyzes former national team striker Luis García. It's worrying that the absence of Chávez, who is currently a good complement, generates decisions that aren't in harmony with what Aguirre had been building. He won't repeat his lineup. While he's the favorite in the semifinals against the Hondurans, there are more pleasing aspects of the game that aren't happening .

Aguirre used left-footed Gilberto Mora in place of the World Cup winner in Qatar 2022. With this, the player trained at the Tijuana club's academy became the youngest debutant to play in an official match at just 16 years and 257 days old. After 72 minutes, Cruz Azul midfielder Carlos Rodríguez came on to replace him. "I'm calm. My return to action will depend on how my recovery goes; I hope to be back in time for the World Cup ," declared the Jalisco native upon his arrival in Guadalajara, with less than a year to go until the 2026 Cup.

The rest of the squad led by Vasco moved their headquarters to Santa Clara, California, where they will face Honduras on Wednesday for a spot in the Gold Cup final. The Hondurans' record includes victories against El Salvador (2-0), Curaçao (2-1), and runner-up Panama (1-1, 5-4 on penalties), in addition to the thrashing by Canada (6-0) in the first matchday. When their legs don't give, their hearts have to respond. That's what my players have put into it in times of adversity , warns coach Reinaldo Rueda.

The most recent series between Mexico and Honduras was in the Concacaf Nations League, in which the Tricolor first fell 2-0 in their visit to San Pedro Sula and then thrashed 4-0 at the Nemesio Díez stadium in Toluca, between November 15 and 19, 2024.