DENVER, Colorado – The date was June 19, 2019 and Mexico MF Andres Guardado was expecting a restful night on the Mexican bench as his team took on Canada in the group stage of the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado.
But a first half injury to Erick Gutierrez forced Mexico Head Coach Gerardo Martino into a change of plans. Guardado was quickly brought on and by the end of the night he had scored a pair of second half goals to equal Zague’s all-time record of most goals scored in a Gold Cup by a Mexican player (12).
Now, almost two years later, Guardado finds himself back in Denver at Empower Field at Mile High in another Concacaf tournament, the Concacaf Nations League Finals, with El Tricolor set to battle Costa Rica in the semifinals on Thursday.
Needless to say, returning to the Mile High City brings back fond memories for the 35-year-old.
“The last memory I have of here is very nice in that sense. We won the game here against Canada, I scored two goals and I equaled the record of Zague for most goals by a Mexican player in a Gold Cup,” said Guardado in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
“But I also view it as just another game, because it doesn’t change my way of approaching a new game here and it does not ensure that you are going to have success. Every match is different. But yes, it’s true that the immediate memories that come to mind are very nice memories,” added Guardado.
Through Concacaf competition, Guardado has had the opportunity to play in cities and stadiums all over the region. An accomplished player like Guardado has enjoyed success in many different venues and his hope is that by the end of Sunday night’s Final, Denver will be one of those cities that ranks near the top of his personal list.
“Those things happen if you play a lot over the course of your career in those stadiums and if good performances are repeated in those stadiums. For me, in Gold Cups or friendlies or whatever, Soldier Field in Chicago has always gone well because I have played there so many times. The truth is that here in Denver the only time that I have scored goals was in that last match, so I can’t consider it one of my lucky stadiums, but if good performances are repeated in certain cities, then yes, you have a fondness for those cities. Hopefully Denver is added to that list, but that depends on me and the national team. Hopefully we can have another good performance here,” concluded Guardado.
