MIAMI, Florida – This week, Concacaf will crown its first ever champion of the Concacaf Nations League and as one of the most decorated teams in the region, Mexico have their sights set on claiming the first CNL trophy.
Helping spearhead that effort is MF Jonathan dos Santos, no stranger to high-stakes Concacaf affairs as a member of the El Tricolor team that lifted the 2015 and 2019 Concacaf Gold Cups.
“We have to win it. We know that Mexico is always the favorite to win and so we are going in with the idea of winning the Nations League,” said Dos Santos in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.
“It would mean a lot to win the first CNL. To be the first champion of this tournament would be important for the players, the national team and for the country to say that Mexico is still here and still runs the show in Concacaf. That has always been our wish, to be the number one team in Concacaf and hopefully we can get the trophy,” added Dos Santos.
First up for Dos Santos and his Mexico teammates is a semifinal date with Costa Rica on Thursday, June 3. The two nations have a long history when it comes to facing each other in Gold Cups, Concacaf World Cup Qualifying and other international settings.
“It’ll be a very tough game. We have played many times against them. They are an opponent with great players, they are always tough in Gold Cup games, friendlies. We know what we are facing, we know that we’ll have to be attentive to the smallest details. Costa Rica always are very dynamic, with quality, and they pressure you all over the field, so we have to be alert. It’s a single game so I think the small details will decide it, especially against a great opponent like Costa Rica,” said Dos Santos.
Should Mexico get past Costa Rica, they would face either the United States or Honduras in the Final, with a chance of winning another title. As someone who has achieved glory with the Mexican National Team within Concacaf, Dos Santos knows there is nothing better than lifting a trophy in a Mexico shirt at the end of a tournament.
“It’s the best that can happen to you in your career as a footballer. I was able to lift two Gold Cups with the national team. It’s a feeling you can’t explain. One of the times that I did it was the [2019 Gold Cup] Final against the United States and I scored the winning goal and so that made it so much more exciting and better for me. You really can’t explain it, you have to experience it in person and I had the great fortune of doing it,” said Dos Santos.
That feeling of joy also outweighs all of the sacrifices made and time spent away from friends and families while with the National Team.
“I think a lot of people don’t realize that we make so many sacrifices in our lives to do it, being away from family and our daily routine. People think that when you go to the national team that it’s a big party, but the reality is that you are spending a month or two in a hotel and you maybe see your family once or twice in that time, so it’s very hard. Winning those type of tournaments is a feeling that you know you have done things well, that you have sacrificed a lot of things in that period, so it’s a feeling you really can’t explain,” said Dos Santos.
Mexico’s return to the field this summer also marks the first time that El Tricolor will be able to play in front of their beloved fans since the Covid-19 pandemic. As usual, Dos Santos and his teammates can expect overwhelming support from the Mexico fans, who will no doubt make their presence felt in the CNLF at Empower Stadium at Mile High in Denver, Colorado.
“It’s a joy that the fans are coming back to the stadiums. We are nothing without the fans. We know that they are a big part of our lives and of course Mexican fans are the best fans in the world. Wherever we go, they are there supporting us. We can be playing in Brazil or Germany and the team with the most fans is Mexico. I’m very proud to have a fan base like that and so happy that they are back in the stadium,” concluded Dos Santos.
