Edson Álvarez and Mexico are set to kick off their CONCACAF Gold Cup defence full of confidence after battling past European opponents Türkiye 1-0 in their final warm-up friendly in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
After being introduced as a second-half substitute during the 4-2 defeat to Switzerland in Salt Lake City, Utah at the weekend, Álvarez completed 62 minutes from the start second time round, wearing the captain's armband on his 87th appearance for his country.
Though Türkiye - who were promoted to UEFA Nations League A in March, and had beaten the USA in their previous game - arguably started the faster of the two teams, Mexico grew into the contest and enjoyed a couple of good opportunites before AEK Athens midfielder Orbelín Pineda broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time.
The momentum stayed with El Tri after the break, with César Huerta hitting the woodwork shortly after Álvarez left the field, but the scoreline ultimately remain unchanged, earning Javier Aguirre's side victory as well as a crucial clean sheet.
Gold Cup champions in 2023, Mexico will be looking to repeat that success - and build on their CONCACAF Nations League title win earlier this calendar year - when they get their 2025 campaign underway against the Domincan Republic on Sunday 15 June (3.15am BST).
Álvarez and his teammates will then contest further Group A fixtures against Suriname (Thursday 19 June, 3am BST) and Costa Rica (Monday 23 June, 3am BST), in the hope of securing a top-two place and a spot in the tournament knockouts.
Elsewhere, Academy goalkeeper Dondre Abraham - who is set to leave West Ham United at the end of this month - was an unused substitute as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were beaten 2-1 by Puerto Rico in the second round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The defeat sees Abraham's side finish fourth in Group F, bringing their qualifying campaign to an end with only the top two progressing to round three.
