"Mexico's Kim Min-jae" will not play against Korea. Cesar Montes (29, Lokomotiv Moscow), Mexico's key defender, was shown a red card in the match against South Africa. It is good news for the Korean national team.
Montes was sent off in stoppage time of the second half in Mexico's opening match of the North and Central American World Cup against South Africa, held at Mexico City Stadium on June 11. He tripped opposing player Khuliso Mudau, who was cutting toward the flank during a defensive play, and the referee immediately produced a red card. It was an unnecessary foul committed while leading by two goals.
Despite the 2-0 victory, Mexico cannot fully celebrate. The reason is that Montes will be unavailable for the June 19 match against Korea, which could effectively decide the top spot in Group A.
A 195-centimeter tall center back, Montes played for Espanyol and Almeria in Spain's Primera Liga and has been in the Russian league since 2024. He offers stable defending built on his height, while his passing sense is also excellent, making him a starting point for build-up play. He has appeared in nearly 70 A-matches for the Mexican national team since 2017.
Montes, the national team's vice-captain, wore the captain's armband that day and started as the center of the back four alongside Johan Vasquez (Genoa). This was because captain Edson Alvarez (Fenerbahce) began on the bench.
Meanwhile, the Mexico-South Africa match set a record for the most dismissals in a World Cup opening match. Two South African players and one Mexican player were sent off, surpassing the most dismissals (two) seen in the Argentina-Cameroon opening match at the 1990 Italy tournament. Three or more red cards in a single World Cup finals match was also the first since the Portugal-Netherlands round-of-16 match (four) at the 2006 Germany tournament, 20 years ago.
