The Mexico national team are all set for this summer’s Copa America run under head coach Jaime ‘Jimmy’ Lozano, with a few notable players not selected for the team’s preliminary squad.
Lozano made a few tough calls by leaving out several high-profile players after the team’s 2-0 defeat to rivals USMNT in the CONCACAF Nations League final in late March. The interim-turned-permanent boss could be coaching for his job with pressure mounting on Lozano to do well in Group B.
While Mexico won’t exactly be favorites to take home the prized trophy this summer, they still have a squad that’s more than capable of making it out of their group and making some noise in the quarter-finals.
Here’s everything you need to know about Mexico ahead of Copa America 2024.
Only the 10 CONMEBOL members and the USMNT gained automatic qualification to the tournament, meaning Mexico had to fight for their place in the highly-anticipated competition.
El Tri qualified for this summer’s Copa America after a dramatic comeback against Honduras. Mexico found themselves down 2-0 on aggregate after the first leg, but managed to bring the score to level terms after Edson Alvarez’s 101st minute equalizer at the Estadio Azteca in late November.
As both sides scored two goals at home, the away goal rule couldn’t be used to separate the two on aggregate. Thus, the two nations went goalless in extra time before Mexico prevailed 4-2 in penalty kicks to punch their ticket to Copa America 2024.
Edson Alvarez leads the Mexico midfield / Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/USSF/GettyImages
As mentioned previously, Lozano left out a few key players that have starred at international tournaments before for El Tri, such as: Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano, Jesus Gallardo, Henry Martin and the legendary Guillermo ‘Memo’ Ochoa.
However, that will give players like Santiago Gimenez, Erick Sanchez and Victor Guzman chances to prove their worth to Lozano. The likes of Alvarez, Julian Quinones, Israel Reyes and Cesar Montes have all proven their quality before in the Mexico shirt while Angel Malagon will be tasked with manning the El Tri goal.
Goalkeepers:
Defenders:
Midfielders:
Forwards:
Mexico’s projected starting lineup for Copa America 2024 ( 4-3-3 ): Malagon; Jorge Sanchez, Montes, Vasquez, Arteaga; Erick Sanchez, Alvarez, Chavez; Antuna, Gimenez, Vega.
In Group B, Mexico don’t exactly have a straightforward path to the quarter-finals like Argentina do in their respective Group A. El Tri kick-off their Copa America campaign on June 22 at NRG Stadium against CONCACAF foes Jamaica. Following their contest against the Reggae Boyz, Lozano’s squad then square off against Venezuela on June 26 at SoFi Stadium before rounding out their group stage run vs Ecuador at State Farm Stadium on June 30.
Should El Tri progress to the quarter-finals of Copa America 2024, they could take on either the first-placed or second-placed team from Group A depending on their own finish in Group B. Mexico’s possible opponents for the quarter-finals from Group A include Argentina, Canada, Chile and Peru, with Canada eyeing up a runners-up finish with Jesse Marsch now at the helm.
Mexico Group Stage schedule:
Source link : https://www.90min.com/posts/mexico-s-road-to-copa-america-2024
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Publish date : 2024-05-24 03:00:00
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