Mexico was able to start the Copa America well, but the 1-0 victory over Jamaica raises many questions for coach Jaime Lozano. El Tri was sent off at half-time after putting just one shot on target, but it was another incident in the half that will worry Lozano. West Ham United midfielder and Mexico captain Edson Alvarez had to be substituted after the 30th minute of play after running to meet a challenge.
He struggled to leave the field, even with the help of trainers. He was replaced by Luis Romo, but it has yet to be determined if he will miss time and for how long.
But thanks to a cool finish from the left back Gerardo ArteagaMexico was able to avoid a disruption as El Tri only woke up Michael Antonios goal was called back due to VAR.
Where concern arises is that this is a Concacaf side that Mexico should be familiar with, but they struggled to beat the Reggae Boyz. Mexico is one of the North American teams with a rich history in the Copa America having reached the final twice, but with Venezuela beating a 10-man Ecuadorthis is a group that could make it to the last day.
If Lozano doesn't solve some of Saturday's problems, such as Santiago Gimenez struggling to get the ball and Julian Quinones not being able to get behind the defense, there will be less space in Mexico's remaining games. They won't even have the luxury of facing Ecuador without them Enner Valencia after the forward was shown a red card for a reckless tackle while facing Venezuela.
El Tri are in a similar situation to the United States, where this tournament needs to confirm that they are on the right track and this match does not provide confidence in that. It's good that Mexico stayed calm until late and got three points behind them, but Mexico should have dominated against Jamaica. This is a different generation as Lozano oversees the rebuild, but scoring less than a point against Venezuela could make it difficult to get out of the group.
Mexico has had three managers since 2022, so a fourth for the World Cup would be another setback. The problems with the Mexican national team run deeper than just the coach, but the time is now to turn them around. With a World Cup on home soil in 2026, time waits for no one.
