Where Does El Tri Go From Here?
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(Glendale, AZ) - The Mexico National Team was officially eliminated from the 2024 Copa America after a 0-0 draw with Ecuador on Sunday night. Mexico controlled their own destiny; with a win over Ecuador, Mexico would have moved on to the next round of the tournament. However, Mexico failed to score in over 90 minutes of play and thus officially finished in third place in the group behind Ecuador, which would send El Tri home after only three group games of tournament play, with Venezuela and Ecuador moving on to the Round of 16.
This was Head Coach Jamie Lozano’s all-in moment at this Copa America with Mexico. Lozano and El Tri turned heads with his squad selection for this tournament, marked by the notable absences of many key players who had been part of the Mexican national team for years. With the likes of goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa, who had been the starting goalkeeper and a member of the national team since 2007, as well as the absence of star winger Hirving “El Chucky” Lozano and longtime forward Raul Jimenez, it was clear that this tournament would feature up-and-coming young players to create a new guard for El Tri. Jamie Lozano has been under pressure due to mixed results since being appointed head coach last August, following Mexico’s Gold Cup victory in 2023, where Lozano served as interim head coach after the dismissal of former head coach Diego Cocca by the Mexican Federation.
Lozano was given the head coaching job not only for his success in the Gold Cup but also for his success with the U-23 team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan, where his side finished with a bronze medal after knocking out host Japan. With many of the same players featured in this tournament, Mexico only scored one goal, which was in their opening group game win against Jamaica. In each group game, including Sunday’s draw against Ecuador, Mexico averaged roughly 20 shots per game; however, shots on goal have been in the single digits. Mexico registered its lowest number of shots on goal on Sunday, with only three shots on goal, the first coming around the 60th minute of play. El Tri had a total of 57 shots in the entire Copa America, with 30% of those shots being on goal. Mexico lacked sharpness in the final third to score, as well as creativity to create chances, which has been a signature of El Tri. Combined with a tournament-ending injury to Mexico’s captain, Edson Alvarez, in their first group game against Jamaica, this created a recipe for disaster that led to their early exit from the Copa America.
For many Mexico fans, it feels like they have hit rock bottom, so where does El Tri turn to get back on track? Jamie Lozano was on the hot seat coming in, and the Mexican Football Federation has a decision to make on whether Lozano is truly the right piece for this team after these results. If Lozano is said to be dismissed, this would mean Mexico would be in search of their next head coach for the third time since 2019, which would add another question to an already long list: Who would take this job and why?
ESPN’s Hercules Gomez had this to say after Mexico’s elimination: “They’ll ask for Jimmy Lozano to be fired, but that won’t change the problems of tomorrow. A limited player pool with little to no growth in sight. Money-hungry federation officials who value the dollar over sporting development. The worst crisis in El Tri’s modern history,” via Gomez’s Twitter.
Gomez’s comments paint a picture of all the things that have gone wrong for Mexico, which makes the position of Head Coach even harder to fill. The Mexican Federation needs to have the answer to create a solution to push this team in the right direction, which seems easier said than done.
El Tri has been trending in the wrong direction. They seem to have hit bottom, so does Mexico dust themselves off and get up, or does Mexico continue to head down the path of no return? With Mexico being one of the hosts of the 2026 World Cup, along with the United States and Canada, time is ticking for Mexico to get back to their best.