The Mexico men’s national soccer team faces more questions after the team was eliminated from the 2024 Copa América with a 0–0 draw against Ecuador on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona.
Mexico was held scoreless for the second straight game in the tournament. However, it appeared El Tri was about to potentially escape before a video assistant referee overturned a penalty kick in stoppage time.
There were questions throughout the tournament about whether Mexico would retain manager Jaime “Jimmy” Lozano if they were eliminated from Copa América in the group stage. However, Mexico’s sporting director Duilio Davino confirmed just moments after the game against Ecuador that Lozano would remain the coach.
“The project continues,” Davino said in a post-game mixed zone where interviews are traditionally conducted following a match. “In two weeks Jimmy will present us with an evaluation of what happened in the summer ... we'll talk with him about everything we can improve. The areas and opportunities that we have, which are surely many, but there are also positives.”
Mexico finished in third place in Group B with one win (Jamaica), one loss (Venezuela), and one draw (Ecuador).
Ecuador had a 4–1 goal differential against Mexico, and only needed a tie to reach the quarterfinals following a 3–1 win over Jamaica and a 2–1 loss to Venezuela, which finished atop Group B. Ecuador will play Group A winner Argentina in the quarterfinals Thursday in Houston.
Mexico scored just one goal in three games. Finding a consistent scorer is the biggest challenge for Lazano moving forward.
“We need to score goals,” Lozano said following the match with Ecuador. “Obviously they have to score goals, but above all, they have to concede as few as possible, and in this tournament, I think the team was very solid defensively.”
Lozano’s job could still be in jeopardy if he can’t get the National Team back on track after several disappointing performances even before the 2024 Copa América. El Tri was eliminated in the first round of the 2022 World Cup and lost to the United States in the CONCACAF’s Nations League final.
Edson Álvarez (West Ham United) has kept the midfield organized but was injured in the 2024 Copa América opener. The attack has been stymied despite the presence of talented goal scorer Santiago Giménez (Feyenoord).
Mexico must now set its sights on the 2026 World Cup where the team has automatically qualified as being part of a three-nation host with the United States and Canada. El Tri now has some time to work out some of its issues because the team does not play another competitive match until November.
“We are two years away from our World Cup,” Davino said prior to the 2024 Copa América in May. “As co-hosts, we have our spot secured, and we want to take advantage of this great opportunity to not think about the immediacy of the result and project our path to 2026.”
However, Mexico is not the only team in the CONCACAF region facing an uncertain future. The United States likely needs a victory over Uruguay on Monday night to advance out of the group.
The United States is coming off a devastating 2–1 defeat against Panama in Group C. The U.S. team unraveled in the loss and struggled to play with 10 men after winger Tim Weah struck Panama defender Roderick Miller in the back of the head and was given a red card in the 18th minute. Weah was then handed a two-game suspension by CONMEBOL and he apologized for his actions.
“Today, I let my team and my country down,” he posted on Instagram. A moment of frustration led to an irreversible consequence, and for that, I am deeply sorry to my teammates, coaches, family, and our fans. Moving forward, I am committed to learning from this experience, not allowing an opponent to provoke me, and working to regain the trust and respect of my team and supporters. No matter what I will always fight for my team and my country till the day I’m no longer needed or capable to! I sincerely apologize to everyone.
“My love for this team goes beyond just football and I’m so sad and angry at myself for putting my brothers through what they went through tonight.”
There are also questions about the future of U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter, who has been under massive scrutiny since being re-hired for the position in June 2023 after his contract expired following the 2022 World Cup.
Even if the United States beats Uruguay, the team could also be eliminated if Panama beats Bolívia and makes up the goal difference against the Americans.
Despite the adversity, Berhalter is not worried about his job security.
“The pressure that you’re referring to has always been there,” Berhalter said over the weekend when his team arrived for the match. “Again, there can’t be more pressure on the outside than what we put on ourselves as a staff and as players and how we want to perform, and we want [to] do a great job. The external stuff is we can’t control; all can control—all I can control—is how we prepare the team to play confident[ly] and have a strong performance and that’s really my focus right now.”
Canada, which finished in second place in Group A, plays Venezuela in the other quarterfinal.
