For the first time in eight years, El Tri will be participating in the Copa América, the oldest continental tournament still taking place and the third most-important in the world (behind the World Cup and the Euros).
The Copa América has been the scene of a few of Team Mexico's greatest triumphs. Among the notable achievements are two finals, victories over Brazil and two bronze medals won.
There have also been some crushing defeats and embarrassing performances, including being eliminated by Team USA on penalty kicks in 1995, a last-place finish in 2011 and a 7-0 beatdown in the 2016 quarterfinals against eventual champion Chile.
Jaime Lozano & Co are eager to erase the bitter taste of that pounding while also trying to regain their footing after months of stumbles. El Tri finds itself in a winnable group – if it plays up to its potential, a scenario that is not a given considering recent performances.
Group-stage opponents for El Tri
Mexico has enjoyed great success against its three rivals in Group B: Jamaica, Ecuador and Venezuela. But past is not prologue in football.
Its first opponent – Jamaica – is the most familiar as the Reggae Boyz are Concacaf neighbors. El Tri has faced Jamaica 30 times with a 20-5-5 record and a 74-18 goal differential. In the last five encounters between the two clubs, Mexico is 3-2-0 with a 10-5 goal differential. The last time the Boyz defeated El Tri was in a Gold Cup semifinal match back on July 23, 2017.
Team Azteca has also enjoyed postivie results against Ecuador, beating the South Americans in 15 of 25 meetings, including a 2-1 win at the 2002 World Cup. Ecuador has defeated Mexico four times, while there have been six draws. El Tri has a 3-0-1 record vs Ecuador in Copa América matches.
Venezuela is the least familiar opponent with the two sides only facing 14 times with El Tri coming out on top 10 times and only losing once, although some publications ignore the loss (a 3-0 downer in Las Vegas) since it came against Mexico's Under 22 side. However, that team was preparing to play in the 2011 Copa América and should be taken into consideration.