Mexico go face-to-face with Jamaica on Matchday 1 of the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America as both teams search for the perfect start to the tournament.
Jamaica begin their third Copa America campaign with a tantalising fixture against Mexico who are regulars at this competition.
The Caribbeans have tested little success in games against Mexico as they have won only two of their last 13 meetings. Their most recent encounter in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Semi-Finals also ended 3-0 in favour of eventual champions Mexico.
Diego Cocca was appointed as Mexico’s head coach in February 2023 and he led them to two wins and three draws in his first five matches. The CONCACAF Nations League semi-final did not go according to plan as it ended in a 3-0 defeat and a third-place playoff against Panama which they won.
The manner of their embarrassing defeat to the USA led to a massive outcry and the sacking of Cocca to be replaced by Jaime Lozano ahead of their Gold Cup campaign which started with a 4-0 thrashing of Honduras.
Haiti were also defeated but Qatar’s win in the final group game did not affect their passage to the quarterfinal against Costa Rica. Henry Martin, Luis Chavez and Roberto Alvarado all struck in a comprehensive semi-final victory over Jamaica which led them to a 1-0 win over Panama in the final.
Lozano was promoted from interim to permanent head coach and there were three draws with one win over their next four friendly matches. However, Mexico began the Nations League Last Eight tournament with a defeat to Honduras in the first leg of the quarterfinal.
El Tri bounced back in the home leg to tie the game 2-2 on aggregate and won in the penalty shootout, advancing to a date against Panama in the semis.
The final international window of the 2023/24 season saw Mexico defeat Panama 3-0 in the semi-final and plot to dethrone the USA but they imploded again in a 2-nil defeat.
Being the most successful national team in CONCACAF, El Tri is arguably at its lowest point in decades having exited the last World Cup in the group stage for the first time in 44 years and failed to qualify for the Olympics tournament for the first time since 2008.
The up-and-down nature of their fortunes is emphasized by a turnover of three managers in the last 15 months with only three wins in their last nine games already ringing alarm bells over their current manager’s future.
Nevertheless, Mexico have great defensive strength and is famously hard to break down, they must harness that core in a major tournament this summer and an opening game against Jamaica should see them ease into proceedings.
The Reggae Boyz qualified for the Copa America in sensational circumstances after entering the Nations League A semifinals via a turnaround victory over Canada. Jamaica had lost 2–1 in the first leg before winning 3-2 in the second leg and benefiting from the away goals rule.
That first appearance in the Nations League semi-finals went off to a dream start with Greg Leigh’s goal in the first minute turning into a late nightmare as a last-minute own goal took the game to extra-time before Haji Wright scored the match-winning brace.
Jamaica eventually won the third-place match but they are yet to score a goal in the Copa America which should be their first ‘goal’ at this year’s tournament.
Heimir Hallgrimsson will be desperate to get a tune out of his team that has displayed lots of spirit in recent years while they have some crucial momentum to latch on to. There are World Cup qualifiers to come before the big tournament kicks off against Mexico so Jamaica can still build some more confidence.
Their group may be tough alongside Ecuador, Venezuela and Mexico but getting a positive result from the opening game usually has a galvanizing effect.
Match tickets
This Copa America match-up takes place on Sunday, 23 June 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 2 AM UK time. Match tickets are available for sale on the websites of both national federations as well as the tournament organizers so you can hurry to cop yours.
The NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas is billed to host this game and almost 72,000 can be expected to fill the stands. Both sets of passionate supporters will be desperate to get their hands on a match ticket but getting them via official channels may prove difficult.
Hence, we urge fans still looking for Mexico vs Jamaica tickets to check for copies on a ticket resale site.
Team news
Mexico had a couple of injury concerns in the March international window with Israel Reyes and Victor Guzman sidelined due to injury. They should be back available for the start of Copa America.
Leon Bailey is in the form of his life having registered eight goals and eight assists in 27 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa but he has announced his decision to step back from the national team due to alleged unprofessionalism from the Jamaica Football Federation.
The forward’s availability for Copa America is now uncertain and the team is set to miss a big presence.
Line-ups
Edson Alvarez plays a crucial role in the Mexico midfield with his presence giving the team a reliable shield for the back four. The West Ham man is one of the team’s leaders and he must put in a reliable performance in the middle of the park against Jamaica.
Mexico: Ochoa; Sanchez, Montes, Vasquez, Gallardo; Sanchez, Alvarez, Chavez; Lozano, Martin, Gimenez
The Reggae Boys are embracing their overseas-based talents which has steadily given the national team a facelift. The likes of Demarai Gray, Michail Antonio and Bobby De Cordova-Reid have become mainstays in the team and their quality must be relied upon during this tournament.
Jamaica: Blake; Latibeaudiere, Lowe, Hector; Leigh, Lowe, Palmer, Lembikisa; De Cordova-Reid, Antonio, Gray
Prediction
Mexico are superior in terms of quality and their previous head-to-head meetings which means Jamaica have it all to do to get a positive result. The Caribbeans must be solid and confident in their ability to get something out of this game.
For Mexico, they must gain confidence from this game so they must be prepared to battle from the first whistle. We can’t see beyond a win for El Tri.
Mexico 3-1 Jamaica
