The USMNT's biggest rival will be taking part in their 10th consecutive Copa America, so it's business as usual for them. El Tri have experienced plenty of rocky times and more than their fair share of management turnover in the last decade, but they are once again in fine form since winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup last summer.
3 Stars
- Andres Guardado (PSV Eindhoven/Netherlands) – Once merely a wing terror, the reigning Eredivisie Player of the Year can now also operate as an ace central midfielder. Guardado still dribbles expertly, has all the requisite set-up passes and hits a mean free kick with that masterful left peg.
- Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen/Germany) – The consummate box poacher, Hernandez makes outstanding runs and excels at finishing with his head. Commonly known as "Chicharito" to fans and foes alike, he is flourishing in the Bundesliga after a couple of tough seasons in England and one lukewarm campaign with Real Madrid.
- Hector Herrera (Porto/Portugal) – A terrific all-around midfielder, Herrera excels on both sides of the ball without being terribly physical. He has good vision entering the final third. He's also always had a terrific shot, but is scoring more as he matures.
Manager
Juan Carlos Osorio – Unlike many of his Copa America counterparts, the Colombian had a brief, fairly undistinguished playing career. After retirement, it then took him nearly 20 years to gain his first head coaching job. He won a coaching award that first season with Millonarios, but was still axed at the end of it.
Osorio then jumped to the USA, taking the Chicago Fire to the conference final a year after the club had missed the postseason. After then resigning in Chicago, he quickly took over the New York Red Bulls and promptly led them to their first MLS Cup final. The following season was among the worst in MLS history, however, and he was fired. Osorio then won a few titles back home in Colombia, with a short Puebla stay in between. In October of last year, he became the 12th Mexico boss in nine years just weeks after resigning from Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Copa America Group C Schedule
June 5 vs. Uruguay (8 pm ET, University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, Az.)
June 9 vs. Jamaica (10 pm ET, Rose Bowl – Pasadena, Ca.)
June 13 vs. Venezuela (8 pm ET, NRG Stadium – Houston, Tex.)
Full schedule
Copa America Squad
Goalkeepers (3): Guillermo Ochoa, Jesus Corona, Alfredo Talavera
Defenders (9): Paul Aguilar, Miguel Layun, Rafa Marquez, Diego Reyes, Nestor Araujo, Hector Moreno, Yasser Corona, Jorge Torres Nilo, Jesus Molina
Midfielders (8): Jesus Corona, Hector Herrera, Hirving Lozano, Andres Guardado, Carlos Pena, Jurgen Damm, Javier Aquino, Jesus Duenas
Forwards (3): Javier Hernandez, Raul Jimenez, Oribe Peralta
Starting XI (4-2-3-1)
- GK: Guillermo Ochoa (Malaga)
- RB: Paul Aguilar (Club America)
- CB: Hector Moreno (PSV Eindhoven)
- CB: Diego Reyes (Real Sociedad)
- LB: Miguel Layun (Porto)
- DM: Andres Guardado (PSV Eindhoven)
- DM: Jesus Molina (Santos Laguna)
- RW: Jesus Corona (Porto)
- AM: Hector Herrera (Porto)
- LW: Marco Fabian (Eintracht Frankfurt)
- FW: Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen)
Style of play
Osorio tends to build game plans based on the players available for selection, so don't expect much different from Mexico. They will play this hemisphere's version of tiki-taka, relying on quickness all over the field, playmaking from every angle and defending in swarms. The boss prefers a 4-3-3 for this group, but will often stick with the 5-3-2 used by his predecessor.
How they qualified
Automatically invited.
Copa America history
This Centenario edition will mark El Tri's 10th Copa America appearance. They reached the knockout phase the first seven times, but have dropped out after the group phase in their last two tries. Mexico have twice finished as runners-up (1993, 2001) and have ended up in third place three times (1997, 1999, 2007). In both of their final appearances, a tie-breaking goal in the final 25 minutes did them in.
Memorable moments
El Tri have claimed 10 Gold Cup titles and won the 1999 Confederations Cup with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Brazil. They've also logged a pair of silver medal Copa America finishes.
United States vs Mexico
Matches |
US Wins |
US Losses |
Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
Overall |
19 |
34 |
14 |
MLS Connections
Gio dos Santos is easily the biggest name of the six Mexicans currently playing in MLS. Over its history, the league has seen 58 join up from south of the border, including 2008 Bext XI honoree Cuauhtémoc Blanco. Major League Soccer has also seen three Mexican managers walk the sidelines: Carlos de los Cobos (Chicago), José Luis Real and José Luis Sánchez (both Chivas USA).
Team Guides
