- No player on Mexico's CONMEBOL Copa América™ squad has previous experience in the competition..
- Only coach Jamie Lozano has previously played in the tournament, during the 2004 and 2007 editions.
It's hard to believe that a team with a history like Mexico's in CONMEBOL Copa América™ would make it to this year's tournament without a single player having previous experience in the competition, but that fact became a reality on Saturday night against Jamaica , according to OPTA.
El Tri opened the 2024 edition of the oldest national team tournament in the world against Jamaica and did so with a batch of new faces in the competition. The only person on the entire team who had previous experience playing in the tournament was coach Jamie Lozano, who played in the 2004 and 2007 editions for Mexico.
Mexico had last participated in the competition in 2016 at CONMEBOL Copa América Centenario™, also held in the United States. They finished first in their group, before falling to eventual champions Chile in the quarterfinals. Not a single member of that squad led by Juan Carlos Osorio was called up by Lozano for the 2024 squad. It was due in part to Lozano's desire to give way to a new generation in the national team.
Lozano's debut team performed well in their first CONMEBOL Copa América™ match, defeating Jamaica 1-0 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, to join Venezuela atop Group B. They will face La Vinotinto next Wednesday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Mexican players hope that their second appearance in the tournament ends with a victory, just like the first.
