Mexico are a team that has faced several internal problems since the end of the last World Cup. The elimination in the first round was not only a huge disappointment for the “Aztec” fans but also led to a string of bad results and various inconveniences.

While it cannot be said that all these issues are definitively behind them, the truth is that they have recently found some peace. Leading by Jaime Lozano, Mexico aim to demonstrate that they are ready for greater achievements with a team full of young players in this Copa America 2024.

Key Players for Mexico

The Mexican players have an array of talent to rely on in this year’s tournament. West Ham star, Edson Alvarez will lead the way, as the captain has had an outstanding season in the English Premier League.

Forward Santiago Gimenez is another player Mexican fans get excited about as his impressive displays for his club and country haven’t been forgotten.

Edson Alvarez started his football journey with a local professional club, America. Starring for them earned him a move to Europe where Dutch giants, Ajax for a reported fee of $17 million US. Alvarez’s career kept progressing and secured a transfer to the top flight of English where West Ham acquired the services of the tenacious defensive midfielder.

Santiago Gimenez‘s career started in Mexico where he came up through the youth ranks at Cruz Azul. His progression to the first team was quick and after his senior debut, he stayed as a first-team regular. He made 88 appearances for the club and scored 20 goals. Dutch club Feyenoord showed their interest and signed him on a 4-year contract, securing the forward services as his career made its way to Europe.

Mexican squad for Copa America: Young talents

The Mexican team is composed mostly of young players, with an average age of 26 years. Goalkeeper Julio Gonzalez is the oldest member of the team at 33 years old, and he is the only player in the squad over 30 years old.

Among the young prospects, Marcelo Flores from Tigres UANL stands out as the youngest player on the team at just 20 years old, along with Bryan Gonzalez from Pachuca, who is 21 years old. Despite already being an established player, it is impossible not to mention Santiago Gimenez, an important player for Feyenoord at only 23 years old.

Mexican squad for Copa America: Expectations

Mexico did not have an easy group, but it could have been much worse. They are one of the favorites to advance to the next round, understanding that the strongest rival in the group is Ecuador. While Mexico may not be the favorites against Ecuador, it is certainly not an impossible opponent to defeat.

Jamaica are another rival from Concacaf, a conference in which Mexico are one of the great powers, making Jamaica a team they can beat. Venezuela have historically been one of Conmebol’s weaker teams, but they have improved significantly in recent years. It is likely that Mexico’s qualification will hinge on their match against Venezuela.

In the last few months, the young forward has been sensational for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie. Nevertheless, one of the most controversial decisions by Lozano is to use him coming from the bench.

Jaime Lozano took over as interim coach in last summer’s Gold Cup. He surprisingly hoisted the trophy and, after the tournament, was officially appointed as the leader of a massive project toward the 2026 World Cup.

It’s important to remember that Mexico will be host alongside the United States and Canada. That’s why, millions of fans are waiting for a new generation of players to emerge following a massive failure at Qatar 2022.

Why is Santiago Gimenez not playing for Mexico?

For the game between Mexico and Ghana, Jaime Lozano chose Raul Jimenez over Santiago Gimenez and Henry Martin. He was accompanied on attack by Hirving Lozano and Orbelin Pineda. In minute 73′ of the match, Santi replaced Raul as, right now, there’s only place for one ‘9’ in Jaime Lozano’s tactical scheme.

That decision was severely criticized by analysts and fans. Though Jimenez is trying to revamp his career with Fulham, the numbers of Santi are just superb at Feyenoord. This was Lozano’s explanation.

“I brought three great forwards. I made my decision based on the rival and in Raul’s moment. In the last two games he showed it. He scored three goals for us. It’s a nice competition between the two of them.”

When asked if Santiago Gimenez could be the starter next Tuesday against Germany in Philadelphia, Lozano avoided the question and praised the team’s effort against Ghana.

“We want to do our best in these matches. We want to take wins and also keep growing. We want to take solid steps in this process. We want to build a good team and a great group of people. Certainly we’ll make some changes for waht’s coming against Germany, but I try to move the pieces according to the rivals to promote this competition between them.”