Mexico’s Copa América disaster was years in the making

Mexico were knocked out of the Copa América on Sunday without reaching the knockout rounds. A bloodless 0-0 draw with Ecuador ended their run. Or maybe it was a crawl. The result followed a 1-0 defeat to Venezuela and a narrow 1-0 win over Jamaica.

Sunday’s performance was a bitter reminder of Mexico’s lethargic display at the 2022 World Cup, where they were also eliminated in the group stage. But this summer’s elimination was made all the worse by the fact that it was the first time El Tri had returned to the South American tournament since 2016. If this was supposed to be a reset, a chance to prove that Mexican football was in a stronger position than its display in Qatar, it failed.

The reasons are myriad. Apart from their win over Jamaica, they were comfortably outclassed at this year’s Copa. Against Ecuador on Sunday, and in the previous game against Venezuela, the team lacked any fluidity going forward. And when things went wrong, they lacked the options – or ideas – to adapt.

It was a disaster that had been predicted. Mexico coach Jaime Lozano is young and relatively inexperienced. His only major success is winning a bronze medal for the country’s U20 team at the 2020 Olympics. Before this year’s Copa, former Mexico coach Ricardo La Volpe predicted that Lozano would face problems if he didn’t adopt new tactics. He also lamented Lozano’s frequent failure to adapt, whether after a win or a loss.

“Jimmy is a coach who changes very little,” La Volpe said on his Youtube Channel. “He is not a coach who shows different tactical positions that can help with different ways of attacking. He still has a lot of work to do to give the players the tools they need.”

Lozano was never able to create the conditions necessary to field a confident team. Sure, he can point to a lack of talent, a problem above his pay grade. But he must also take responsibility for cutting several key players from his squad. Lozano bowed to calls for a generational change after the disappointment of the 2022 World Cup. Big names stayed home. But the plan to prioritize youth came before anyone could figure out whether they were good enough to dethrone the old hands. Lozano left 38-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa out of his squad despite an injury to his intended replacement. Hirving Lozano, Henry Martín, Jesús Gallardo and Raúl Jiménez all stayed home too, veterans who had a reason to be in the squad but were not included.

A lack of experience and options came to the coach’s mind. Although injuries undermined some of Lozano’s plans, he could never assemble a balanced team. Santiago Giménez, Feyenoord’s top scorer in the Eredivisie last season, played an isolated role up front, hanging around the penalty area waiting for chances. Julián Quiñones, pushed out of the striker position by Giménez, also remained on the left and struggled to combine with Giménez centrally. Cesar Huerta and Uriel Antuna, dynamic wingers, never exploded.

Yet Lozano’s miscalculations are just one element in Mexico’s long decline. There are systemic flaws. Chief among them: the insularity of Mexican football. Young players rarely leave the country to compete in Europe’s top leagues because the money offered by Mexico’s biggest clubs is too attractive and the temptation to be close to home is too strong.

There has also been a lack of ambition in the national competition since the end of Liga MX promotion and relegation five years ago. It was a recipe for inertia, with the Mexican squad full of young players plying their trade in a competition without danger.

“Now there is an economic penalty [for poor performance in Liga MX] but you don’t lose your category,” Miguel Herrerawho led Mexico at the 2014 World Cup, told the Guardian. “There’s no longer the same pressure, players are no longer suffering from relegation and that’s something that’s needed to create a sense of competition.”

As if the closing ranks at the national level weren’t bad enough, Mexico also dropped out of the Copa América after the 2016 edition, only returning this year. Meanwhile, the country’s club teams left the Copa Libertadores in 2016, at the behest of Mexican officials who said the economy and schedule didn’t align with their priorities. By leaving continental football, Liga MX lost a chance to improve by rubbing shoulders with the best clubs in South America.

Although Mexico returned to the Copa América this year with the intention of using the tournament as a springboard for its own World Cup in 2026, this summer’s dismal performance is further evidence that scrapping continental participation was detrimental to the national team.

At Sunday’s press conference, Lozano, whose expects him to keep his jobwas still looking for positives. He saw hope in the latest generation of new players who he hopes will usher in a new era for El Tri. “I think these players can grow significantly in two years,” Lozano said. But the results and performances suggest otherwise. Worryingly, there are few signs that the talent pool will improve anytime soon.

• This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, the Guardian US’s weekly look at the game in Europe and beyond. With Jonathan now in Germany enjoying Euro 2024, he’s entrusted a series of guest writers to guide you through the Copa América. He returns on 15 July to look back at both tournaments.