Mexico 1:0 Jamaica: Alvarez suffers, Arteaga strikes

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A wonderful left-footed shot from Gerardo Arteaga, fired low and hard across the goal from just outside the box, gave Mexico a victorious start to the Copa America.

El Tri recovered from the loss of West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez in the first half after the Mexican national team captain limped painfully off the pitch after falling unopposed to the ground with his hand on his left thigh muscle.

At the very quiet NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, there was a wait for the start of the second half as Mexico took its time before returning to the field to face Jamaica.

But Jamaica were quicker off the starting blocks: Michail Antonio scored his team’s first goal at the Copa America with a header, but the goal was disallowed for offside after a review by the video assistant referee (VAR).

After both sides made substitutions, it was left-back Arteaga who secured the points for Mexico. Job done and time to move on – albeit possibly without their captain.

Stuart James and Thom Harris analyze the most important topics of conversation…

How big was the loss of Alvarez for Mexico?

It was a sad sight, and a very worrying one for the entire Mexican team. Chasing a Jamaican counterattack led by Demarai Gray, with the game less than half an hour old, Alvarez fell to the ground in pain. The Mexican captain clutched his left thigh in a way that generally means only one thing: his Copa America is over.

Alvarez was understandably emotional and was consoled by both Jamaica’s players and his own teammates as he was led off the field by two members of the Mexican medical staff, pain and anguish written all over his face. It was notable that every player on the Mexican bench stepped forward to console him.

“We will wait a few days to test him and find out what is wrong with him,” said Mexico coach Jaime Lozano. “He felt something in his foot and we decided to take him out.”

Alvarez leaves the field visibly in pain (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Just 24 hours earlier, Alvarez had spoken so powerfully at the pre-match press conference about his overall sense of responsibility in leading and supporting an inexperienced Mexican team. He told a story about the recent 4-0 loss to Uruguay and how “the dressing room was like a wake afterward.” Alvarez went to each player in turn to pick them up.

“It’s not because I’m wearing an armband now. It’s part of who I am. I think they (the players) can see me as a role model,” he said.

How they will cope without him now is a big question. The midfielder, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer, is irreplaceable in the Mexican team due to his qualities and leadership abilities.

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Stuart James

A goal for Mexico from an unexpected source…

Two, four and 13. After the generational change in the entire Mexican squad, these were the international goal numbers of Mexico’s three starting players.

Without Raul Jimenez or Hirving Lozano, all eyes were on a new pair of tricky wingers and an exciting young striker. Julian Quinones recently completed his naturalization process and became a Mexican citizen. He has reached double-digit points in each of his last three seasons in Liga MX, while Santiago Gimenez scored 51 goals and provided 12 assists in his last two seasons with Dutch club Feyenoord. Despite relative inexperience, this team is top-scoring.

Mexico’s build-up approach was the same as always: a defensive midfielder receives the ball from the centre-backs and tries to find two advanced eights behind the opponent’s midfield line. But Jamaica defended the centre well and made it difficult to find passes to Luis Chavez and Orbelin Pineda.

There were moments when Mexico looked a little lackluster, their three strikers struggling to time their runs behind them. That meant Gimenez only had 16 touches before being substituted and was only able to show his striker potential once in his 68 minutes – a stepover and a shot at the near post.

As the game progressed, Mexico became more dangerous, but even then their best chances came from long-range shots from the deft left foot of Chavez or moments of genius from players who received the ball in front of the Jamaican defense.

They will definitely take the three points, but their winning goal, scored by left-back Arteaga from the edge of the box, suggested that the team is looking for inspiration for attack elsewhere.

You get the feeling that Mexico can shift up a gear.

Thomas Harris

Did Heimir Hallgrimsson’s tactical gamble pay off?

In the hour before kick-off, Jamaica’s lineup did not quite make sense.

Three centre-backs and two full-backs? As expected. But Shamar Nicholson, Antonio, Gray and Bobby De Cordova-Reid? Where would all those strikers fit?

As it turned out, Jamaica coach Hallgrimsson’s plan was the same as always: a 5-2-3 without the ball, covering the entire pitch and looking to counter quickly. The bold twist was to move De Cordova-Reid to midfield, where he had never played for Jamaica before.

In the lead-up to the Copa America, centre-back Damion Lowe seemed to have taken over the reins, with his coach praising him as a “warrior” after he made nine tackles in the 3-1 loss to the USA in the Nations League. The 31-year-old brought defensive stability but lacked technical quality, completing just 43 per cent of his passes and losing possession 26 times.

De Cordova-Reid’s ability to move the ball forward with greater speed and accuracy helped Jamaica create some of their most promising attacks in the first half. He played an inch-perfect pass to Antonio in the 29th minute before unsettling the goalkeeper with a long ball to Nicholson five minutes later. As his pass card shows, he seemed to make progress wherever he could.

Mexico did not test the Fulham striker’s defensive skills too much – their first goal came just moments after he was pushed back to the wing due to a series of substitutions – but Hallgrimsson’s positive approach set the tone for an open, evenly matched game.

Thomas Harris

A quiet night for Mexico?

It was a strangely quiet evening at NRG Stadium, on the field and in the stands, for much of the evening, and 20 minutes before kickoff one wondered how many of the empty rows of seats would be filled. Not enough, was the answer.

At first glance, this seems surprising for a Mexico game taking place in Houston. In reality, there are legitimate questions to be asked about ticket prices and whether it would have been beneficial for everyone to significantly reduce prices and fill the stadium (the cheapest seat available the day before the game was $175).

The crowd was reported at 53,673, but it didn’t feel like it. A game that was moving slowly didn’t help either.

Stuart James

What did the managers say?

Jamaica coach Hallgrimsson: “I’m biased but I thought the game was entertaining. In the first half, Mexico had more possession, as expected, but we created some really good chances on counterattacks and set pieces. We limited their chances with shots from outside the box, unfortunately they scored from one. In the 10-15 minutes when they scored we really struggled, I don’t know why. We fell deep behind. But I’m really proud of the players, we gave them a tough game. We need to protect the ball better when we have it and that’s something we will improve on. But overall I’m pretty happy with the game. We can learn a lot from it and build on it as the tournament progresses.

“Unfair and disrespectful” – Hallgrimsson on the delay in the start of the second half by Mexico, who came out of the dressing room too late.

“It’s tough. It is what it is.” – Hallgrimsson on the condition of the pitch at NRG Stadium.

Mexico coach Lozano: “Unity and solidarity have been one of the themes of this summer for us this year. It’s not easy to stick together when your captain is eliminated so quickly in such a big tournament… But they recovered quickly and we were always hoping for the goal.”

What’s next for each team?

Group B will continue on Wednesday, June 26th.

Ecuador vs Jamaica at 6pm ET/11pm UK (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada)
Venezuela vs. Mexico, 9:00 p.m. ET/2:00 a.m. Thursday, June 27 (UK) (SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California)

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(Top photo: Omar Vega/Getty Images)