The Mexico national team played its first game in the 2024 Copa America this Saturday, June 22, against Jamaica at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Jaime Lozano brought out a strong lineup for this first match that was expected to be the set lineup for the rest of the tournament.

However, it will definitely not be the set lineup as team captain Edson Alvarez suffered a major hamstring injury that has the potential to end his tournament. The injury was no-contact and may have potentially been the result of poor field conditions at NRG Stadium.

Alvarez suffered the injury in the 30th minute as he was escorted off the field in tears and replaced by Luis Romo. Before Alvarez’s exit, Mexico had a strong start to the match with some goalscoring opportunities but nothing to show for it. The most notable opportunity for Mexico in the first half came just four minutes into the game when a shot by Luis Chavez was stopped by Jamaica goalkeeper Jahmali White.

White went on to have a spectacular match and deny Mexico in almost every single goalscoring opportunity. In the 63rd minute an outside-of-the-box shot by Arteaga was denied by White, but Arteaga was able to have another chance at getting past White in the 68th minute.

Gerardo Arteaga 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/A9sxearXup

— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ ENG (@copaamerica_ENG) June 23, 2024

This time, Arteaga’s shot was unstoppable, as Mexico went up 1-0 after a very hard-fought and frustrating clash. The goal started from a header by Guillermo Martinez, then a pass by Luis Romo found Arteaga on the edge of the penalty box. The goal was very well-constructed and came shortly after Guilermo Martinez came on for Santiago Gimenez.

Luis Romo had a spectacular match replacing Edson Alvarez, but his injury is still the main talking point from this game, as many consider Alvarez to be Mexico’s best current player. Mexico had much more possession than Jamaica and had 20 shots to Jamaica’s 13, but the finishing must improve for El Tri.

Jamaica had a few scoring opportunities, but overall Johan Vazquez, Cesar Montes and the rest of the Mexico backline had a strong performance. Edson Alvarez’s injury is a major concern, but if Luis Romo is able to play every game like he did against Jamaica, it will be less of a concern.

Mexico’s next match will be at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., against Venezuela in a game that has the potential to decide the first-place spot in this group.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.