Jaime Lozano is to remain as Mexico coach despite their failure to reach the knockout stages of the Copa America.
Mexico were eliminated following a disappointing goalless draw with Ecuador. In a game they had to win, El Tri were largely toothless as they labored to break down the Ecuadorian defence.
It was a third group-phase exit in four attempts for Mexico but the country’s sporting director Duilio Davina insisted there would be no knee-jerk reaction regarding Lozano’s position.
“The project continues,” Davino told reporters afterwards. “In two weeks Jaime will present us with an evaluation of what happened in the summer. We’ll talk with him about everything we can improve. The areas and opportunities that we have, which are surely many, but there are also positives.
“The project goes to 2026.”
Final Group B standings 📊 pic.twitter.com/jyTTIduYr8
— CONMEBOL Copa América™️ ENG (@copaamerica_ENG) July 1, 2024
Lozano selected a youthful squad for the Copa – opting to omit the likes of Raul Jimenez, Guillermo Ochoa and Hirving Lozano – with his focus already on the 2026 World Cup they will co-host alongside the United States and Canada.
“I think that these players in two years can have significant growth and, above all, it creates important competition,” said Lozano, who rued his side’s inability to score goals after netting just once in their three pool games.
He added: ”We need to score goals. But they have to concede as few as possible, and in this tournament, I think the team was very solid defensively.”
Venezuela topped the group, finishing with a 100 per cent record following the 3-0 defeat of Jamaica. They will now take on Canada in the quarter-finals while Ecuador meet defending champions Argentina.
