Group C of the Copa America Centenario kicks off with a Mexico–Uruguay match-up and a possible preview of the Copa final. Argentina and Brazil may get all the pre-tournament coverage, but Brazil is fielding a very unproven line-up while Argentina have shown the inability to get over the hump in their last two major international tournaments, losing in the final of World Cup 2014 and Copa America 2015. Mexico and Uruguay have a few advantages that could lead them on a path to the final after their opening clash in Group C of the Copa America.
Mexico
Mexico’s manager, Juan Carlos Osorio, has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal this tournament. He was able to afford to leave both Dos Santos brothers off the roster, in a somewhat controversial manner, Carlos Vela, Marco Fabian, Hugo Ayala and even Francisco “Masa” Rodriguez’ absence, who has been capped 108 times for the national team, due to an injury will hardly be noticed. Outside of Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Hector Herrera and Andres Guardado, any other player on the squad is interchangeable and wouldn’t interfere with the talent level of the team.
The team has a good mix of young players (five players under 25 years of age), players in their prime (14 players between 25-30 years of age), and tournament tested veterans (four players over age of 31). Don’t be fooled by the fact that Osorio only lists four midfielders on the team, while Herrera and Guardado are guaranteed starters in the midfield, Osorio likes to play a 3-3-1-3 or 3-1-3-3 formation where he plays defenders further up as defensive midfielders and places forwards on the wings to feed natural strikers like Hernandez or veteran Oribe Peralta. The only main question this squad will face is who starts at the goalkeeper position. Any of the three goalkeepers on the roster have a case to be named the starter. The members of this musical chairs game are Jose de Jesus Corona, Guillermo Ochoa and Alfredo Talavera. Osorio stated that “There’s no starting goalkeeper; all three of them have great possibilities of starting.”
This will be Mexico’s tenth participation in a Copa America and have only failed to get out of the group stage twice. They have been the closest non-CONMEBOL team that has come close to winning the prestigious South American tournament by finishing runners up in 1993 and 2001. They have the experience of competing in the tournament and have consistently had good results. Playing the tournament in the U.S., and especially their group stage games in Glendale, Pasadena and Houston, should lead to fans of Mexico’s opponents to be drowned out by the increasingly heavy El Tri fans. Essentially Mexico could have a bigger home advantage in this tournament than the actual hosts.
Uruguay
Uruguay are a team who will only get stronger the deeper they go in the tournament. La Celeste have a very experienced roster for this Copa America Centenario. Only five of their 23 players have less than ten international caps, and two of those five players are the back up goalkeepers. Thirteen of the players on the squad were on the 2011 roster that won the nation their 15th Copa America title.
Players like striker Edison Cavani, midfielders Egidio Arevalo Rios and Alvaro Gonzalez, Atletico Madrid center backs Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez and goalkeeper Fernando Muslera can all be expected to be penciled in as regular starters. Luis Suarez will miss the opening game against Mexico due to a hamstring injury and possibly entire group stage. Luckily, the veteran roster should have enough to get through the group stages until Suarez returns. Uruguay is a good team without Suarez, but they are a championship contender when he plays.
Without Suarez in last year’s Copa America in Chile, Uruguay squeaked out of the group stage with a win over Jamaica, tied against Paraguay and lost to Argentina before going on to lose in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Chile. In the first four World Cup Qualifiers following the Copa America, Uruguay had to cope without Suarez as his suspension from the 2014 World Cup biting incident continued. Uruguay won in the high altitude of Bolivia and home to Copa America champions Chile and FIFA top 5 ranked Colombia.
Outside of having to deal with not having Suarez for at least the first game, and perhaps likely most of the group stage, Uruguay’s group stage tour of the U.S. schedule has been well documented by manager Oscar Tabarez. “It’s going to be played all over the United States, I don’t like it,” he said. “The teams that reach the final will have been over the whole of the country – and it’s an impressively big country.” Uruguay will play in Glendale, Philadelphia and Santa Clara, in that order over the span of 13 days. Should they win the group, they will get a bit of a respite as the winner of the group will play in Santa Clara, where their final group stage game will be played. However, a runner up spot in the group, would send them back across the country to East Rutherford, NJ.
Uruguay should be able to overcome the travel schedule and the absence of Luis Suarez in the group stages. Knockout round opponents will be hoping to avoid seeing la albiceleste in their path should they advance.
Head to head
The Group C of the Copa America head to head matchup between the two nations goes, Mexico has the slight advantage as they hold a 7-5-7 record over Uruguay. Uruguay though have won the last two contests with a pair of 1-0 wins in the 2011 Copa America group stage and the 2010 World Cup group stage. Luis Suarez and Alvaro Pereira, both on this year’s Copa squad, scored the lone goals in the two wins, respectively.
There is a good chance that if these two nations advance out of the group that we could see them in the final once again, meaning this could be a Copa America Final preview.
Main Photo: Getty Images
