In the 2015 Copa America, the Reggae Boyz lost all three of their group matches 1-0.
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Mexico will be a different prospect, though, and it’s hard to see the Reggae Boyz providing a serious threat to El Tri.
“We are calm because the pressure is on them to win”.
And midfielder Alvaro Gonzalez said during a press conference he was confident Suarez could return.
Now, before we kick things off, let’s hear that stirring Uruguayan national anthem! “Instead of going toward our goalie, we will go toward their goal”. While the Mexicans have fond memories of the meeting, Jamaica’s surprising run to the final didn’t end in storybook fashion.
Tabarez meanwhile said he is confident Uruguay can recover against Venezuela in a match he billed as “a kind of final”.
The soccer chief’s complaints came after Uruguay’s national anthem was botched just prior to last weekend’s game against Mexico’s team as the two faced off at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. However, Mexico has won eight of the last nine contest against Jamaica and nine of the last 11 dating back to 1996 when Jamaica managed another 1-0 win in a qualifying game. When we go to bed tonight (Wednesday) we have to say we will win, when we get up tomorrow (today) we have to say we will win and when we take the pitch we have to go for that result. “Here, yesterday [Sunday] it became obvious to me that this tournament is pretty much put together with Mexico in mind”. “We have to stay mentally tuned in”. “We are very blessed to have the support of the people here”. Venezuela owned a huge 63-37 percent edge in possession so they wore down the 10-man Jamaica the rest of the way. “We think our opponents are used to playing in hostile situations”. For the first time, the tournament has been expanded to a 16-team format with the inclusion of six teams from CONCACAF, football’s governing body in North and Central America and the Caribbean. Mexico needs to be mindful not to foul Jamaica on their end of the pitch because as we saw against Uruguay, set pieces are a liability, and Jamaica will use those to take advantage of Mexico.
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The Colombian coach’s biggest headache is how to replace Andres Guardado, who has been Mexico’s best and most consistent player since the 2014 World Cup, but is suspended after getting sent off in the second half against Uruguay. Guardado scored one of Mexico’s goals against Jamaica past year.
