Copa America 2015 Mexico: Tournament Schedule, Full Roster, Key Squad Members
It’s going to be a very busy summer for Mexican footballers. Not only have El Tri been invited to take part in the 2015 Copa America in Chile, but they have the Gold Cup to negotiate in the coming weeks too.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that manager Miguel Herrera has chosen to prioritise one tournament over the other, naming something of a shadow squad, mainly consisting of the brightest Mexican talent from Liga MX, for the South American showpiece.
It means none of Mexico’s highest-profile players will be on show in the Copa America—the likes of Javier Hernandez, Hector Herrera and Carlos Vela were all omitted from the 23-man squad—but it’s a brilliant chance for some of the men on the periphery of El Tri’s best XI to show their worth.
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Here’s the full tournament schedule for Mexico, the 23-man squad in full and a closer look at a couple of players likely to shine for El Tri in South America.
| Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul) | Goalkeeper |
| Alfredo Talavera (Toluca) | Goalkeeper |
| Meliton Hernandez (Veracruz) | Goalkeeper |
| George Corral (Queretaro) | Defender |
| Gerry Flores (Cruz Azul) | Defender |
| Rafa Marquez (Verona) | Defender |
| Hugo Ayala (Tigres) | Defender |
| Julio Dominguez (Cruz Azul) | Defender |
| Carlos Salcedo (Chivas) | Defender |
| Miguel Herrera (Pachuca) | Defender |
| Adrian Aldrete (Santos) | Defender |
| Efrain Velarde (Monterrey) | Defender |
| Mario Osuna (Queretaro) | Midfielder |
| Juan Carlos Medina (Atlas) | Midfielder |
| Javier Guemez (Tijuana) | Midfielder |
| Jesus “Tecatito” Corona (FC Twente) | Midfielder |
| Javier Aquino (Rayo Vallecano) | Midfielder |
| Luis Montes (Leon) | Midfielder |
| Marco Fabian (Chivas) | Midfielder |
| Raul Jimenez (Atletico Madrid) | Forward |
| Eduardo Herrera (Pumas) | Forward |
| Enrique Esqueda (Tigres) | Forward |
| Matias Vuoso (Chiapas) | Forward |
| vs. Bolivia | Friday, June 12 | 7:30 p.m. |
| vs Chile | Monday, June 15 | 7:30 p.m. |
| vs. Ecuador | Friday, June 19 | 5 p.m. |
Rafael Marquez
For so long Rafael Marquez has been the glue keeping this Mexican defence together and his role is likely to be more important than ever at the base of a fringe XI.
Now 36 years old, the Hellas Verona man hasn’t enjoyed the best of seasons domestically, but as was evident with some stirring performances at the Brazil World Cup, he’s a man that typically saves his best for the national side.
As Herrera himself noted ahead of the Copa, he’s a player that adds so much more to the side other than the obvious, per ESPN Tri:
While the former Barcelona man is a little less dynamic these days, his reading of the game remains as sharp as ever. His leadership skills will also be imperative as these Mexico players look to gel quickly in a tough Group A.
This is likely to be Marquez’s last major tournament for El Tri too, as noted here by Tom Marshall of ESPN.com:
As such, he’ll be desperate to put in some commanding performances in this competition. Mexico may not be genuine contenders for this title, but they still look as though they have the requisite quality to get out of the group and into the knockout matches.
If they are to progress, El Tri are going to need a big tournament from their veteran skipper. Expect him to rise to the occasion in the iconic green jersey once again, helping a capricious squad through what are set to be a trio of ferocious group games.
Raul Jimenez
There were big things expected of Raul Jimenez when he signed for the then-Spanish champions Atletico Madrid last summer. After all, the striker had been in magnificent form for Liga MX side Club America and seemed to have the requisite qualities to take European football by storm.
But as noted by WhoScored.com, the Mexico international made just four starts for the Rojiblancos, scoring one La Liga goal. So it’s little surprise, as noted by ESPN Tri, that the forward is still looking a little rusty:
This Copa is a brilliant chance for Jimenez to get back into some sort of form. With the likes of Vela, Hernandez and Oribe Peralta absent, he’ll get a sustained run at the point of Herrera’s attack and while Chile and Ecuador will be dangerous Group A opponents, there are frailties to be capitalised upon at the back in each side.
As we can see here, when he’s in the groove, Jimenez has the talent to do exactly that:
In the warm-up matches, Jimenez has been a little isolated at times, particularly in the 2-0 defeat to Brazil. It goes without saying that the service into him needs to improve if Mexico are going to get the best out of this classy but hesitant forward.
However, the fact remains that El Tri are going to find themselves under plenty of pressure in their matches against Chile and Ecuador. So while Jimenez will flourish with a stream of ammunition, he also needs to do better with his back to goal and providing an outlet for his team; if he can begin doing those fundamentals properly, the rest will quickly fall back into place.
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