Brazil's Neymar shakes off a double team from Team Mexico winger Hirving Lozano (left) and midfielder Héctor Herrera during a 2018 World Cup match. (Photo: SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Team Mexico Notebook: El Tri could face Brazil, Uruguay in ’24
The last time Team Mexico faced Uruguay, the South Americans spent an inordinate amount of time in and around the El Tri net.(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Team Mexico has two friendlies coming up and two important Nations League matches in November, but in the meantime the Mexican Soccer Federation (FMF) is busy trying to schedule games for next year.
While El Tri coach Jaime Lozano is busy prepping his team for games against Ghana (Oct. 14) and Germany (Oct. 17), the prospect of facing Brazil and Uruguay in 2024 has piqued the interest of Aztec Nation.
The FMF is eager to line up quality opposition ahead of next year’s Copa América and Brazil and Uruguay certainly qualify as such. Talks have been initiated but no deal has been finalized.
No doubt, games against the two South American giants would be of considerable interest, but they’ll mean nothing if Mexico fails to qualify for the Copa América.
Mexico faces critical stretch this month and next
El Tri is no doubt focused on the upcoming tests – and for once the FMF managed to line up top-notch competition – but the November games will actually be weightier because the Nations League is an official tournament.
Mexico, Canada, Team USA and Costa Rica await their quarterfinal opponents which will be decided next week.
In Group B, Jamaica has already clinched one of the four open spots while the Cuba at Honduras match will determine the other Group B qualifier.
Group A is wide open with Trinidad & Tobago and Panama looking favorites to earn quarterfinal berths.
At this point, Mexico does not know who their opponent will be but the Ghana and Germany challenges will weigh into who they’ll face because the top four seeds will be determined by the Concacaf Ranking Index and the results of the October friendlies will be taken into account.
At present, Team USA is ranked ahead of Mexico and Gregg Berhalter’s team will also face Germany and Ghana in the coming days. As for current No. 3 Canada, their only October contest is against Japan while Costa Rica has no friendlies scheduled this month.
Should El Tri advance – and they better! – the must-win Nations League semifinals await in March. Of Mexico gets past that challenge – and they better! – then El Tri fans can be excited about the prospects of taking on Brazil.
Neymar & Co eliminated Mexico from the 2018 World Cup in Russia in the last meeting between the two teams (2-0 in the Round of 16), while Uruguay thumped El Tri 3-0 in a 2022 friendly, in the previous clash between the two sides.
